Chief royal secretary and head of the guard who helped King Jeongjo ascend the throne and held power for about four years
| Life | 1748 ~ 1781 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 풍산 홍씨 |
Hong Guk-yeong (洪國榮, 1748-1781) was an official of early Jeongjo's reign from the Pungsan Hong clan, with the courtesy name Deongno. Wikipedia writes that his father Hong Nak-chun was an eighth-generation descendant of Hong I-sang and a sixth-generation descendant of Princess Jeongmyeong and Hong Ju-won, and that Hong Ju-won's second son Hong Man-hyeong was his fifth-generation ancestor. His paternal uncle was Hong Nak-sun and his sister was Wonbin Hong, a consort of Jeongjo. He passed the special civil examination in 1772, served as Yemungwan geomnyeol and Seungmunwon bujeongja, and became Seoljae of the Crown Prince's tutorial office, one of the crown grandson's close aides. His rank in the examination is given both as eleventh in the Byeong class and as fifteenth of fifteen, so the sources conflict.
Opposing those who resisted the grandson's regency at the end of Yeongjo's reign, he was picked as Dongbuseungji in March 1776 right after Jeongjo's accession and became chief royal secretary in July, while also serving as vice-minister of personnel, Inspector-General, Gyujanggak director, and commander of the Geumwi and Hullyeon units. In Myeongui rok, Jeongjo called him the "master of righteousness," declaring him his most trusted retainer. After an assassin entered the palace in 1777 he created the Sukwiso guard office and became its commander. He also took part in the purge of his rivals Hong In-han and Jeong Hu-gyeom. His roughly four years of power (1776-1780) are commonly called the beginning of in-law rule (sedo jeongchi).
His sister became Wonbin in 1778 but died suddenly within a year, and the Hanjungnok says Hong Guk-yeong suspected poisoning and tortured the maids of Queen Hyoui. He submitted a retirement memorial in September 1779 that was accepted the same day, and at thirty-two he was given the honorary Bongjoha title, becoming known as the "black-haired Bongjoha." His associates then tried to impeach Seo Myeong-eung and were expelled instead, and in February 1780, impeached by Kim Jong-su, he was expelled and exiled to Hoengseong and Gangneung in Gangwon, where he died in 1781 aged thirty-four. On the positive side he was involved in the early establishment of the Gyujanggak and in employing the illegitimate-born assistant librarians, but it is also pointed out that well-known stories such as the adoption of Prince Wanpung are probably nineteenth- or twentieth-century folk accounts. He is said to have clashed with Hong Yang-ho over Yang-ho's 1778 posting as magistrate of Gyeongheung.
He passed the civil examination in 1772, handled the crown grandson's lectures, and became chief royal secretary in July 1776 after Jeongjo's accession.
His sister became Wonbin in 1778 and died suddenly; his retirement memorial in September 1779 was accepted that day. He was expelled in 1780 and died in Gangneung.
Wikipedia notes that accounts such as the Hanjungnok, from Lady Hyegyeong's side, are unfavorable to him and cannot simply be taken at face value.
A record says his tomb was in Gyo-dong, Gangneung, but it was lost to development in 1985 and is hard to trace.