Classical scholar who passed the 1892 examination; pen name Hajeong; his collaboration with Japanese rule is debated
| Life | 1848 ~ 1921 |
| Era | 개항기~일제강점기 |
| Clan | 함양 여씨 |
Yeo Gyu-hyeong (呂圭亨, 1848-1921) was a classical scholar of the late Joseon and colonial period, of the Hamyang Yeo, with the pen name Hajeong. His father was Yeo Pung-seop and his mother was of the Yun clan. He learned writing from his mother, mastered Chinese learning, passed the civil examination in 1892 and briefly held a post as a clerk at the foreign office.
He was exiled several times, including an anecdote of exile to Geumgap Island after displeasing King Gojong. After the Residency-General was set up he was released, taught at a private school in Hanseong and became head instructor in classical Chinese at the government Hanseong high school. He was also versed in poetry, music, mathematics, biology and astronomy, there are many anecdotes of his eccentric behaviour, and his collected writings survive as the four-volume Hajeong yugo.
Wikipedia, however, writes that he took part in the Daedong Society and the Confucian Church and served as lecturer at the Gyeonghagwon, collaborating with the Japanese empire, and ranks him with Jeong Man-jo as a representative pro-Japanese writer. In 2008 he was included in the Confucianism section of the Research Institute on Japanese Collaborators' list of intended entries for the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators. This site states these facts and leaves the judgement to the reader's own checking of the sources.
Yeo Gyu-hyeong is introduced as a master of classical Chinese literature with wide knowledge. Many tales of his oddities survive, but fact and legend are mixed. The site's older text says he rewrote the Chunhyangjeon as a Chinese-language play, which could not be confirmed here from Wikipedia.
His scholarly achievement remains in his writings and teaching, while his activities in groups under colonial rule are judged as collaboration. As many Confucian scholars faced such crossroads then, his case also invites reflection on the choices of the whole Confucian community.
His tomb could not be confirmed.