Choe Chung-su

Choe Chung-su (崔忠粹, 1151 – 1197) was a military official of the mid-Goryeo period. He was the second son of Choe Won-ho (崔元浩), a Sangjanggun of Goryeo, and the younger full brother of the military ruler Choe Chung-heon. His religion was Buddhism. In 1196, he quarreled with Yi Ji-yeong, son of Yi Ui-min, over a pigeon, which provided the pretext for Choe Chung-heon's coup. He then staged a coup together with his elder brother Choe Chung-heon and his nephew Park Jin-jae, and eliminated the faction of Yi Ui-min.

However, he overreached in trying to make his own daughter the crown princess consort, and came into conflict with his elder brother Choe Chung-heon. In 1197, he died in battle while fighting against his elder brother Choe Chung-heon. His family seat was Uibong (牛峰).

Life

He entered official service through the Eumseo (hereditary privilege) system. In 1196 (Myeongjong 26), while serving as Eastern Office Recorder (東部錄事), a pigeon that Choe Chung-su was raising flew over the wall of the residence of Yi Ui-min's son Yi Ji-yeong, and Yi Ji-yeong claimed it as his own. Later, when Choe Chung-su asked for the pigeon to be returned and Yi Ji-yeong refused, a quarrel over the pigeon broke out, and he was beaten. He then went to his elder brother Choe Chung-heon and poured out his grievance.

Enraged, Choe Chung-heon resolved with him to kill Yi Ui-min (李義旼). In March 1196, at a villa on Mount Mita, they killed Yi Ui-min together with his elder brother Choe Chung-heon, his outer nephew Park Jin-jae, and others, and seized power. After distributing the wealth that and his associates had plundered to the common people, they appeared to be about to hand power over to King Myeongjong. For this achievement, he was soon, in 1197, registered as a Meritorious Subject Who Assisted Loyally and Transformed (輸忠贊化功臣).