Core Southerner figure and Minister of Personnel; pen name Hyugok
| Life | 1637 ~ 1716 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 동복 오씨 |
O Si-bok (1637-1716) was a late-Joseon official from Dongbok, courtesy name Jungcho, pen name Hyugok. He passed the civil examination in 1667 and held censorial posts. When the Southerners took power under Sukjong he helped oust the Westerners, became a director of personnel, royal secretary in 1676, then Inspector-General, Vice-Minister of Personnel, governor of Gaeseong and of Gyeonggi.
After 1680 he was demoted to magistrate of Gangneung and exiled; restored after 1689 he served as governor of Hanseong, Minister of Revenue, Works and Personnel, and in the Second Minister posts. Encyclopedia-based sources note he was also skilled in calligraphy.
After 1694 he was removed and exiled, pardoned in 1697, exiled again in 1701 in the case of false accusation, and died of illness in exile in 1716. With O Si-su he is counted among the Dongbok Oh who represented the Southerners under Sukjong.
O Si-bok was a core Southerner like O Si-su but met a different fate after 1680: while O Si-su was given poison, O Si-bok was demoted to Gangneung and exiled, then rose to Minister of Personnel after 1689. Living through all three purges of Sukjong's reign (1680, 1689, 1694) and being implicated in the 1701 false-accusation case, he is a clear example of how politics shaped individual lives. Living to nearly eighty was also rare for his contemporaries.
He was demoted and exiled in 1680, restored in 1689, removed again in 1694, and exiled in 1701 over the false-accusation case.
Sources: Wikipedia and Encyclopedia of Korean Culture-based material; genealogies may differ.
His tomb location was not confirmed here.