The Cheongju Han clan (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The ...

: 청주 한씨,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 淸州韓氏) is a

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

noble family. It is also called the House of Han or the Han clan of Cheongju. It is considered one of the most prominent clans since the Gojoseon period. In the Silla dynasty, all of the Cheongju Hans were part of the seonggol rank. The clan provided the biggest number of generals during 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 ...

and were considered the highest of the yangban class, next to the

royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

Jeonju Yi clan The Jeonju Yi clan () is a Korean clan with the surname Yi. Their Bon-gwan is in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The clan includes the former House of Yi which ruled the Joseon dynasty and the Korean Empire. Their founder was Yi Han (). His ...

. The members of the Han clan are descendants of the sage

Jizi Jizi or Qizi or Kizi (; Gija or Kija in Korean) was a semi-legendary * :"Although Kija may have truly existed as a historical figure, Tangun is more problematical." * :"Most orean historianstreat the angunmyth as a later creation." * :"The T ...

(or Gija), who was a noble from the Chinese

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally suc ...

, and rode his white horse and set a nation in "The Farthest East". Their founder was King Jun, the last monarch of the Gija period, during the ancient Gojoseon Kingdom. The nobles with the surname Han were greatly praised, and not to be bothered. The Cheongju Han clan is well-known for the many female members who became royal consorts. They had produced six queens, five princesses consort, three royal concubines, 315 scholars, 12 Sangshin, 14 Gongshin, and 1 Daejejak throughout the Joseon dynasty.

Queen Wisuk Wang Ryung (died May 897), more commonly known by his Temple name of Sejo or Posthumous name of King Wimu the Great. He was a general and politician during the Later Goguryeo periods who would become the father of Wang Geon, founder of the Goryeo ...

, the mother of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unifica ...

's founder, Wang Geon, was part of the clan. Another member was

Queen Insu Queen Sohye (舊1437-09-08 - 舊1504-04-27), of the Cheongju Han clan, was the only wife of Crown Prince Uigyeong. She never was the consort of a reigning king. Nevertheless, she was honored as Queen Insu (인수왕후) and later as Queen Dowag ...

, wife of Crown Prince Uigyeong, and the first female author in Korean history, who wrote '' Naehun'', a

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

morality guidebook for women. Currently, the Cheongju Han is known as a clan that has long been prominent in Korean politics, public service, business and arts.

Genealogy book

The Cheongju Han's genealogy records (''jokbo''; 族譜) written by Han Hyo-jung, Han Hyuk and others in 1617, during the

, is considered important bibliographically. In addition, the overall system and recording method are different from other genealogies, having a feature that places great importance on royal records.

Living members

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ANNUAL MEETING 2009 - Reviving Economic Growth

* Han Duck-soo, the 34th Prime Minister of South Korea * Han Myeong-sook, the 33rd Prime Minister of South Korea (as the first female) *

Han Min-goo Han Min-goo (; born 30 August 1953), is a former South Korean Minister of Defense. He is a former South Korean army general who served as the 40th Chief of Staff of the South Korean army as well as the 36th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ...

, Minister of National Defense (2014 – 2017) * Han Kang, novelist *

Han Sung-joo Han Sung-joo (; born September 13, 1940) is a Korean educator, diplomatist, diplomat, and politician. Han is a member of Cheongju Han clan. He was born in Keijō (Seoul), Korea, Empire of Japan on September 13, 1940. After graduating from Se ...

, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1993 – 1994) and Ambassador to the United States (2003 – 2005) * Han Seung-soo, the 35th Prime Minister of South Korea and President of the United Nations General Assembly (2001 – 2002) *

Han Terra Han Terra is a Korean-born inventor and musician. She has invented a 24 stringed musical instrument called TeRra, in the style of a traditional kayageum, incorporating artificial intelligence. She started taking piano lessons at the age of four, ...

, South Korean

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

Royalty of the Chinese Ming dynasty

* Consort Kanghuizhuangshuli of the Korean Cheongju Han clan (康惠莊淑麗妃) (late 14th century – 1424); married to

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyn ...

. *Lady Gongshen of the Korean Cheongju Han clan (恭慎夫人清州韓氏) (1410 – 1483); younger sister of Consort Kanghuizhuangshuli; married to Xuande Emperor.

Royalty of the Goryeo dynasty

, mother of

's founder, Wang Geon, King Taejo

Royalty of the Joseon dynasty

* Queen Sinui * Queen Jangsun *

* Queen Ansun *

Queen Gonghye Queen Gonghye ( Korean: 공혜왕후, Hanja: 恭惠王后; 8 November 1456 – 30 April 1474), of the Cheongju Han clan ( Korean: 청주 한씨, Hanja: 淸州韓氏), was the first wife of King Seongjong, 9th monarch of Joseon. She was the Q ...

* Queen Inyeol *Royal Consort Gwi-in * Royal Consort Sug-ui * Royal Noble Consort OnConcubine of King Seonjo. * Princess Uihye (by marriage) * Princess Jeonghye (by marriage) * Princess Gongshin (by marriage) * Princess Jeongshin (by marriage)

References