Early Joseon official, chief scholar and Left State Councillor (posthumous title Mungyeong)
| Life | 1463 ~ 1519 |
| Era | 조선 전기 |
| Clan | 고령 신씨 |
Sin Yong-gae (申用漑, 1463-1519) was an early Joseon official whose courtesy name was Gaeji, whose pen names were Iyojeong, Songgye and Suong, and whose posthumous title was Mungyeong. His grandfather was Chief State Councillor Sin Suk-ju, his father the Hamgil governor Sin Myeon, and his mother a daughter of Jeong Ho. His childhood name is said to have been Baegak. After his father was killed in Yi Si-ae's rebellion he was raised by his grandfather, and he also studied under Kim Jong-jik.
He passed the licentiate examination in 1483 and a special civil examination in 1488, entering the Office of Diplomatic Correspondence. He served as compiler and editor in the Office of Special Advisors and was granted study leave in 1492. In 1494, as a Censor, he was demoted to head of the Market Office for speaking frankly, and he later served as a section chief in the Ministry of Personnel and as a State Council secretary. In the literati purge of 1498 he was briefly imprisoned as a disciple of Kim Jong-jik, but he was released and rose through Director of Studies to Chief Royal Secretary. In 1502 he was marked as a man the king disliked and demoted to Naval Commander of Chungcheong; after serving as Minister of Punishments and Vice Minister of Rites and traveling to Ming China as an envoy, he was caught up in the purge of 1504 and exiled to Yeonggwang in Jeolla.
After King Jungjong's restoration in 1506 he was released and reappointed Vice Minister of Punishments, then served as chief scholar of the Office of Special Advisors and the Office of Royal Decrees. The following year he went to Ming China with Seong Hui-an and brought back the imperial patent recognizing King Jungjong, for which he was made a minor merit subject. He went on to serve as Right Associate State Councillor, Inspector-General, Minister of Personnel, War and Rites and Right Assistant State Councillor, becoming Right State Councillor in 1516 and Left State Councillor in 1518. He died the following year.
He was admired as a man of lofty character and brilliance, famous for his writing and also skilled in archery and other martial arts, and his firm personality made him a central figure among the scholars of his day. He was also known for his love of wine, and King Seongjong is said to have once taken off his own robe and put it on him out of regard for his learning. His collected works, the Iyojeong jip, survive, and he edited the Sok dongmunseon and the Sok samgang haengsildo.
In 2008 his grave and spirit-path stele were reportedly moved to below his father Sin Myeon's grave at Gumuncheon-ri, Hyangnam-eup, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.