Minister of Military Affairs praised for plain speech, called one of the 'five upright'; pen name Yukgok; posthumous title Jeongui
| Life | 1614 ~ 1671 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 부여 서씨 |
Seo Pil-won (1614-1671) was a Joseon civil official of the Buyeo Seo clan, with courtesy name Jaei, pen name Yukgok and posthumous title Jeongui. He was a great-grandson of Seo Ik.
A jinsa in 1633, he passed the civil examination in 1648 and served in the Seungmunwon and Yemungwan, taking part in compiling the Veritable Records of King Injo. As governor of Chungcheong in 1656 he reported abuses of seowon and asked for reform.
As governor of Jeolla he supported the Daedongbeop tax reform and issued its regulations for South Jeolla. Under Hyeonjong he held posts including Chancellor, and in 1664 as governor of Hamgyeong he promoted cotton farming, relief work and submitted reform proposals for the Six Garrisons. He became Minister of Punishments in 1668 and Minister of Military Affairs in 1671.
He was known for plain speech to the king and called one of the 'five upright'. His collected writings are the Yukgok Yugo.
As governor he reported seowon abuses in Chungcheong, backed the Daedongbeop in Jeolla and issued its rules, and pushed cotton farming and frontier reforms in Hamgyeong, showing a practical administrator's record.
Called one of the 'five upright', his posthumous title Jeongui means firm and steadfast. His outspoken style is sometimes tied to the family tradition of great-grandfather Seo Ik.
His tomb location was not confirmed in this research.