윤효전 尹孝全
Official and scholar, Inspector-General and governor of Gyeongju, father of Yun Hyu
| Life | 1563년 ~ 1619년 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 남원 윤씨 |
Life & career
Yun Hyo-jeon (尹孝全, 1563-1619) was a mid-Joseon official and Neo-Confucian scholar whose first name was Hyo-seon, courtesy name Yeongcho or Iyeong, pen name Gicheon, and whose seat is Namwon. According to Wikipedia he belonged to the Northerners (the Lesser Northern faction) and was the father of Yun Hyu. A disciple of the pupils of Seo Gyeong-deok, he studied under Min Sun and Jeong Gu. His great-grandfather was Yun Ja-gwan, grandfather Yun Ho (Vice Minister of Personnel), and father Yun Hui-son, who died at 33.
He entered office through a hereditary privilege, was made a third-class original merit subject in 1605 for fighting as a volunteer leader in the Imjin War, and passed the civil examination in the same year. In 1603 he took part in recompiling the Veritable Records of Myeongjong, burned in the war, and after the Hongmungwan and personnel posts he went out as a secret royal inspector of Hwanghae in 1606. After Gwanghaegun took the throne he presided over the trial of Prince Imhae, was made a second-class merit subject in 1613, served as Inspector-General and Chief Magistrate of the Office of Royal Inquest, and was enfeoffed as Prince Daewon (later Daeeun) in 1615.
In 1617, as Inspector-General, he opposed the confinement of the queen dowager and was moved out as governor of Gyeongju, where he died of illness on 20 February 1619. After the Restoration of 1623 his merit title was revoked and he was punished for alleged involvement in deposing the queen dowager, but his son Yun Hyu's petition restored his rank and he was posthumously made Chief State Councillor. He revered Seo Gyeong-deok and led the publication of the Hwadamjip.
Family and marriage ties
His first wife was a daughter of Yun Dam-hyu of the Papyeong Yun clan; after her death he married a Gyeongju Kim daughter of the scholar Kim Deok-min, and late in life had his son Yun Hyu. His illegitimate son Yun Yeong married a secondary daughter of Yi Won-ik, and Wikipedia says one of his concubines was a secondary daughter of Yi Sun-sin. These ties with Yi Won-ik and Heo Mok later helped bring Yun Hyu close to the Southerners.
Contrasting assessments
He was first praised for a good name, but on the Westerner side he was criticized for taking part in the trial of Prince Imhae and receiving merit rank, with Kim Jip saying he had ended as a petty man, a remark cited in a memorial by Song Si-yeol. Wikipedia also notes his son's claim that he did not actively take part in the deposition of the queen dowager.
Grave
Buried at Geumsa-myeon, Yeoju, then moved to the family cemetery in Daejeon in the 2000s (Wikipedia).
Descendants
Son Yun Hyu and illegitimate son Yun Yeong (1611-1691).