Seong Sam-mun (1418 — 8 June 1456) was a scholar-official of early

Joseon 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 re ...

who rose to prominence in the court of King Sejong the Great (r. 1418–1450). He was executed after being implicated in a plot to dethrone King Sejo (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) with reference to this plot.

Biography

Sam-mun was born in Hongseong (then Hongju), South Chungcheong province to a yangban family of the Changnyeong

Seong Seong, also spelled Song or Sung, is an uncommon Korean family name, a single-syllable Korean given name, as well as a common element in two-syllable Korean given names. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it. Family name The ...

clan (창녕 성씨, 昌寧成氏). He passed the lower examination at the regular triennial administration in 1438. He soon gained the favor of King Sejong, and was appointed to the Hall of Worthies. From 1442 to 1446, he cooperated with other members of that body to compose the '' Hunmin Jeongeum'', in which the hangul alphabet was first presented to the world. The level of his involvement in the creation of the Korean alphabet Hangul (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 phoneticist several times, presumably because one of the first uses the new alphabet was put to was to transcribe the sounds of hanja, or Sino-Korean characters. In 1447, Sam-mun 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 King Sejo. Following secret orders from his father Seong Seung, Sam-mun along with

Bak Jungrim Bak or BAK may refer to: Computer * Bak file * ''Betrayal at Krondor'', a DOS-based role-playing video game * Bill and keep reciprocal payment in telecommunications systems Acronyms * Bcl-2 homologous antagonist killer, a protein involved in pro ...

Bak Paengnyeon Pak Paeng-nyeon (박팽년, 朴彭年; 1417–1456) was a scholar-official of the early Joseon Dynasty, and is known as one of the six martyred ministers. He was born to a yangban family of the Suncheon Park clan, and was the son of high ministe ...

and others plotted to assassinate the new king and restore King Danjong to the throne. The plot was exposed and the plotters all arrested. Sam-mun and his father were executed along with other plotters. Before his execution, Sam-mun 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. 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 format Another poem (using 7 words in each line)Of Sayuksin, "Seong Sam-mun"
from 생육신, 사육신 홈페이지

Family

* Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Seong Gung-pil (성공필, 成公弼) * Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Seong Gun-mi (성군미, 成君美) * Great-Great-Grandfather ** Seong Yeo-wan (성여완, 成汝完) (1309 - 1397) * Great-Great-Grandmother ** Lady Na (나씨, 羅氏); second daughter of Na Cheon-bu (나천부, 羅天富) * Great-Grandfather ** Seong Seok-yong (성석용, 成石瑢) (1352 - 26 April 1403) * Great-Grandmother ** Lady Kim (김씨, 金氏); second daughter of Kim Seong-ri (김성리, 金成利) * Grandfather ** Seong Dal-saeng (성달생, 成達生) (1376 - 1444) * Grandmother ** Lady Jo of the Pungyang Jo clan (풍양 조씨); daughter of Jo Woon-gae (조운개, 趙云价) * Father ** Seong Seung (성승, 成勝) (? - 8 June 1456) * Mother ** Biological - Lady Park of the Juksan Park clan (죽산 박씨); Seong Seung’s first wife *** Grandfather - Park Cheom (박첨) ** Step - Lady Mi-chi (미치, 未致); became a slave of Yi Heung-sang, Prince Gyerim (계림군 이흥상) after husband’s death ** Unnamed stepmother of commoner status * Siblings ** Younger brother - Seong Sam-bing (성삼빙, 成三聘) (? - 1456) *** Sister-in-law - Lady Ui-jeong (의정, 義貞); became a slave of Kwon Gae (권개, 權愷) after her husband’s death **** Nephew - Seong Han (성한) ** Younger brother - Seong Sam-go (성삼고(成三顧) (? - 1456) *** Sister-in-law - Kim Sa-geum (김사금, 金四今), Lady Kim (김씨, 金氏); daughter of Kim Ryeon (김련, 金憐), remarried to Kim Su-son (김수손, 金首孫) **** Niece - Lady Seong (성씨) ** Younger brother - Seong Sam-seong (성삼성, 成三省) (? - 1456) *** Sister-in-law - Lady Myeong-su (명수, 命守); became a slave of Hong Dal-son (홍달손, 洪達孫) after husband’s death ** Younger half-sister - Seong Seong-geum (성성금, 成性今), Lady Seong; became a slave of Shin Suk-ju (신숙주, 申叔舟) after her father’s death ** Younger half-sister - Seong Ok-dong (성옥동, 成玉童), Lady Seong; became a slave of Park Won-hyeong (박원형, 朴元亨) after her father’s death * Wives and their children ** Lady Shin of the Ahju Shin clan (아주 신씨, 鵝洲申氏) — no issue. ** Kim Cha-san (김차산, 金次山), Lady Kim of the Yeonan Kim clan (연안 김씨, 延安金氏) *** Son - Seong Maeng-cheom (성맹첨, 成孟瞻) (? - 1456) **** Daughter-in-law - Lady Hyeon-bi (현비, 現非); became a slave of Jeon Gyun (전균, 田畇) *** Son - Seong Maeng-nyeon (성맹년) (? - 1456) **** Granddaughter - Lady Seong (성씨) ***** Grandson-in-law - Yu Jeub (유즙) of the

Munhwa Yu clan As of 2000, more than 600,000 people have surname of Yu or Ryu (柳) in South Korea. Over 280,000 indivisuals of them are Munhwa Yu (文化柳), and there are other people with Jeonju (全州), Jinju (晉州), Goheung (高興), Gangneung (江� ...

*** Daughter - Seong Hyo-ok (성효옥), Lady Seong; unmarried and became a slave *** Daughter - Lady Seong (성씨, 成氏) (1439 - 1489) **** Son-in-law - Park Rim-gyeong (박림경, 朴臨卿) (1436 - 1485) ***** Grandson - Park Jeung (박증, 朴增) (1461 - 1517) ***** Grandson - Park Ho (박호, 朴壕) (1466 - 1533) ***** Grandson - Park Han (박한, 朴한) *** Daughter - Lady Seong (성씨, 成氏) **** Son-in-law - Eom Jeong-gu (엄정구, 嚴鼎耉) ***** Grandson - Eom Chan (엄찬) *** Son - Seong Heon (성헌) *** Son - Seong Taek (성택)

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 pro ...

in the 2011 SBS TV series '' Deep Rooted Tree''.

References

External links