황선신 黃善身
Military officer who died resisting the Qing at Gapgot Garrison on Ganghwa Island in the Manchu invasion; posthumously made senior official of the Ministry of War
| Life | 1570 ~ 1637 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 평해 황씨 |
Life & career
Hwang Seon-sin (1570-1637) was a mid-Joseon military officer of the Pyeonghae Hwang clan with courtesy name Sasu. According to Korean Wikipedia he passed the military examination in 1597, during the Imjin War, and rose to head of the Hunryeonwon. He is counted as a leading military ancestor of the clan who died a martyr's death in the Manchu invasion.
When the Qing army attacked Ganghwa Island in 1636, he is said, at sixty-eight, to have defended Gapgot Garrison as a company commander with about a hundred men. But the soldiers had lost heart and fled, and Hwang Seon-sin was killed in the confusion. The defense line at Gapgot collapsed easily and Ganghwa fell with little damage, with Prince Bongnim and many senior figures taken by the Qing. A clan introduction states he fought as center-army commander instead, so the description of his post differs between sources, though all agree he died in the fighting. Korean Wikipedia dates his death to 1637.
After death he was made senior official of the Ministry of War (byeongjo champui) and enshrined at Chungnyeolsa on Ganghwa. In 1792, King Jeongjo is said to have honored his loyalty by granting offices to his descendants. Chungnyeolsa, which honors those who died on Ganghwa in the invasion, is a designated Incheon tangible heritage. The photographs on this page show Gapgot Dondae and Chungnyeolsa as they are today, not a portrait. In a clan famous for scholars and civil officials he is remembered as a distinct military ancestor.
Grave
His tomb could not be confirmed here. He is enshrined at Chungnyeolsa on Ganghwa.
Descendants
In 1792 King Jeongjo is said to have granted offices to his descendants.
Related photos
