Ha Wiji (; 1387–1456) was a scholar-official of the early

Joseon Dynasty 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 ...

, and is remembered as one of 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 ...

. He was born 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 Jinju Ha lineage. He passed the lower national service examination in 1435 and received the top score on the higher examination in 1438. He 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 ...

Sejong 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 ...

, and became the leader (''gyori'') of that institution in 1442. He participated in the editing of histories and other texts. Ha withdrew from government service in 1453 after the murder of

Kim Chongsŏ Kim Chongsŏ (; 1383 – 10 November 1453) was a prominent military official and politician of the early Joseon dynasty. His ancestral home was Suncheon. He was also known under the names Kukkyŏng and Chŏlchae, and his posthumous name was Ch' ...

by Prince Suyang (later

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 ...

). However, he returned not long thereafter and was made vice-minister of rites by Danjong in 1455. In that year, Danjong was overthrown by Sejo. Ha joined in a plot to overthrow Sejo and restore Danjong in 1456, but the plot was uncovered through the betrayal of fellow plotter

Kim Chil Kim Chil (; 1422 – February 24, 1478) was a scholar-official of the early Joseon Dynasty. He is remembered today primarily for his participation in, and betrayal of, the conspiracy led by the six martyred ministers. Kim was born to a family o ...

. Refusing to repent from his deeds after torture, Ha was put to death.

See also