Bak Gyusu ( ko, 박규수, 朴珪壽; 1807–1877) was a

scholar-bureaucrat The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class. Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...

, teacher, politician, and a diplomat of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and ...

. He was known as a pioneer of the enlightenment group. Bak Gyusu was the grandson of Park Ji-won, the great

Silhak Silhak was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in late Joseon Dynasty. ''Sil'' means "actual" or "practical", and ''hak'' means "studies" or "learning". It developed in response to the increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-Confucianism ...

scholar of the Joseon. He was also known by the names of Hwanjae (환재, 瓛齋), Hwanjae (환재, 桓齋) en Heonjae (헌재, 獻齋), and Hwanjaegeosa (환재거사 瓛齋居士).

Life

In 1827, Bak Gyusu met

Crown Prince Hyomyeong Crown Prince Hyomyeong (18 September 1809 – 25 June 1830), born Yi Yeong, and posthumously honored as King Munjo, was a member of the Joseon Dynasty. Life and death The prince was the eldest son of King Sunjo, husband of Queen Sinjeong an ...

who quickly became a trusted friend. The Crown Prince would often ask Gyusu for his thoughts on delicate political and social issues. When the Crown Prince died three years later at the age of 20, Gyusu fell into a deep state of mourning. Due to this, Gyusu isolated himself from the outside world for twenty years. In 1848, he successfully passed the

Gwageo The ''gwageo'' or ''kwago'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge of the Chinese cl ...

civil service exam, a test required for government work. Doing well on this test allowed Bak Gyusu to acquire a well-paid job early on. Later in his life, Gyusu became a mentor for a Korean politician

Pak Yung-hio Pak or PAK may refer to: Places * Pakistan (country code PAK) * Pak, Afghanistan * Pak Island, in the Admiralty Islands group of Papua New Guinea * Pak Tea House, a café in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan Arts and entertainment * PAK (band), an Amer ...

during the mid-1870s. Gyusu decided to instruct Pak Yung-hio in his ways of enlightened thinking after he took initiative and sought the politician out. Gyusu's ideas influenced many throughout Korea, the most notable being the Korean reformist

Kim Okgyun Kim Ok-gyun (김옥균; 金玉均; February 23, 1851 – March 28, 1894) was a reformist (''Gaehwapa'', 개화파) activist during the late Joseon dynasty of Korea. He served under the national civil service under King Gojong, and actively pa ...

, who went on to incorporate foreign sciences and technologies into Korea in an attempt to strengthen it against further military advances by the rapidly technologically developing

Meiji Japan The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by ...

. During the period of King Gojong's reign, the Queen actively supported him.

Queen Sinjeong Queen Sinjeong (Hangul: 신정왕후, Hanja: 神貞王后; 21 January 1809 – 4 June 1890), also known as Queen Dowager Hyoyu (효유왕대비), of the Pungyang Jo clan, was the only wife of Crown Prince Hyomyeong and mother of Heonjong of Jos ...

had been the wife of Crown Prince Hyomyeong, who was posthumously named King Munjo. Bak Gyusu was the governor of

Pyongan Pyeong-an Province (, ) was one of Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Pyeong'an was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Pyeongyang (now Pyongyang, North Korea). History Pyeong'an Province was formed in ...

province when the ''General Sherman'' incident occurred, an event commonly cited as a factor important to the end of Korean isolationism in the 19th century. On the 9th of July 1866, the ''General Sherman'' entered the Keupsa Gate without permission. Gyusu gave the ''General Sherman'''s crew a warning to depart from Joseon. The ship's crew ignored his warning and captured the messenger

adjutant-general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

Yi Hyon-Ik, a subordinate of Bak Gyusu. Gyusu was present during the rescue of Yi and the destruction of the ''General Sherman'' on the 24th of July 1866. In 1872 Bak Gyusu was made the Joseon Chief Envoy to the court of the

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), born Zaichun of the Aisin Gioro clan, was the ninth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, from 1861 to 1875, which effectively lasted ...

.Kang, Jae-eun, and Suzanne Lee. (2006)
''The Land of Scholars: Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism,'' p. 445
/ref>

Known Works

* Hwanjaejip(환재집 瓛齋集) * Hwanjaejikgye(환재직계 瓛齋織啓) * Hwanjaesyugye(환재수계 瓛齋繡啓) * Geogajapbokgo(거가잡복고 居家雜服攷) * Sanggodohoimunuirye(상고도회문의례 尙古圖會文儀例) * Jangammungo(장암문고 莊菴文稿) * Hwanjaeyugo(환재유고 瓛齋遺稿)

Notes

References

* Daehwan, Noh

''Korea Journal'' (Winter 2003). * Kang, Jae-eun and Suzanne Lee. (2006). ''The Land of Scholars: Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism.'' Paramus, New Jersey: Homa & Sekey Books.
OCLC 60931394

External links

Bak Gyusu

"서양 오랑캐가 중국 문명에 감화될 것이니…"
프레시안 2010.04.09

문화일보 2011.03.10
이 남자, 네 가지로 모든 걸 해결했다
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bak, Gyusu 1807 births 1877 deaths Joseon scholar-officials Korean scholars Korean Confucianists 19th-century Korean philosophers Neo-Confucian scholars Korean educators 19th-century Korean poets Korean politicians Korean diplomats People from Seoul