Minister of Personnel and secretary of the 1590 mission to Japan; pen names Angnok and Sanjeon
| Life | 1548 ~ 1612 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 양천 허씨 |
Heo Seong (1548-1612) was a mid-Joseon official of the Yangcheon Heo clan, with courtesy name Gongeon and pen names Angnok and Sanjeon. The eldest son of Heo Yeop, he was a half-brother of Heo Bong, Heo Gyun and Heo Nanseolheon, and a brother-in-law of U Seong-jeon. Gangneung, his mother's home and his birthplace, is said to have a poem monument in his memory.
After passing the civil examination he held various posts and rose to Minister of Personnel; after his death he was posthumously made Left Deputy Chief Councillor. He is widely known as secretary (seojanggwan) of the 1590 Korean mission to Japan, whose chief envoy was Hwang Yun-gil and deputy envoy Kim Seong-il. Amid the dispute over the possibility of a Japanese invasion he is said to have leaned toward Hwang's view, and on his return in 1591 he was impeached and sent to the state tribunal.
For raising volunteer troops in the Imjin War he was named a first-class Seonmu wonjong merit subject in 1604 and posthumously a first-class Wiseong wonjong merit subject in 1614. The Veritable Records of Joseon contain many negative entries about him, but the revised Seonjo Sillok is said to criticize these and defend him. His collected works are the Angnok-jip.
He is counted among the "five writers of the Heo family" together with his half-siblings born to Heo Yeop's second wife. His detailed career record and tomb were not sufficiently confirmed here.
He went to Japan with chief envoy Hwang Yun-gil and deputy envoy Kim Seong-il. The conflicting reports of the two envoys on a possible invasion are famous; accounts of Heo Seong's own position differ.
He became a first-class Seonmu wonjong merit subject in 1604 for service in the Imjin War, and a first-class Wiseong wonjong merit subject posthumously in 1614.
The exact location of his tomb was not confirmed here. A poem monument is said to stand in Gangneung.