King Sejo

King Sejo
Hangul:	세조
Hanja:	世祖
Revised Romanization:	Sejo
McCune-Reischauer:	Sejo
Birth name
Hangul:	이유
Hanja:	李瑈
Revised Romanization:	I Yu
McCune-Reischauer:	I Yu

King Sejo of Joseon (hangul: 세조; hanja: 世祖; 1417-1468, r. 1455-1468) was the seventh king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. Born in 1417 as Yi Yu, he was better known as Grand Prince Suyang. King Sejong the Great's second son, he showed great ability at archery, horseriding and martial arts. He was also a brilliant military commander, though he never went to the battlefront himself. Although his ascent to the throne was stained with ruthless bloodshed and the forced removal of his nephew from the throne, he went on to prove himself one of the most able rulers and administrators in Korean history.

Sejo's older brother, Munjong

Toward the end of his reign, King Sejong's declining health prompted him to step down from the throne in 1450 and turn the crown over to his eldest son, Munjung, Prince Suyang's older brother. Sejong died later the same year. Munjung had been already been helping his ailing father run the country for many years before he actually took the throne. By the time he became King Munjung, his own health was also in decline, and his only son, Danjung was only 10 years old. Munjung set up a circle of advisors, led by premier Hwangbo In and General Kim Jongseo, who was the vice-premier, to educate Danjung and help him to run the country until he was old enough to stand on his own. In 1452, when Danjung was still only 12, Munjung died and Danjang became King.

Sejo's violent rise to the throne

As Kim Jongseo and his faction used the chance to extend the power of court officials against many royal family members, great tension arose between Kim and Suyang; not only Suyang himself, but his younger brother,Grand Prince Anpyong, also sought an opportunity to take control of the kingdom.

Suyang surrounded himself with trusted allies, including his famous adviser Han Myung-Hoi. Han advised Suyang to take over control of the government in a coup, and in October 1453, Suyang and his men killed Kim Jongseo and his faction, thereby taking over the reins of power, although Danjong remained on the throne. After the coup, Suyang arrested his younger brother Anpyong, first sending him into exile, then putting him to death. In 1455, he forced his powerless young nephew Danjung to abdicate, and took the throne as King Sejo, the seventh king of the Joseon dynasty. Later he demoted Danjong from retired King to Prince and ordered him into exile. Hearing of plots hatched by his younger brother, Grand Prince Geumsung, and later by six scholars, to remove him from power and restore Danjong to the throne, King Sejo decided it was too dangerous to allow Danjong to live, and arranged for him to be killed in exile.

King Sejo's reign

Despite having snatched the throne from his young nephew, killing many people in the process, Sejo proved himself one of the most able rulers and administrators in Korean history. First, he strengthened the monarchy established by Taejong, by weakening the power of the prime minister and bringing staff directly under the king's control. He also strengthened the administrative system, which had also been introduced by Taejong, enabling the government to determine exact population numbers and to mobilize troops effectively. Just like Taejong, he was a hardliner with regards to foreign policy, attacking Jurchens on the northern front in 1460 (오랑캐/兀良哈) and 1467 (호리개/胡里改). He also revised the land ordinance to improve the national economy. He executed scholars from King Sejong's era for plotting against him, but encouraged publishing, including several history, economics, agricultural, and religious books. Most importantly, he compiled the Grand Code for State Administration, which became the cornerstone of dynastic administration and provided the first form of constitutional law in a written form in Korea. He died in 1468, and the throne passed to his weak son, Yejong of Joseon|Yejong.

Family

• 정희왕후 윤씨(貞喜王后)
  • 의경세자(懿敬世子)
  • 해양대군(海陽大君): 예종
  • 의숙공주(懿淑公主)
• 근빈 박씨(謹嬪)
  • 덕원군(德源君)
  • 창원군(昌原君)

Preceded by: Danjong of Joseon

Emperor of Korea (Joseon Dynasty) 1455–1468

Succeeded by: Yejong of Joseon

See also

• List of Joseon Monarchs
• Korean-Jurchen wars

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Sejo. 1973. Sŏkpo sangjŏl: che 6, 9, 13, 19, 23-24. Sŏul: Taejegak. OCLC: 26563522
• Sejo, and Yŏng-kyu Min. 1956. Wŏrin sŏkpo. Kukko chʻonggan, che 5-. Sŏul: Yŏnse TAehakkyo Tongbanghak Yŏnʼguso. OCLC: 40392499
• Yi, Pŏm-nyŏl, and Tong-in Kim. 1982. Sejo Wang Chŏnghŭi Wangbi. Sŏul: Chungang. OCLC: 15408984

External Links

• A study of treatise on medicine by King Sejo. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
• iSuperpage: Buddhist Relics. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
• Korean History - Early Choson Period. Retrieved August 8, 2007.

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