Joseon civil official who served as Director of the Academy of Worthies and Minister of Rites and War; pen name Jicheon, posthumous title Munjeong
| Life | 1532 ~ 1607 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 장수 황씨 |
Hwang Jeong-uk (黃廷彧, 1532-1607) was a civil official of the middle Joseon period who belonged to the Jangsu Hwang clan; his courtesy name was Gyeongmun, pen name Jicheon and posthumous title Munjeong. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture records him as a descendant of Hwang Hui and great-grandson of Hwang Seom. He passed the licentiate examination in 1552 and the civil examination in 1558.
After serving as a historian, in the Office of Special Advisers and as clerk in the Taxation and Rites boards, he became magistrate of Jinju and governor of Chungcheong in 1580, then royal secretary. In 1584 he went to Ming China to correct the dynastic record, was made Minister of Taxation, and in 1590 was named first-class Gwanguk merit subject and Prince Janggye and became Director of the Academy of Worthies. He later served as Minister of Rites and of War.
When the Japanese invaded in 1592 he accompanied Prince Sunhwa to Gwandong as a recruiting commissioner and was taken prisoner at Hoeryeong after Guk Gyeong-in's revolt. Forced by Katō Kiyomasa to write a letter urging surrender, he refused until his son Hwang Hyeok wrote it in his stead, and he composed a separate letter saying the first was false, which never reached the king. After release the affair became a factional issue; he was exiled to Gilju, freed in 1597, and died without restoration of rank, being exonerated in 1623.
According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, Katō Kiyomasa forced the captured Hwang Jeong-uk to write a letter urging the king to surrender. He refused at first but, under threats to his grandson and the prince, his son Hwang Hyeok wrote it, and he wrote a separate letter stating that the first was false; it never reached King Seonjo. After his release the affair became a factional issue, and the ruling Easterners attacked him until he was exiled to Gilju.
The circumstances of coercion were later taken into account, and he was exonerated in 1623 under King Injo. It is also worth remembering that judgments of him varied with factional viewpoint.
Hwang Jeong-uk excelled in prose, poetry and calligraphy, and left the collected works Jicheonjip. A news item on a new book calls him one of the three great court writers (Gwangak Samgeol) of King Seonjo's time, and the Segye Ilbo clan article records him as a literary master made Prince Janggye as a first-class merit subject.
The order runs: licentiate examination 1552, civil examination 1558, clerk in the Taxation and Rites boards 1561, Remonstrator and Inspector posts 1565, Jinju magistrate and Chungcheong governor 1580, embassy to Ming 1584, first-class Gwanguk merit subject, Prince Janggye and Director of the Academy of Worthies 1590, accompanying Prince Sunhwa 1592, release from exile 1597, death 1607 and exoneration 1623. He is also recorded as dismissed over the 1589 Jeong Yeo-rip rebellion and soon reinstated.
The dynastic-record correction was a diplomatic task of correcting errors about the Joseon royal line in Ming records; the encyclopedia says his success earned him the Gwanguk title.
Not confirmed (not given in the sources consulted)
His son was Hwang Hyeok (黃赫). Wikipedia's Jangsu Hwang entry says Prince Sunhwa's principal wife was of this clan, but whether she was Hwang Hyeok's daughter was not verified here. He is a leading figure of the Jangsu Hwang clan.