Prime Minister of Joseon’s Imaginary Dream Team

A new South Korean president was elected on December 19. Attention is now focused on selecting a new Cabinet under the next government. As a matter of fact, it is far from easy to select good and talented people.

So many virtues are required for would-be government officials. They should be armed with great patriotism, experience, and knowledge that should help with improving the future. They should also have keen insight and leadership skills to keep up with the times, and a high level of morality and communication ability. Of all the historical figures in Korea, who would be best suited for these important positions?

An interesting book has been published recently. It suggests an imaginary, ideal Cabinet, consisting of great figures from the Joseon Kingdom. Of some 700 high-ranking government officials of Joseon, Yi Won-ik, a renowned minister during the time of King Seonjo, is listed as Prime Minister. Out of numerous talented officials, why is this man cited as the most ideal premier?

► High Reputation for Outstanding Ability

Yi Won-ik was born in 1547 in Seoul as the fourth-generation descendant of Prince Iknyeong(익녕), who was one of the sons of King Taejong of the Joseon Dynasty. He passed the state-run civil service exam at the age of 17, and began to study at the Sunggyungwan Academy, the nation’s highest educational institute. Five years later, in 1569, he passed a higher-level examination. The following year, he started working as a government official at the Office of Diplomatic Correspondence.

Afterwards, he served at the Ministry of Treasury, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Justice, and the royal library and advisory council until 1582. It is said that he rarely went out unless he had to deal with public affairs. His profound insight into both theory and reality was highly recognized by great scholars such as Yi Yi(이이) and Yu Seong-ryong(유성룡). At 35, he became Sixth Royal Secretary.

However, his smooth career in government hit a snag in 1583, when the friction between the First Royal Secretary and the Prime Minister led to the impeachment of the Royal Secretariat. While other royal secretaries shifted the responsibility on to the Chief Royal Secretary, Yi held fast to his position that he could not sacrifice his colleague just to evade responsibility. Eventually, he was dismissed from office.

To make matters worse, his father died the following year. He wasn’t in government service for five years. But in 1587, he returned to public office, as he was appointed magistrate of Anju(안주), Hwanghae Province. Here, he was able to showcase his brilliant administrative ability. He secured grains to feed starving people and distributed seeds to reap a good harvest. He revised the training system for soldiers in order to reduce the burden of military service that commoners had to shoulder. He also expanded silkworm farming in the region, where local residents had never grown silkworm before. This earned him the nickname “Yigongsang(이공상),” meaning “silkworm and mulberry developed by Yi.”

Premier in Turbulent Mid-Joseon Era

Yi’s midlife was turbulent and volatile, just as the fate of his country was. The Japanese invasion of Joseon in 1592 forced the king to evacuate, and at the time Yi was military governor of Pyongan Province. The following year, he contributed to recapturing Pyongyang and was named Pyongan Province Governor. In 1598, he was appointed Prime Minister, the highest-ranking official of the Joseon court. He resigned from the post, though, while defending scholar official Yu Seong-ryong. When King Gwanghaegun ascended the throne in 1608, Yi became Prime Minister again. As part of efforts to recover from the war and stabilize public livelihood, Yi implemented a new tax system known as Daedong(대동) Law proposed by Kim Yuk. The innovative system, in which people paid taxes with rice instead of the tribute, made landowners pay more tax while easing the tax burden on commoners.

Meanwhile, in 1614, in the royal court, Prince Youngchang(영창) was killed and there were signs of removing Queen Mother Inmok(인목) from the throne the next year. Yi was vehemently opposed to the move and he was eventually exiled to Hongcheon, Gangwon Province. After a coup brought King Injo to power in 1623, however, Yi was called back and became Prime Minister again. While he served as Prime Minister as many as five times, he lived in a small, thatched cottage.

Honesty and Decency

According to the Journal of the Royal Secretariat, government official Kang Hong-jung(강홍중) informed King Injo of Yi’s illness in 1631. The following passage is part of Kang’s writing delivered to the king.

“Yi is living a small, thatched cottage made of scrub. It is so small and low that he barely lies down on the floor. It doesn’t even look like a house. There is not a single patch of field near his house and the whole family subsists on the monthly rice rations.”

Yi lived as a senior minister for forty years, but always carried himself with honesty and decency. He enjoyed the life of anbinnakdo(안빈낙도), a term referring to the state of being comfortable amid poverty and taking pleasure in an honest life style. He died in 1634 at the age of 87.

Yi was about one meter tall, and he was often called the short minister. He was a broad-minded person who refused a comfortable life, and sought the benefit of the general public. Thanks to a number of great ministers like him, the impoverished Joseon Dynasty lasted for 500 years as a nation of good manners and propriety.