Chief envoy of the first Joseon mission to Japan in 1607; pen name Chigye
| Life | 1567 ~ 1632 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 함양 여씨 |
Yeo U-gil (呂祐吉, 1567-1632) was a mid-Joseon civil official and diplomat of the Hamyang Yeo, with courtesy name Sangbu and pen name Chigye. His great-grandfather was Yeo Se-chim, his grandfather Yeo Suk and his father Yeo Sun-won, and his mother was a daughter of Yi Yeong. He is introduced as an 8th-generation descendant of Yeo Ching and is said to be the 11th-generation ancestor of Yeo Un-hyeong.
He passed the civil examination in 1591 and travelled to Ming as an envoy in 1596. After holding posts such as Byeongjo Jeongnang, Pyongan provincial judge and censorial offices, he became magistrate of Miryang in 1603 and later a senior official of the Jungchubu. After the Imjin War he went to and from Japan and is said to have contributed to bringing back captives.
In 1607 he went to Japan as chief envoy of the first Joseon mission, succeeded in the post by Oh Yun-gyeom. He later went to Ming as an envoy in 1614, served as governor of Gangwon and, in 1618, of Gonghong (Chungcheong), and in 1623 became magistrate of Gyeongju. He died in 1632.
The 1607 mission was the first to reopen ties with Japan after the Imjin War, replying to a Japanese letter while bringing back captives, hence its name 'reply and repatriation envoy'. Chief envoy Yeo U-gil, deputy envoy Gyeong Seom and secretary Jeong Ho-gwan travelled, and over 1,400 captives are known to have returned. Joseon missions continued until 1811.
As a civil official he held central posts such as jeongnang and censor, and provincial ones such as magistrate of Miryang and Yeonan, provincial governor and pacification commissioner. He also went to Ming twice, in 1596 and 1614, and is seen as an official present at the front line of foreign relations after the Imjin War.
His tomb could not be confirmed.
Yeo Un-hyeong is introduced in his descendant line; Yeo Seong-je is sometimes called his grandson, though sources differ along with an adoption record.