이호민 李好閔
Chief academician and Left Minister who accompanied King Seonjo during the Imjin War and drafted diplomatic documents (pen name Obong; posthumous title Munhui)
| Life | 1553 ~ 1634 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 연안 이씨 |
Life & career
Yi Ho-min (1553-1634) was a mid-Joseon civil official of the Yeonan clan, with courtesy name Hyoeon, pen names Obong, Namgwak and Suwa, and posthumous title Munhui. His great-grandfather was Yi Suk-gi, enfeoffed Prince of Yeonan; his father Yi Guk-ju served as magistrate of Icheon. He became a licentiate in 1579, passed the special civil examination in 1584, and served as a court historian and in the Hongmungwan.
When the Imjin War began in 1592 he accompanied King Seonjo to Uiju as a personnel official and is credited with helping to obtain Ming reinforcements at Liaoyang. In 1595 he handled diplomatic documents to Ming as vice-director of the Hongmungwan, and in 1599 went to Ming as an envoy of thanks. He became Minister of Rites in 1601 and later chief academician and Left Minister, and in 1604 was named a second-class Hoseong merit subject and Prince of Yeolleung.
After Seonjo's death in 1608 he argued for the eldest son's succession rather than Grand Prince Yeongchang's. He was implicated in a 1612 case, petitioned for the release of Jeong On and others in 1614, and in 1615 had to wait seven years outside the capital under pressure from Jeong In-hong's faction. After the 1623 Restoration he was honored as a senior servant. His edicts from the war are said to have moved readers to tears, and his poetry is praised even more highly. His collected works, the Obongjip, appeared in 1636; he was listed among upright officials and enshrined at Dodongsa.
To Uiju and Liaoyang
In 1592, as a personnel official, Yi Ho-min followed King Seonjo to Uiju and is credited with helping secure Ming reinforcements at Liaoyang. In 1604 he was made Prince of Yeolleung as a second-class Hoseong merit subject.
Edicts and Poetry
Edicts he wrote on royal order during the war are said to have moved readers to tears, though some judge his poetry even better. His poem written at Uiju is widely praised as a masterpiece.
Under Gwanghae
In 1608 he argued for the eldest son's succession, was implicated in a 1612 case, and in 1615 had to wait seven years outside the capital. After the 1623 Restoration he was treated as a senior servant of the court.
Grave
The tomb was not confirmed here. He is enshrined at Dodong shrine in Jirye.
Descendants
His son Yi Gyeong-eom and nephew Yi Gyeong-ui published the Obongjip in 1636.