현풍 곽씨(玄風 郭氏) — The Hyeonpung Gwak clan is regarded as the main line of the Gwak surname with Hyeonpung (玄風) as its ancestral seat. Its progenitor is Gwak Gyeong (郭鏡), who came to Goryeo from Song China during the reign of King Injong. He was enfeoffed as Lord of Posan (苞山君), and Posan is the old name of Hyeonpung, so the clan is also called the Posan Gwak clan. Its notable members include 곽재우, the 'Red-Robed General'; 곽준, who defended Hwangseoksanseong Fortress; the Confucian scholar 곽종석, who led the Paris Petition; and 곽상훈, a Speaker of the National Assembly. The 2015 census counted 166,608 members.
The Hyeonpung Gwak clan is regarded as the main line of the Gwak surname with Hyeonpung (玄風) as its ancestral seat. Its progenitor is Gwak Gyeong (郭鏡), who came to Goryeo from Song China during the reign of King Injong. He was enfeoffed as Lord of Posan (苞山君), and Posan is the old name of Hyeonpung, so the clan is also called the Posan Gwak clan. Its notable members include 곽재우, the 'Red-Robed General'; 곽준, who defended Hwangseoksanseong Fortress; the Confucian scholar 곽종석, who led the Paris Petition; and 곽상훈, a Speaker of the National Assembly. The 2015 census counted 166,608 members. In the 2015 Census the 현풍 곽씨 clan numbered about 166,608 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 곽, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 현풍) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
The Hyeonpung Gwak clan traces its descent from Gwak Gyeong (郭鏡). He passed the state examination in 1138, the 16th year of King Injong of Goryeo. He is said to have served as Munha Sijung Pyeongjangsa, risen to the rank of Geumja Gwangnok Daebu, and been enfeoffed as Lord of Posan (苞山君).
Gwak Gyeong was a naturalized immigrant from Song China. A memorial tablet was recovered from his tomb in 1930. According to the tablet, he came from Hongnong (弘農) in the Guanxi region of China and settled in Goryeo. The same tablet reportedly identifies him as the son of Guo Ruqian (郭如謙), a Song official.
The Encyclopedia of Seongju Culture states that his original name was Yangno (若魯). It says he served as a Hallim academician and came to Goryeo in 1133 with seven other scholars. His dates are given as 1117–1179, but only in the Encyclopedia of Jindo Culture.
Korean Wikipedia notes that the genealogy Ssijok Wollyu names Gwak Gi-jeong (郭基正) as the progenitor. The same article's infobox lists Gwak Gi-jeong as the clan's restorer ancestor.
Posan (苞山) is the old name of Hyeonpung. When Posan County was renamed Hyeonpung in the Joseon period, the clan's seat took the new name. The name Posan Gwak is still used today, and the clan association is called the Hyeonpung (Posan) Gwak Clan Association.
Some lines once used Seonsan, Haemi, Gangneung, Bongsan and other places as separate seats. When the 1976 Byeongjin Great Genealogy was compiled, the clan association voted to unify them under Hyeonpung. The Seonsan Gwak, however, published a separate genealogy in 1979, citing chronological discrepancies.
The Haemi Gwak line regards Gwak Seung (郭繩), a 13th-generation descendant of Gwak Gyeong, as its founder and is described as an offshoot of the Hyeonpung Gwak. This comes from a genealogy information site and is given for reference only.
Two lines divided in the early Joseon period.
According to the Encyclopedia of Dalseong Culture and the Shinailbo, the clan has 78 branches in total. The main ones include the Jeonrigong, Jehakgong, Miljikgong, Nojaegong, Gyujeonggong, Sangjanggunggong, Moksagong and Seonmurangong branches. A DTNews24 article says that seven sub-branches belong to the Jeonrigong branch and seven to the Jehakgong branch, and it also mentions the Miljikgong and Jungnangjanggong branches.
The generation-name table on Korean Wikipedia lists the Chungikgong, Gyorigong and Jubugong branches. The founders of these three branches could not be confirmed.
Clan villages are centered on Hyeonpung (Dalseong County, Daegu), with others in Seongju, Yeongcheon and Jindo.
Korean Wikipedia lists the following generation names. Generations are counted from the restorer ancestor as the first.
These have not been checked against the clan association's official table. The association's website has a generation-name menu, which should be consulted for the authoritative names.
The clan association is the Hyeonpung (Posan) Gwak Clan Association (posan.kr). It has regional chapters for Seoul–Gyeonggi, Busan–South Gyeongsang, Daegu–North Gyeongsang, Gwangju–Jeolla, Daejeon–Chungcheong and Gangwon–Jeju. Its official address and contact details could not be confirmed.
The rite for the progenitor is held every year on the first Sunday of May at Daedeoksa in Bakgok-ri, Baegam-myeon, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. According to an excerpt from the association's website, Daedeoksa is a shrine to 19 ancestors, including the progenitor and the second-generation ancestor Jiseungseon-gong (Gwak Heon).
The 2015 census by Statistics Korea counted 166,608 members of the Hyeonpung Gwak clan, up from 140,283 in 2000.
Giho line, Yeongnam line, Chungik-gong-pa, Jeonrigong branch, Jehakgong branch, Miljikgong branch, Gyorigong branch, Jubugong branch
The Giho line is one of the two major divisions of the Hyeonpung Gwak clan. It formed in the early Joseon period as descendants of Gwak Gi-jeong (郭基正) spread to Gyeonggi, Jeolla and Pyeongan provinces (Korean Wikipedia).
Korean Wikipedia's infobox lists Gwak Gi-jeong as the clan's restorer ancestor. The article also notes that the genealogy Ssijok Wollyu names him as the progenitor.
Amgok Seowon (formerly Posansa) on Mt. Daenisan in Wondang village enshrines Gwak Gi-jeong together with the progenitor Gwak Gyeong, Gwak Han-jeong, Gwak Ja-ui and Gwak Sun-jong. The individual branches within the Giho line and their founders could not be confirmed.
The Yeongnam line is one of the two major divisions of the Hyeonpung Gwak clan. It formed in the early Joseon period as descendants of Gwak Han-jeong (郭漢正) spread across the Yeongnam region from Hyeonpung (Korean Wikipedia).
The mother village is Sollye (Sorye) in Dae 1-ri, Hyeonpung-eup, Dalseong County. Gwak An-bang settled there in 1467 (the 13th year of King Sejo), and the head family house stands there. Other clan villages include Wondang in Ji 2-ri, Hyeonpung-eup; Hanjeong-ri, Yuga-eup; Jangsaemi in Doui 1-ri, Yuga-eup; Anchon in Su 3-ri, Guji-myeon; and Nae 1-ri and 2-ri, Guji-myeon.
Gwak Yu-byeong (1602–1653) settled in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in Mundeok-ri, Chojeon-myeon and Deokpyeong-ri, Yongam-myeon. The first settler in Yeongcheon was Gwak Su-nyeong (郭遂寗). Which branches these settlers belonged to could not be confirmed.
The Chungik-gong branch is known as the line that regards Gwak Jae-u (郭再祐, 1552-1617, pen name Mangudang), the righteous-army leader of the Imjin War, as its progenitor; its name comes from his posthumous title Chungik (忠翼). He was the son of Gwak Wol (郭越), governor of Hwanghae Province, a disciple of Jo Sik (Nammyeong), and was born in Uiryeong, Gyeongsang Province.
When the Imjin War broke out he raised a volunteer army and became known as the "Red-Robed General," fighting in actions such as the battles of Jinju Fortress and Hwawangsan Fortress. He later served as a privy councillor and as deputy mayor of Hanseong.
The Jeonrigong branch is listed among the main branches of the Hyeonpung Gwak clan by the Encyclopedia of Dalseong Culture and the Shinailbo. The clan is said to have 78 branches in total.
A DTNews24 article states that seven sub-branches belong to the Jeonrigong branch. Its founder, the names of its sub-branches and its settlements could not be confirmed.
The Jehakgong branch is listed among the main branches of the Hyeonpung Gwak clan by the Encyclopedia of Dalseong Culture and the Shinailbo.
A DTNews24 article states that seven sub-branches belong to the Jehakgong branch. Its founder, the names of its sub-branches and its settlements could not be confirmed.
The Miljikgong branch is listed among the main branches of the Hyeonpung Gwak clan by the Encyclopedia of Dalseong Culture and the Shinailbo. It is also named in a DTNews24 article.
Other main branches listed alongside it include the Nojaegong, Gyujeonggong, Sangjanggunggong, Moksagong and Seonmurangong branches, and DTNews24 also mentions a Jungnangjanggong branch. The founder and settlements of the Miljikgong branch could not be confirmed.
The Gyorigong branch appears in the Hyeonpung Gwak generation-name table on Korean Wikipedia, alongside the Chungikgong and Jubugong branches.
The generation names listed for generations 25–33 are Jung (重), Si (時), Jong (鍾), Han (漢), Sang (相), Byeon (變), Gi (基), Jin (鎭) and Tae (泰), counting from the restorer ancestor. These have not been checked against the clan association's official table, and the branch founder could not be confirmed.
The Jubugong branch appears in the Hyeonpung Gwak generation-name table on Korean Wikipedia, alongside the Chungikgong and Gyorigong branches.
The generation names listed for generations 23–32 are Man (萬), Jin (鎭), Seo (瑞), Yun (潤), Geun (根), Hyeong (炯), Gyu (圭), Jong (鍾), Jun (準) and Gu (九), counting from the restorer ancestor. These have not been checked against the clan association's official table, and the branch founder could not be confirmed.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
곽경(progenitor, Lord of Posan), 곽원진(late Goryeo official, Chancellor of the Seonggyungwan and Jehak of Jinhyeongwan), 곽안방(early Joseon incorruptible official, first settler of Sollye), 곽월(Joseon official, Magistrate of Uiju, father of Gwak Jae-u), 곽준(Magistrate of Aneum, killed defending Hwangseoksanseong, posthumous title Chungnyeol), 곽재우(the 'Red-Robed General', righteous army leader, posthumous title Chungik), 곽유병(first settler in Seongju), 곽종석(Confucian scholar, leader of the Paris Petition), 곽상훈(independence activist, Speaker of the National Assembly), 곽상도(former prosecutor, member of the 20th National Assembly)
Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).
현풍 곽씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.
The 현풍 곽씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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