Scholar and sijo poet of the Yeongnam school who rendered the Great Learning in sijo; pen names Dugok and Chwibyeong; Governor of Gyeongju
| Life | 1531 ~ 1605 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 안동 고씨 |
Ko Eung-cheok (1531-1605) was a mid-Joseon scholar and sijo poet of the Andong Ko clan. His courtesy name was Jwamyeong and his pen names Dugok and Chwibyeong; his father is given as Ko Mong-dam, his mother as a daughter of Jeong Se-hyeong, and his wife as a daughter of Nam Geuk-mun. Korean Wikipedia names him as founder of the Andong Ko.
He passed the licentiate examination in 1549 and the civil examination in 1561. He took up a post as instructor at Hamheung in 1562 but resigned the next year to study Neo-Confucianism at home; from 1595 he served as Magistrate of Punggi, then of Hoedeok, and as Gangwon and Gyeongsang officials and Saseong of the Sungkyunkwan. After retiring he was appointed Governor of Gyeongju in 1605 but soon resigned. Some sources give different examination years.
His Dugok-jip contains 28 sijo, 25 of them didactic poems rendering the Great Learning and three forming Hohoga. He is counted with Yi Hyeon-bo, Gwon Ho-mun and Park In-ro as part of the Yeongnam school. He is also said to have left works such as Daehak Gaejeongjang. He is said to have been enshrined at Nakbong Seowon in Seonsan in 1702, and in 2019 his mummy was reported found while a grave was moved at the Andong Ko family burial ground in Geumsan-ri, Haepyeong-myeon, Gumi.
After passing the civil examination in 1561 he went to Hamheung as instructor but soon withdrew to study at home. From 1595, beginning with Magistrate of Punggi, he held posts as Magistrate of Hoedeok, Gangwon and Gyeongsang official and Saseong, and in 1605 was appointed Governor of Gyeongju but soon resigned. His works include Dugok-jip, Daehak Gaejeongjang and Anja-seo.
The first volume of Dugok-jip holds 28 sijo. The first 25 are didactic poems rendering the Great Learning commentary, and nos. 26-28 are Hohoga, a translation of Majajae-ga. He is counted among the Yeongnam school with Yi Hyeon-bo, Gwon Ho-mun and Park In-ro.
Korean Wikipedia names Ko Eung-cheok as founder of the Andong Ko, while another source names Ko Eung-seop, so the name differs. In 2019 a mummy was reported found in a wooden coffin inside a lime-lined tomb during relocation at the Andong Ko burial ground in Geumsan-ri, Haepyeong-myeon, Gumi; an inscribed banner identified him. Clothing, a cotton quilt and socks came out with it, along with a funeral banner thought to have been written by Jeong Gyeong-se. CT scans and DNA analysis were planned with the descendants' consent.
Reported to have been at the Andong Ko family burial ground in Geumsan-ri, Haepyeong-myeon, Gumi, where his mummy was found in 2019 during relocation. The present exact location was not confirmed.