Disciple of Kim Jong-jik executed in the literati purge of 1498 (Muo sahwa); pen name Suheon; posthumous title Chunggyeong
| Life | 1467 ~ 1498 |
| Era | 조선 전기 |
| Clan | 예천 권씨 |
Gwon O-bok (權五福, 1467-1498) was an early Joseon civil official of the Yecheon clan, with courtesy name Hyangji and pen name Suheon (睡軒). According to the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, his great-grandfather was Gwon Sang, his grandfather Gwon Yu-son and his father Gwon Seon; his mother was a daughter of Yi Gye-jeon of the Hansan Yi clan. He was born in Yucheon village in the Yecheon area and is counted as the third of the five Obokmun brothers. He should not be confused with a namesake of the Andong Gwon clan.
He passed the saengwon examination and the civil examination (third class) in 1486, was chosen for the Office of Royal Decrees as a historian, moved on to the Hongmungwan after serving as a Byeongjo clerk, and once went out as inspector of Gwandong. A disciple of Kim Jong-jik, he was a friend of Kim Il-son. In 1496 he asked to resign to care for his parents and was posted to Yaseong (present-day Yeongdeok).
When the 1498 purge broke out he was arrested at home and executed with Kim Il-son and Gwon Gyeong-yu at the age of 32. The stele says he was resented for associating with his teacher and friend. His father was exiled to Gwangyang. He had no son and two daughters.
His posthumous title is Chunggyeong and he is enshrined at Bongsan Seowon and Hyanghyeonsa in Yecheon. In 1585 his kinsman Gwon Mun-hae, then magistrate of Dalseong, published his collected works, the Suheonjip. Because his grave was lost, descendants erected a memorial stele on his old house site in 1891, with text by Yu Chi-myeong, calligraphy by Kim Heung-rak, and construction by clan descendants.
The purge arose from Kim Jong-jik's "Jo ui-je mun", which Kim Il-son had entered in the historical drafts. The stele mentions Yu Ja-gwang and Yi Geuk-don as instigators and records O-bok as among the first to suffer the extreme penalty with Kim Il-son. For the general course of the purge see the National Institute of Korean History; his specific charge was not confirmed here.
After the grave was lost, descendants set up a stele on the old house site. The National Research Institute describes it as a four-sided stele with a roof-shaped capstone and square base, not a designated heritage item. The text records how the collected works were compiled, plus his lineage and descendants.
His grave was lost; a memorial stele and altar stand on his old house site in Yecheon, erected in 1891.
The stele records no son and two daughters. His brothers were Gwon O-haeng, O-gi, O-ryun (O-yun) and O-sang.