염제신 廉悌臣
Late Goryeo chief minister (Munha Sijung) under King Gongmin; mid-founding ancestor of the Paju Yeom clan; Prince Gokseong; posthumous name Chunggyeong
| Life | 1304 ~ 1382 |
| Era | 고려 말 |
| Clan | 파주 염씨 |
Life & career
Yeom Je-sin (廉悌臣, 1304-1382) was a late Goryeo civil official of the Paju clan and is honored as the mid-founding ancestor (jungsijo) of the Paju Yeom clan. He was first named Yeom Bul-no, later changing his name; his courtesy name was Gaesuk, pen name Maeheon and posthumous name Chunggyeong. His grandfather was Yeom Seung-ik, his father Yeom Se-chung, and his mother is said to have been a daughter of Jo In-gyu of the Pyeongyang Jo clan. Wikipedia gives his dates as 30 October 1304 to 18 March 1382, though his age at death varies between 77, 78 and 79 across sources.
Around 1314 he went to Yuan China and studied at the home of an uncle by marriage; from 1324 to about 1340 he served as a guard to the Taiding Emperor, holding posts such as Sangui-sa and Jeongdong-seong Nangjung. He returned permanently in 1343 and held posts including Samsa Usa, Docheomui Pyeongni and Chanseongsa; in 1350 he went to the Yuan capital as an envoy for the emperor's birthday. In 1354 he served as Left and Right Chief State Councillor and was enfeoffed as Count of Gokseong, and in 1356, during King Gongmin's purge of the Gi Cheol faction, he served as Commander of the Northwest and Su-munha-sijung. He was Munha Sijung from 1358 until retiring in 1361, became Right Councillor in 1363 but was dismissed on impeachment, and was reinstated in 1364 and sent out as Northwest commander. In 1369-1371 he also took part in the campaign against Olla Fortress.
In 1374 he again became Munha Sijung but was exiled to Gwangju over the matter of the Ming envoy Cai Bin, and was restored after King U's accession; from 1375 to 1380 he served as Yeong-samsa-sa, Pan-munhasa and Head of the Munha-bu. King Gongmin is said to have called him "my Great Wall," so deep was the trust. His daughter became Gongmin's consort Sinbi Yeom, and his three sons Guk-bo, Heung-bang and Jeong-su all reached high office, opening the clan's heyday. Six years after his death, however, the Musin purge of 1388 brought execution or ruin to the three sons and sharply cut the family's fortunes, which is why his descendants revere him as the one who raised the house up again.
After the founder Yeom Hyeong-myeong the clan grew into a Goryeo aristocracy, but later generations revere Yeom Je-sin as the "ancestor who raised the world" (gisejo). Wikipedia says he is honored thus for reviving the house, while clan sources call him the mid-founding ancestor. On his mother's side he was a grandson of Jo In-gyu of the Pyeongyang Jo, a power-holder in the Yuan-influenced era, and among his sons-in-law the founding merit subject Jeong Hui-gye is recorded. The clan's seat is explained as moving from Bongseong, where the founder lived, to Gokseong (after the 1354 enfeoffment), then Seowon and Paju, showing how his title left a mark on the clan identity.
The Portrait and Letter
His portrait is said, in Yi Saek's Mogeun mungo, to have been painted by King Gongmin himself and given to him; it was designated Treasure No. 1097 on 30 September 1991 and is kept at the National Museum of Korea as a deposit. It is a hanging scroll reportedly 53.7 cm by 42.1 cm, later remounted in a frame, and is prized because very few Goryeo portraits survive. An image of his handwritten letter is also on Wikimedia Commons. The attribution to Gongmin rests on tradition, so it is best read as "is said to."
The Disaster of 1388
In the first month of 1388, six years after his death, his second son Yeom Heung-bang and third son Yeom Jeong-su were purged along with the faction of Im Gyeon-mi and Yi In-im, and his eldest son Yeom Guk-bo is said to have been caught up in the same disaster. Clan sources say his descendants then scattered to places such as Sangju, Pungdeok, Boseong, Naju and Imsil. His daughter Sinbi Yeom was a consort of King Gongmin.
Grave
His tomb lay in the Jangdan area of Gyeonggi (Wikipedia says Daegang-myeon, Ugeun-ri; the clan association and a culture newspaper say Gangnam-myeon, Daegok), but after the Korean War it fell inside the armistice line and is hard to visit. A spirit-way stele with text by Yi Saek and calligraphy by Han Su is said to have stood before it. He is enshrined at Chunggyeong Seowon in Naju and Suhyeonsa in Boryeong.