서필 徐弼
Goryeo official who served as Naeuiryeong under King Gwangjong; father of Seo Hui; posthumous title Jeongmin
| Life | 901 ~ 965 |
| Era | 고려 초기 |
| Clan | 이천 서씨 |
Life & career
Seo Pil (901-965), of the Icheon Seo clan, was an early Goryeo official and a son of the founder Seo Sin-il. He began his career under Taejo in a clerical post and rose to Naeuiryeong under Gwangjong. His mother is recorded as a daughter of Hong Chan of the Hapcheon Hong, his wife as of the Pyeongyang Hwang, and his sons were Seo Yeom, Seo Hui and Seo Yeong.
He was known for frugality. When Gwangjong gave golden cups to his ministers, he alone is said to have refused, and he criticized the king for favoring naturalized Chinese such as Ssanggi and for seizing officials' houses to give to Chinese settlers.
After his death he was posthumously raised to Samjungdaegwang Taesa Naesaryeong, given the title Jeongmin and enshrined at King Gwangjong's ancestral shrine. He is regarded as the first true chief minister of the family that grew into a leading Goryeo aristocracy.
Gwangjong's Era and Seo Pil's Remonstrance
King Gwangjong (r. 949-975) strengthened royal power by introducing the civil service examination and the slave-review law, and in doing so promoted naturalized figures from Later Zhou such as Ssanggi, which created friction with older local powers. Seo Pil's criticism of giving houses to Chinese settlers came in that climate.
These anecdotes were compiled in later histories, so it is safest to take them as showing that he was long remembered as an upright, frugal minister rather than as verbatim quotations.
From Seo Sin-il to Seo Pil
The lineage runs Seo Sin-il, Seo Pil and Seo Hui. Seo Pil's rise to chief-minister rank under Gwangjong moved the family from local magnates to the central aristocracy.
Seo Mok, son of Seo Sin-tong, is recorded as Seo Pil's cousin, and the name Icheon is said to derive from his helping Wang Geon cross a river. Some newspaper articles call Seo Mok Seo Hui's grandfather, which conflicts with Wikipedia's genealogy, so this point needs checking.
Grave
Ancestral cemetery in Huri, Sanbuk-myeon, Yeoju, Gyeonggi (said to lie just below the tomb of Seo Hui)
Descendants
He had three sons, Seo Yeom, Seo Hui and Seo Yeong; Seo Hui's line led through Seo Nul, Seo Jeong and Seo Gong. See also the Icheon Seo clan page.