Oh Se-jae

Oh Se-jae (吳世才, 1133–?) was a scholar and man of letters of Goryeo. His posthumous name was Hyeonjeong (玄靜),¹ his pen name was Bokyang (濮陽),² and his courtesy name was Deokjeon (德全). His family seat was Gochang.³

Main Details

He was the youngest of three sons of Oh Injeong (吳仁正). His elder brothers were Oh Se-gong and Oh Se-mun.⁴ Later he became the son-in-law of Yi Ji-sim (李知深).²

In 1151 (the 5th year of King Uijong), he took the jinsi examination (進士試). He was 19 years old at the time.⁴ Later, during the reign of King Myeongjong, he passed the civil service examination.³

His poetry and prose followed the models of Han Yu and Du Fu, and his works became so widely known that even cowherd boys and household servants knew them.²

In 1185 (the 15th year of King Myeongjong), he formed a friendship across generations (忘年之交) with Yi Gyu-bo, who was then 18 years old. Oh himself was 53 at that time.²

Realizing that he would never be employed in public service, he resolved to leave the capital for good. Because his maternal grandfather was from Donggyeong (東京; present-day Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province), he intended to go there. However, the journey was long and difficult, so he sought the post of ritual scribe (祝史) for the Jegosa (祭告使) and traveled to Donggyeong on horseback. He settled there and never returned to Kaesong. Yet there was no one to look after him in that place, and he died in poverty.