Late-Goryeo commander who defeated Japanese pirates; Left State Councillor and Lord of Cheongseong in early Joseon
| Life | 1328 ~ 1401 |
| Era | 고려 말~조선 초 |
| Clan | 청송 심씨 |
Sim Deok-bu (沈德符, 1328–1401) was a civil official and military commander of late Goryeo and early Joseon, of the Cheongsong Sim clan. His courtesy name was Deukji and his pen name Nodang; his posthumous title, first Gongjeong, was later changed to Jeongan. The son of Sim Yong, he was the fourth generation of the clan and is regarded as the man who raised it to prominence.
He entered office through hereditary privilege at the end of King Chungsuk's reign, became magistrate of Suwon in 1364, and under King U rose through Minister of Rites and Deputy Commissioner of the Security Council to key northern and western commands such as commander of Ganggye, deputy commander of Uiju and commander of Seohae Province. After an embassy to Ming in 1378 he repeatedly defeated Japanese pirates, and in 1380, with Commander Na Se, he won a great victory using Choe Mu-seon's gunpowder cannons in battle for the first time. In 1385 he fought pirates in the northeast alongside Yi Seong-gye, then went to Ming as a New Year envoy and was made Lord Cheongseong.
In the 1388 Liaodong campaign he served as commander of the Western Capital under Jo Min-su's left army and supported Yi Seong-gye's withdrawal from Wihwado. He took part in deposing King Chang and enthroning King Gongyang, becoming one of the so-called Nine Merit Subjects, and rose to Chancellor, though false accusations briefly sent him into exile at Tosan. Restored in 1391, he was named an Ansa Merit Subject with Yi Seong-gye and Jeong Mong-ju, and he proposed administrative reforms such as reviving the provincial inspector system.
After the founding of Joseon he was added as a first-rank Withdrawal Merit Subject in 1393 and enfeoffed as Lord of Cheongseong, and in 1394 he directed the construction of the palaces and the royal ancestral shrine in the new capital, Hanyang. He became Left State Councillor in 1399 at the age of 72 and retired the following year.
His seven sons founded the seven Gyeongpa (capital) branches of the clan: his fifth son Sim On became King Sejong's father-in-law and his sixth son Sim Jong married a daughter of King Taejo, laying the foundation of the clan's greatness. His younger brother Sim Won-bu withdrew to Dumundong out of loyalty to Goryeo and founded the Hyangpa (country) line.
His tomb is in Ami-ri, Misan-myeon, Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, and is said to be designated a Yeoncheon local cultural heritage.
His seven sons founded the seven Gyeongpa branches: Dochongjegong, Pansagong, Jiseongjusagong, Insubuyungong, Anhyogong, Cheongwongun and Dongjichonggong.