Goryeo general who helped put down Jo Wi-chong’s rebellion; honored as founder of the Yeonju Hyeon clan
| Era | 고려 의종~명종 |
| Clan | 연주 현씨 |
Hyeon Dam-yun (玄覃胤) was a Goryeo military officer under Kings Uijong and Myeongjong, honored as the founder of the Yeonju Hyeon clan. His dates are unknown. Known by the honorific Sirang-gong, he is presumed to have been a local power of Yeonju who entered the central government.
Under Uijong he became a lieutenant colonel; when Jo Wi-chong rebelled in 1174 he held Yeonju fortress with his son Hyeon Deok-su. He became a general, later grand general and Chief Minister of the Chancellery, and was enfeoffed as Yeonsan-gun.
His three sons all entered the central government, which is given as the clan’s turning point. Some 106 seats recorded for the surname are said to be places where his descendants lived, and they were unified as Yeonju in the 1747 and 1982 genealogies.
Hyeon Dam-yun appears to have been a local power in Yeonju, today’s Yeongbyeon. Wikipedia presumes this enabled his entry to the central government, and says he became a lieutenant colonel under Uijong. His son’s entry calls him the Yeonju magistrate.
When Jo Wi-chong rose in Seogyeong in 1174, more than forty fortresses north of Cheolryeong joined him, but Hyeon Dam-yun and his son Deok-su are said to have held Yeonju. The son is credited with routing some ten thousand besiegers; the son became a palace attendant and the father a general.
Genealogies, Wikipedia and the Jeju encyclopedias name Hyeon Dam-yun as founder, while the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture presents Hyeon Hyo-cheol, who rose in 1269 and joined the Mongols, as founder. Their relationship could not be confirmed; this page follows the genealogies and notes the difference.
The location of his grave was not confirmed.
Sons: Hyeon Deok-su (Minister of War), Hyeon I-hu (Gwangseong-gun) and Hyeon Deok-yu (Hoewon-gun).