하경복 河敬復
Military officer who guarded the northern border for about 15 years and laid groundwork for the Six Garrisons; posthumous title Yangjeong
| Life | 1377 ~ 1438 |
| Era | 조선 초기 |
| Clan | 진주 하씨 |
Life & career
Ha Gyeong-bok (1377-1438) was an early Joseon military officer whose ancestral seat is Jinyang (Jinju); his posthumous title was Yangjeong. His father is said to have been Ha Seung-hae and his mother of the Boseong Seon clan, and he is described as a seventh-degree nephew of Ha Ryun. He passed the military examination in 1402.
He served as military commander of Gyeongwon in 1410 and from the intercalary twelfth month of 1422 guarded the north as commander of Hamgil Province. By conciliating and subduing the Jurchen and urging the creation of Jongseong and Gyeongheung counties, he is credited with laying the groundwork for the Six Garrisons; the Sejong Sillok says he pacified the north for fifteen years. He is also said to have taken part in compiling the military manual Gyechuk Jinseol.
He later served as Pan-Jungchuwon-sa (1432), Inspector-General of Hamgil (1433) and Chanseong of the State Council (1435). Dismissed in 1436 over a dispute about reports on an epidemic in Hamgil, he was then named commander in Right Gyeongsang and died in August 1438 in the camp at Hapo.
Origins and Military Examination
Ha Gyeong-bok passed the military examination in 1402 and served as commander of Gyeongwon in 1410. He is described as a seventh-degree nephew of Ha Ryun, though genealogical accounts may vary.
Defending the North and the Six Garrisons
From 1422 as commander of Hamgil he conciliated and subdued the Jurchen and urged setting up Jongseong and Gyeongheung counties. He is credited with laying the groundwork for northern stability and the Six Garrisons in Sejong's early reign.
Final Years and Commemoration
After dismissal and reappointment in 1436 he died in 1438 at the Hapo camp. Hadong scholars are said to have built the shrine Gyeonghyeonsa in 1784, and it was designated South Gyeongsang Cultural Heritage Material no. 171 in 1990.
Grave
His tomb is said to be at Wongye-ri, Sugok-myeon, Jinju, South Gyeongsang.
Descendants
His son Ha Han (posthumous title Gangjang) and grandson Ha Suk-bo (Gyeongjeol) continued the line, and he had a younger brother Ha Gyeong-ri. Gyeonghyeonsa in Okjong, Hadong, enshrines Ha Gyeong-bok, Ha Gyeong-ri, Ha Han and Ha Suk-bo.