Sŏng Sammun (; 1418 – 8 June 1456) was a scholar-official of the early

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period who rose to prominence in the court of

King Sejong the Great Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul, the n ...

(r. 1418–1450). He was executed after being implicated in a plot to dethrone

King Sejo Sejo (; 7 November 1417 – 23 September 1468), personal name Yi Yu (), sometimes known as Grand Prince Suyang (), was the seventh monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Sejong the Great and the uncle of King Danj ...

(r. 1455–1468) and restore his predecessor King Danjong (r. 1452–1455), and is known as one of the ''sayuksin'' (사육신, the

six martyred ministers The six martyred ministers or Sayuksin () were six ministers of the Joseon Dynasty who were executed by King Sejo in 1456 for plotting to assassinate him and restore the former king Danjong to the throne. The Six were Sŏng Sammun, Pak Pae ...

) with reference to this plot.

Biography

Sŏng was born in

Hongseong Hongseong County () is a county in South Korea, and the capital of South Chungcheong Province. The current governor is Lee Yong-log. The original name of the city is ''Hongju''. Symbols * The flag represents the Joyang Gate along with the west c ...

(then Hongju),

South Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province (), informally called Chungnam, is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, province of South Korea in the Hoseo region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. South Chungcheong borders the provinces of Gyeonggi to ...

to a

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon period. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil officials and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats wh ...

family of the Changnyeong Sŏng clan (). He passed the lower examination at the regular triennial administration in 1438. He soon gained the favor of

King Sejong Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

, and was appointed to the

Hall of Worthies The Hall of Worthies, or Jiphyeonjeon (; ), was a Korean royal research institute during the Joseon period. It was founded by King Sejong the Great in the 3rd month of 1420, and dissolved in the 6th month of 1456. The Hall of Worthies is known f ...

. From 1442 to 1446, he cooperated with other members of that body to compose the '' Hunmin Jeongeum'', in which the

hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

alphabet was first presented to the world. The level of his involvement in the creation of the Korean alphabet

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

(and that of other Hall of Worthies scholars) is disputed, although he and other scholars were sent on trips to consult with a

Ming Chinese The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

phoneticist several times, presumably because one of the first uses the new alphabet was put to was to transcribe the sounds of

hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

, or Sino-Korean characters. In 1447, Sŏng achieved the highest score on the higher literary examination. In 1455, Prince Suyang (one of Sejong's sons) forced the young King Danjong, his nephew, to abdicate, taking the throne instead as

. Following secret orders from his father Sŏng Sŭng, Sŏng Sammun along with Pak Chungnim, Pak P'aengnyŏn and others plotted to assassinate the new king and restore King Danjong to the throne. The plot was exposed and the plotters all arrested. Sammun and his father were executed along with other plotters. Before his execution, Sammun condemned the king as a pretender. The ''sayuksin'' and the ''saengyuksin'' (생육신, the six retainers who lived), who refused to accept King Sejo as the legitimate king, were praised by later generations for holding fast to the Confucian value of staying loyal to the true king.

Poems for his loyalty

He made several poems during imprisonment and before his execution. The following is his

death poem The death poem is a genre of poetry that developed in the literary traditions of the Sinosphere—most prominently in Culture of Japan, Japan as well as certain periods of Chinese history, Joseon Korea, and Vietnam. They tend to offer a reflectio ...

. 擊鼓催人命 (격고최인명) -둥둥 북소리는 내 생명을 재촉하고, 回頭日欲斜 (회두일욕사) -머리를 돌여 보니 해는 서산으로 넘어 가려고 하는구나 黃泉無一店 (황천무일점) -황천으로 가는 길에는 주막조차 없다는데, 今夜宿誰家 (금야숙수가) -오늘밤은 뉘 집에서 잠을 자고 갈거나 As the sound of drum calls for my life, I turn my head where the sun is about to set. In the afterlife, there is not a single inn This night, at whose house shall I rest ? Another poem in prison written in

sijo ''Sijo'' (, ) is a Korean traditional poetic form that emerged during the Goryeo dynasty, flourished during the Joseon dynasty, and is still written today. Bucolic, metaphysical, and cosmological themes are often explored. The three lines ave ...

format Another poem (using 7 words in each line)Of Sayuksin, "Sŏng Sammun"
from 생육신, 사육신 홈페이지

Family

* Father ** Sŏng Sŭng (; ? – 8 June 1456) * Mother ** Biological – Lady Pak of the Juksan Pak clan (); Seong Seung's first wife ** Step – Lady Mi-chi () ** Unnamed stepmother of commoner status * Siblings ** Younger brother – Sŏng Sam-bing (; ?–1456) ** Younger brother – Sŏng Sam-go (성삼고(成三顧; ?–1456) ** Younger brother – Sŏng Sam-sŏng (; ?–1456) ** Younger half-sister – Sŏng Sŏng-gŭm (), Lady Seong ** Younger half-sister – Sŏng Ok-dong (), Lady Seong * Wives and their children ** Lady Sin of the Ahju Sin clan () — no issue. ** Kim Ch'a-san (), Lady Kim of the Yonan Kim clan () *** Son – Sŏng Maeng-ch'ŏm (; ?–1456) *** Son – Sŏng Maeng-nyŏn (; ?–1456) *** Daughter – Sŏng Hyo-ok (), Lady Seong *** Daughter – Lady Sŏng (; 1439–1489) *** Daughter – Lady Sŏng () *** Son – Sŏng Hŏn () *** Son – Sŏng T'aek ()

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Hyun Woo Hyun Woo (; born Kim Hyun-woo on January 18, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''Pasta'' and the sitcom '' Living Among the Rich''. In 2009, he, Lee Jang-woo and No Min-woo formed the K-pop pr ...

in the 2011 SBS TV series ''

Deep Rooted Tree ''Deep Rooted Tree'' () is a 2011 South Korean television series starring Han Suk-kyu, Jang Hyuk and Shin Se-kyung. Based on the novel of the same name by Lee Jung-myung, it aired on SBS from 5 October to 22 December 2011 on Wednesdays and ...

''.

References

External links