최진립 崔震立
A military official who fought in the Imjin and Byeongja wars and died a martyr; founding ancestor of the wealthy Choe family of Gyeongju (posthumous title Duke Jeongmu)
| Life | 1568 ~ 1637 |
| Era | 조선 |
| Clan | 경주 최씨 |
Life & career
Choe Jin-rip (崔震立, 1568–1637) was a military official of the mid-Joseon period, with the courtesy name Sageon (士建) and the art name Jamwa (潛窩). Of the Gyeongju Choe clan, when the Japanese invasions (Imjin War) broke out he raised a righteous army together with his younger brothers and others, and in 1594 (27th year of King Seonjo) he passed the military service examination.
During the second Japanese invasion (Jeongyu War) he led a suicide corps and fought the Japanese army at Seosaengpo, Ulsan, and elsewhere, distinguishing himself. He then held various military posts, including Maryang Cheomsa, Naval Commander of Gyeonggi, Second Minister of Public Works (Gongjo Champan, 工曹參判), and Naval Commander-in-Chief of the Three Provinces (Samdo Sugun Tongjesa, 三道水軍統制使).
When the Manchu invasion (Byeongja War) broke out in 1636, he took the field again despite his advanced age, and early the following year, fighting the Qing army at the Battle of Heomcheon (險川) in Yongin, he fell in battle in loyal martyrdom at the age of 69. Honoring his loyalty, the state posthumously granted him the office of Minister of War (Byeongjo Panseo, 兵曹判書) and the posthumous title Jeongmu (貞武), and enshrined him at Yongsan Confucian Academy (龍山書院) in Gyeongju.
He is regarded as the effective founding ancestor of the lineage that later became known as the "Choe family of Gyeongju" (the wealthy Choe household), and is esteemed as the root of a spirit of noblesse oblige spanning twelve generations.
Descendants
His descendants carried on the wealthy Choe household of Gyodong (校洞) in Gyeongju, and his heirs, including the head of the line Choe Jun (Munpa), continued the family across the generations.