Entering the World of Politics
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the most widely-read Chinese classic fictions, tells of how Liu Bei, leader of the Shu Kingdom, paid three visits to wise but lowly farmer Zhuge Liang to ask him to become his prime minister. Liu’s sincere and persistent visits to Zhuge’s humble cottage became the origin of the term “samgochoryeo (make three calls at the thatched cottage)” to illustrate one’s earnest attempts to persuade someone. But an exact same situation played out much earlier, 16 years before Liu paid his famous visits to Zhuge, in Goguryeo when King Gogukcheon appointed farmer Eul Paso to the post of prime minister.
Although his exact birth date is not known, Eul Paso was born in the second century to a noble family in northern Korean Peninsula. He was a descendant of Eul So, a high-ranking government official under King Yuri, Goguryeo’s second monarch. Despite his noble lineage and renowned wisdom, Eul Paso chose not to get involved in the corrupt politics of the time and instead became a farmer. In 191, the 13th year of King Gogukcheon’s reign, the Queen’s relative rose against the king, who easily crushed the rebellion. After the uprising the king ordered the four most influential tribes of Goguryeo to nominate talented and honest men to government posts in order to check the over-grown power of the royal family.
The person nominated the most was Ahn Yu, but instead of taking a government post, Ahn recommended Eul Paso to the king. Although he had been given a chance to serve the king and rise in ranks, Ahn thought that Eul Paso was more capable than himself to save the country from ruin. Moved by Ahn’s patriotic heart, the king sent an envoy to appoint Eul Paso to the seat of a minister. To everyone’s surprise, however, Eul Paso refused the post, claiming that he was too foolish and lazy for the noble post and wanted the king to pick someone else. Given the likely protest from other aristocrats at the appointment of a lowly farmer to a ministerial post, he was not guaranteed unopposed leadership or reform of court officials with just ministerial authority. His refusal may have invoked rage from any ordinary king, but King Gogukcheon, who had an eye for gifted people, realized what Eul Paso was trying to accomplish and eventually granted him the highest-ranking post of prime minister.

Changing the World with His Leadership
The unexpected appointment of a farmer to the prime minister position naturally sparked vehement protest from aristocrats. They slandered Eul Paso and appealed to the king to remove him from the post. But the king stood his ground and threatened the extermination of the families of those who did not obey the prime minister’s orders. The king’s staunch support gave Eul Paso the much needed authority to implement nationwide reforms. The education system was improved, corruption prevented, young talents were recruited from all classes, and economic policies were revamped. Under Eul Paso’s leadership Goguryeo became stronger and more prosperous.
He instituted “Jindae Law,” the world’s first pragmatic welfare system in the 16th year of King Gogukcheon’s reign. The new relief measure allowed farmers to borrow grain from the state during the food shortage months from March to July and pay back in the harvest month of October. This system freed farmers from the worries of surviving the food-starved spring months and gave them enough security to focus on farming. Word of mouth spread quickly among neighboring nations that Goguryeo is a great place to live, prompting a huge influx of new immigrants, who made Goguryeo even more powerful and prosperous.
Goguryeo’s Jindae Law left its mark in other legislative actions down the road, such as a reform policy during the Song Dynasty in the 11th century and “hwangok,” a farmer assistance program of the Joseon Dynasty. Eul Paso passed away in 203 after building the foundation for a strong nation. His death was deeply mourned by all the people of Goguryeo whose lives were forever changed by his benevolent vision. The life and legacy of Eul Paso demonstrates that the real power of a nation comes from not military might or the size of its territory, but from performance-based appointments and dedicated officials who courageously implement policies that look out for ordinary people’s interests.