Late Goryeo civil official who took first place in the examination, rose to Chancellor and was made Prince Yeoheung; pen name Mukheon, posthumous title Munin
| Life | 1248 ~ 1326 |
| Era | 고려 후기 |
| Clan | 여흥 민씨 |
Min Ji (1248-1326) was a late Goryeo civil official from Yeoheung, with courtesy name Yongyeon, pen name Mukheon and posthumous title Munin. He was a great-grandson of Min Sik of the Sangseo-gong line and great-great-grandson of Min Yeong-mo, and his wife was a daughter of Sin Sa-jeon of Pyeongsan.
He took first place in the 1266 examination under King Wonjong and served as Jeonjung Sisa and Yebinyun under Chungnyeol. He accompanied Chungseon, then crown prince, to Yuan and received titles there. In 1285, when Yuan, after two failures, prepared a third invasion of Japan and ordered Goryeo to build warships, he went to the Yuan court with the king as Left Deputy Royal Secretary and is said to have argued the campaign was unnecessary, halting the shipbuilding.
Early under Chungseon he rose to Chancellor and retired; in 1321 under Chungsuk he again became acting Chancellor and was made Prince Yeoheung, and in 1326 he was promoted to Panchamuibusa and made Buwongun (Prince) Yeoheung. His title is explained as having helped fix the name Yeoheung for the clan. He revised Jeong Ga-sin's Cheonchu Geumgyeongnok with Gwon Bu into the Sedae Pyeonnyeon Jeolyo and compiled the Bongguk Pyeonnyeon Gangmok, but both are lost.
His line runs from great-great-grandfather Min Yeong-mo through Min Sik, Min Myeong-sin and his father Min Hwi. Of his two sons, Min Sang-jeong and Min Sang-baek are recorded, and his three daughters married Na Ik-hui, Kim Won-sang and Bak Yun-ryu. Politically he moved between the Yuan court and the Goryeo royal house, and his title is explained as having helped fix Yeoheung as the clan's seat name.
When Yuan demanded warships for an invasion of Japan in 1285, Min Ji is said to have argued it was unnecessary and halted the project. Accounts of the timing and outcome may differ among sources.
He compiled the Sedae Pyeonnyeon Jeolyo, a revision of the Cheonchu Geumgyeongnok, and the Bongguk Pyeonnyeon Gangmok, but neither survives.
The location of Min Ji's tomb could not be confirmed in this research.