One of the Six Living Martyrs who petitioned to restore Queen Hyeondeok's tomb; pen name Chugang; author of Chugang naenghwa and Yuksinjeon
| Life | 1454 ~ 1492 |
| Era | 조선 전기 |
| Clan | 의령 남씨 |
Nam Hyo-on (1454-1492) was an early Joseon scholar of the Uiryeong Nam clan, a descendant of Nam Jae. His courtesy name was Baekgong and pen name Chugang, with others such as Haengu, Choeraktang and Byeoksa. His great-grandfather was Nam Gan, his father Nam Jeon and his mother a daughter of Yi Gok; his son was Nam Chung-se. He is known as a disciple of Kim Jong-jik.
After dreaming of Queen Hyeondeok he petitioned for the restoration of her tomb, Soreung, but was blocked by Im Sa-hong, Jeong Chang-son and others. He then declined office and wandered, writing, and is counted among the Six Living Martyrs, who kept faith with King Danjong, with Kim Si-seup, Won Ho, Yi Maeng-jeon, Jo Ryeo and Seong Dam-su.
He is best known for the Chugang naenghwa, the Gwisinnon and the Yuksinjeon, a record of the six martyred ministers, and also left the Chugangjip, Suhyanggi and Sau myeonghaengnok. He died in 1492 aged 39. In the 1504 Gapja Purge he was posthumously subjected to corpse mutilation as a disciple of Kim Jong-jik and promoter of the Soreung petition. Soreung was restored under Jungjong in 1513, and he was rehabilitated and posthumously made Left Royal Secretary.
He petitioned for the restoration of Queen Hyeondeok's tomb Soreung but met opposition. This later became a charge against him in the Gapja Purge, and his standing changed only when Soreung was restored in 1513.
He is counted among the six scholars loyal to Danjong and wrote the Yuksinjeon, recording the six martyred ministers. The Chugang naenghwa collects anecdotes of figures of his day.
He suffered posthumous mutilation in the 1504 Gapja Purge but was rehabilitated under Jungjong and made Left Royal Secretary. Please confirm the clan (Uiryeong) so as not to confuse him with figures of the Yeongyang Nam.
His tomb and shrine were not confirmed.