Second-class founding merit subject of Goryeo; Cavalry General; chief minister under Taejo (early figure of the Paju Yeom)
| Era | 고려 초 |
| Clan | 파주 염씨 |
Yeom Sang (廉湘, sometimes written 廉相) was an early Goryeo soldier and chief minister whom Wikipedia lists as of the Paju (坡州) clan. He is described as a cavalry general (magun janggun) under Taebong in the Later Three Kingdoms period who then aided Wang Geon in founding Goryeo. No family records were found, so his parents and children are unknown. His concrete relation to the founder Yeom Hyeong-myeong was not confirmed.
In 918, the first year of Taejo, he was named a second-class founding merit subject and is said to have received gold and silver vessels and silk from Wang Geon. Several others were recorded as second-class subjects in the same merit awards, and Namuwiki lists both Yeom Hyeong-myeong and Yeom Sang as second-class founding merit subjects. In 934 (Taejo 26) he is said to have acted as chief minister; this rests on Goryeosa records.
Other early Yeom figures mentioned include Yeom Jong, who took part in state affairs in 647 under Queen Seondeok of Silla; Yeom Jang, one of the six ministers in 648 under Queen Jindeok, alongside Kim Yu-sin; and Yeom Geo, associated with the stupa of the monk Yeom Geo (National Treasure No. 104). Whether they are direct ancestors of the Paju Yeom is unknown: Wikipedia explains the line before the founder cannot be known and that the genealogy is traced from Yeom Hyeong-myeong. A separate figure, Yeom Sang-jin (廉湘進), is also mentioned for the same period, and whether he is the same person was not confirmed here.
There are only brief Goryeosa-based records on Yeom Sang; family, birth, death and tomb are unconfirmed, and his relation to the founder Yeom Hyeong-myeong is unknown. Wikipedia and Namuwiki both introduce him as a second-class founding merit subject.
The founding merit awards of 918 ranked those who helped Wang Geon's accession in first to third classes. The founder Yeom Hyeong-myeong is likewise recorded as a Samhan Byeoksang merit subject, so the Paju Yeom clan is described as a merit-subject house from the founding era.
His tomb was not confirmed in the sources used here.