오응 吳凝
Civil official who placed first in the 1457 special civil examination and served as Governor of Hamgil Province, Vice-Mayor of Hanseong and Governor of Jeolla; pen name Geumnam
| Life | 1422 ~ 1470 |
| Era | 조선 전기 |
| Clan | 함양 오씨 |
Life & career
O Eung (吳凝, 1422-1470) was an early Joseon civil official of the Hamyang O clan. National research-institute biographical data give his courtesy name as Myeongsu and pen name as Geumnam. In 1457 (the 3rd year of King Sejo) he placed first in the special civil examination, served as a Left Remonstrator and then rose to Governor of Hamgil Province. His name also appears in the clan's lists of civil-examination and licentiate-examination graduates.
He is also recorded in the Veritable Records. In the Sejo Sillok, vol. 39, entry for the 3rd of the fifth month of 1466, Governor O Eung reports movements of Jurchen (Orangkhae) groups on the northern border, including requests for peace, and says he ordered the border garrisons to prepare and sent word to Pyeongan Province. Two appointment letters held by the National Library of Korea name him Governor of Hamgil Province with the rank of Gaseon Daebu in the first month of 1466 and concurrent Magistrate of Hamheung on the 21st of the second month. The Korean Wikipedia entry on the clan says he was governor in 1467 when Yi Si-ae's rebellion broke out, so the year of appointment is given as 1466 or 1467, but the letters and the Annals show that he was already in office in 1466.
During Yi Si-ae's rebellion (1467) he moved coastal villagers into the mountains. Biographical data treat this as having unsettled the populace and say he was dismissed, while a Hamyang chronology says he was later reinstated. Under King Yejong he served as Vice-Mayor of Hanseong and Governor of Jeolla, and he is said to have died in office as Governor of Jeolla in 1470, aged 49. His father is given only as 'Chi-in' and the characters and lineage were not confirmed. His career, from top graduate to governor of a frontier province and of Honam, is one of the clearest early examples of the Hamyang O clan reaching the central government.
A Border Report in the Sejo Annals
The Sejo Sillok entry of the 3rd day of the fifth month of 1466 records Governor O Eung's report on the movement of Orangkhae groups and their requests for peace. He passed on reports from commanders and magistrates at Hoeryeong, Gyeongheung and Jongseong and ordered the border garrisons to prepare.
Yi Si-ae's Rebellion and After
When Yi Si-ae rebelled in 1467, O Eung moved coastal villagers to the mountains; some sources say he was dismissed for it and later reinstated. He then served as Vice-Mayor of Hanseong and Governor of Jeolla and died in 1470.
Grave
The location of his tomb could not be confirmed here.