변형량 卞亨良
Disciple of Kim Jong-jik who served as a Hongmungwan junior official and was killed in the 1504 Gapja purge (courtesy name Hyeongji)
| Life | 1504 |
| Era | 조선 전기 |
| Clan | 초계 변씨 |
Life & career
Byeon Hyeong-ryang (卞亨良, ?-1504) was an early Joseon civil official of the Chogye Byeon, with courtesy name Hyeongji (亨之). He was a great-grandson of the Jehak official Byeon Hyo-mun; his grandfather is given as Byeon Gyun, his father as Byeon Gam, and his mother as a daughter of Gu Mun-sin. His birth year is not known.
He studied under Kim Jong-jik, became a jinsa in 1495 (Yeonsangun 1) and passed the regular civil examination in the byeongwa class in 1501, entering the Hongmungwan as a junior official. The Hongmungwan advised the king on scholarship and was a prestigious post for young officials.
In 1504 he exposed the misconduct of Gu Se-geon, a nephew-in-law of Yu Ja-gwang, but was himself falsely accused, exiled to Mujang (around today's Gochang, North Jeolla) and soon executed by public display of the head. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture says 'beheaded' in its definition and 'head displayed' in the body text, a slight difference in wording. He is presented as a victim of the Gapja purge, one of the series of purges under Yeonsangun.
Family and Learning
As a great-grandson of Byeon Hyo-mun he came from a family with a tradition of scholarship and office. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture calls him a disciple of Kim Jong-jik, and Korean Wikipedia's Chogye Byeon article connects his mother's side to a family of senior military officers.
Examination and Hongmungwan
He became a jinsa in 1495 and passed the regular civil examination in the byeongwa class in 1501, serving as junior official (jeongja) of the Hongmungwan. The clan's table of examination graduates likewise records 'regular examination, Yeonsan 7, byeongwa, jeongja'.
The Gapja Purge and His End
In 1504 he spoke of Gu Se-geon's misconduct, was falsely accused, exiled to Mujang and executed by public display of the head. Some writings link him by marriage to Yi Sun-sin's family, but accounts differ and no link is asserted here. That Yi Sun-sin's mother was a Chogye Byeon is confirmed in the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture; see the entry on Yi Sun-sin.
Grave
The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture entry says nothing of his tomb, so it was not confirmed.