**Sim Gwang-su** (沈光洙, 1598–1662) was a mid-Joseon [[Namin|Southern Faction]] [[Sallim (politics)|sallim]] (南人 山林) of the [[Cheongsong Sim clan|Cheongsong]] (靑松) lineage. His courtesy name was Huisung (希聖), his pen name was Noyeon (魯淵), and his enfeoffed title was Cheongan-gun (靑安君). ## Family background He was the great-grandson of Sim Jeon (沈銓), Gyeonggi Provincial Governor and posthumously Chief State Councillor, Lord Cheongpa (靑坡府院君), and the grandson of Sim U-seung (沈友勝), Gyeonggi Provincial Governor and posthumously Chief State Councillor, Lord Cheonggye (靑溪府院君). He was the son of Sim Aek (沈詻), Minister of Personnel and Lord Cheongsong (靑松君). His mother was the daughter of Gwon Jing (權徵), Minister of War. He was the elder brother of Sim Gwang-sa (沈光泗), the father-in-law of Yun I-seok (尹爾錫), the grandson of Yun Seon-do (孤山 尹善道), and the maternal grandfather of Yun Du-seo (恭齋 尹斗緖). He was also a cousin of Sim Gwang-myeon (沈光沔), a son-in-law of the [[Namin|Southern Faction]] [[Sallim (politics)|sallim]] Yun Seon-do. ## Life He studied under Lee Myeong-jun (李命俊), father-in-law of his younger brother Sim Gwang-sa. In 1627 (5th year of [[Injo of Joseon|Injo]]) he passed the saengwon and jinsa (司馬兩試) examinations and entered the [[Sungkyunkwan]], but he did not sit for the civil service examination. In 1635 (13th year of Injo) he was selected as tutor to [[Grand Prince Bongrim]] (鳳林大君, later [[Hyojong of Joseon|Hyojong]]). The following year, the [[Second Manchu invasion of Korea|Manchu invasion]] (丙子胡亂) broke out, and he accompanied [[Injo of Joseon|Injo]] in the [[Namhansanseong|Namhan Fortress]] (南漢山城). He strongly advocated opposition to peace (斥和論) and demanded the execution of [[Choe Myeong-gil]], a proponent of peace negotiations. He also opposed sending [[Crown Prince Sohyeon]] (昭顯世子) as a hostage to the [[Qing dynasty]]. However, when Injo surrendered to the Qing, he retreated to Chuncheon. Afterward, as part of Injo's policy of honoring reclusive scholars (山林 隱逸), he was appointed Jipyeong of the [[Saheonbu]]. Under [[Hyojong of Joseon|Hyojong]] he was appointed Jinseon of the Sejasigangwon (世子侍講院 進善), Jangnyeong of the [[Saheonbu]], and Chief Secretary of the Jeomjichubusa with concurrent service as a lecturer of the Gyeongyeon (經筵官), as well as Jeong of the Sangeuiwon (尙衣院 正) and Jeong of the Saboksi (司僕寺 正) and Seungji. Under [[Hyeonjong of Joseon|Hyeonjong]] he served as a Gyeongyeon lecturer and Vice Minister of the Board of Works. When Hyojong died and Hyeonjong ascended the throne, a dispute arose between the [[Seoin|Western Faction]] and the [[Namin|Southern Faction]] over whether Queen Dowager Jaui (慈懿大妃, [[Queen Jangnyeol]]), the stepmother of Hyojong and second consort of Injo, should observe three years or one year of mourning. This became known as the [[Korean Rites Controversy|Yesong controversy]] (禮訟論爭). Opposing the [[Seoin|Western]] sallim [[Song Si-yeol]] and [[Song Jun-gil]], who argued for one year, he joined the [[Namin|Southern]] sallim [[Heo Mok]], [[Yun Hyu]], and [[Yun Seon-do]] in arguing for three years. However, the Western Faction prevailed, and he was exiled along with Yun Seon-do. Yun Seon-do lived for a long time in exile and left many masterpieces of poetry, prose, and painting of national treasure quality, whereas he died early in exile.[^1][^2][^3][^4][^5] ## Posthumous honors During the reign of [[Sukjong of Joseon|Sukjong]], at the proposal of his close friend [[Yun Hyu]], he was posthumously granted the rank of Vice Minister of Personnel (吏曹參判) and enfeoffed as Lord Cheongan (靑安君).[^6] > The Gong was born on the 18th day of the 5th month of the Wuxu year of the Wanli era (戊戌年, 31st year of King Seonjo, 1598). In the 5th year after his sixtieth birthday, he died on the 21st day of the 5th month, and in the 9th month of that year, on the 12th day, he was buried on a south-facing hill beneath the ancestral graves in Toechon, 30 li east of the Gwangju (廣州) seat. In the first year of Sukjong, the royal secretaries reported to the king that he had the old favor of Gamban (甘盤), and he was posthumously granted the rank of Vice Minister of Personnel and the title Lord Cheongan. > > The Gong was intelligent and learned broadly, and he had uprightness in self-cultivation, always acting before speaking. Throughout his life he did not like actions aimed at establishing a name or excessive praise beyond the proper course. He was loyal, trustworthy, and cautious, sincere in honoring his parents, and in funerary and ancestral rites he was attentive and diligent, never deviating daily from the norms of human relations. He consistently aimed at the ancients and diligently strove on his own, and when he saw the world falling into disorder, he hid his traces and kept his integrity by himself. > > When Hyojong ascended the throne, he was treated with very great favor, so he could not in righteousness leave decisively. He spoke boldly and admonished directly, so it could be said that he had the loyalty left by the ancients. When the Gong had already grown old and the world became more difficult, he concealed his talent and virtue and did not appear, so he was no longer used in the world. His pure and unblemished integrity and the measure of his solitary conduct, when compared with the ancients, had not a speck of shame. His scholarly conduct proceeded from filial and fraternal devotion at home to assisting the sovereign and correcting customs, being pure without being harsh and gentle without losing firmness. He may be said to be a man who was not defiled though living in a turbid age. > > Lady Jeong-bu-in was a Gwon of Bok-ju (福州, Andong), granddaughter of Gwon Gyeong-nam (嘉山郡守 慶男), daughter of Gwon Bok-gil (四山監役 權復吉), and maternal grandchild of Yu Hui-seo (儒城君 柳凞緖). She kept her virtue well, so the whole clan praised her, and she was learned in sacrifices and the etiquette of guests, winning the favor of her parents-in-law. Fourteen years after the Gong died, on the 28th day of the 1st month, she passed away at the age of 73 and was buried together with her husband in the same tomb. The lady often admonished her descendants, saying: "From the time I served my paternal grandmother until now, our descendants have come to be five or six generations. When the ancestors look down, all are children of one grandfather. Do not be generous to some and stingy to others because they are distant relatives. Let the descendants keep this well and make it the family precept of our house." > > Having no son, he adopted his nephew Sim Baek (沈栢) as heir. Sim Baek passed the royal examination (謁聖試) in the 3rd year of Hyeonjong with first place and rose to the post of Junior Secretary of the Board of War (兵曹佐郞). The son-in-law was Lee Jin-gyu (李震奎), a Byeolgeom. Sim Baek had sons Sim Deuk-jin (沈得震) and Sim Deuk-tae (沈得泰), and his son-in-law was Jeong Jae-jung (丁載重). Lee Jin-gyu had sons Lee Paeng-nyeong (李彭齡), Lee Gwi-nyeong (李龜齡), Lee Yong-nyeong (李龍齡), Lee Hak-nyeong (李鶴齡), Lee Gi-nyeong (李麒齡), and Lee Ik-nyeong (李翼齡). Accordingly, the following inscription was written. > > He was devoted to learning, and his virtue was also sincerely loving; therefore he served the king well and attended his parents well. He knew principle in subtle matters and kept his way unwaveringly, and his person too remained pure. > > — Korean translation of the Gukjo Inmul Gogo: Epitaph of Sim Gwang-su written by [[Heo Mok]] ## Family tree - Sim Dal-won (沈達源, Seungmunwon Pangyo, posthumously Minister of Personnel) - Sim Jeon (沈銓, Gyeonggi Provincial Governor, posthumously Chief State Councillor, Lord Cheongpa) - Lady: Posthumously ennobled Lady Jeonggyeong of the [[Jeonui Yi clan]] – daughter of Yi Han (李翰) - Sim U-seon (Magistrate of Jangsu) - Lady of the [[Paepyeong Yun clan]] - Sim Yang (Jiphyeon of the [[Saheonbu]]) - Sim Gwang-han (posthumously Vice Minister of Personnel) - Sim Sang (son of Sim Gwang-sa, Jeongeon of the Sagan-won, posthumously Minister of Personnel) - Sim Deuk-ryang (Magistrate of Sunheung, posthumously Jwachanseong) - [[Sim Gak]] (Minister of Rites, Chief Justice of the Uigeumbu, Chief State Councillor, Girosō) - Sim Chang-seok - Sim Yu - Sim Dong-ryang - Daughter: [[Cheongsong Sim clan]] - Husband: Jeong Dae-mu (丁大懋, 18 May 1824 – ?), son of [[Jeong Hak-yu]], maternal grandson of Sim O, Chambong, Hyeongam, styled Ja-won (子園) - Sim O (adopted into the family of Sim Gyeong-seok) - Sim Gyeong-seok (Magistrate of Yonggung) - Sim O (son of Sim Chang-seok) - Daughter: [[Cheongsong Sim clan]] - Husband: [[Ahae Jeong clan]], second son of the great late-Joseon Silhak scholar Dasan [[Jeong Yak-yong]], Unpo [[Jeong Hak-yu]] - Son of [[Jeong Hak-yu]]: Jeong Dae-mu (丁大懋, 18 May 1824 – ?), maternal grandson of Sim O, Chambong, Hyeongam, styled Ja-won (子園) - Sim U-jun (Jinsa, posthumously Vice Minister of Personnel) - Lady: Posthumously ennobled Lady [[Jeong-bu-in]] of the [[Juksan Park clan]] - Lady: Posthumously ennobled Lady [[Jeong-bu-in]] of the [[Eunjin Song clan]] - [[Sim Aek]] (adopted into the family of [[Sim U-seung]], Minister of Personnel, Chief Justice of the Uigeumbu, Lord Cheongsong, Girosō) - Sim Seo (Pyeongsiseoryeong, posthumously Minister of Personnel) - Sim Gwang-myeon (posthumously Chief State Councillor) - Lady: Posthumously ennobled Lady [[Jeonggyeong Bupyeong|Jeonggyeong]] of the [[Haenam Yun clan]] – daughter of [[Namin|Southern Faction]] [[Sallim (politics)|sallim]] Vice Minister of Rites [[Yun Seon-do]] of Gosan - [[Sim Dan]] (Minister of Personnel, Chief Justice of the Uigeumbu, Chief State Councillor, Girosō, Bongjoha) - Lady: [[Jeonggyeong Bupyeong|Lady Jeonggyeong]] of the [[Gwangju Yi clan]] - Sim Deuk-cheon (Gwonji Jeongja of the Seungmunwon) - [[Sim Deuk-gyeong portrait|Sim Deuk-gyeong]] (model for the portrait of Sim Deuk-gyeong by the literati painter Gongjae [[Yun Du-seo]], great-grandson of [[Yun Seon-do]] of Gosan; Jinsa) - Sim Deuk-haeng (Magistrate of Yongin) - Sim Deuk-seong (Saengwon, posthumously Vice Minister of Personnel) - Sim Chi (posthumously Vice Minister of Personnel) - Sim Yeong-seok (Vice Minister of War) - Sim Mun (Chamong of Jeryung, posthumously Minister of Personnel) - Lady: Posthumously ennobled Lady [[Jeong-bu-in]] of the [[Pungsan Hong clan]] – daughter of Minister of War Hong Myeong-ju - [[Sim Dong-sin]] (Vice Minister of War, Jisuchunchugwan Sa, Daesahun) - Sim Dong-heon (Seungji) - [[Sim U-seung]] (沈友勝, Vice Minister of Revenue, Gyeonggi Provincial Governor, [[Meritorious Subjects of Hoseong|Hoseong Merit Subject]] second rank, posthumously Chief State Councillor, Lord Cheonggye) - Lady: Posthumously ennobled Lady [[Jeonggyeong Bupyeong|Jeonggyeong]] of the [[Sunheung An clan]] (順興 安氏) - [[Sim Aek]] (沈詻, son of Sim U-jun, Minister of Personnel, Chief Justice of the Uigeumbu, Lord Cheongsong, Girosō) - Lady: [[Jeonggyeong Bupyeong|Lady Jeonggyeong]] of the [[Andong Gwon clan]] (安東 權氏) – daughter of Minister of War [[Gwon Jing]] (權徵) - Sim Gwang-su (沈光洙, [[Namin|Southern Faction]] [[Sallim (politics)|sallim]], Jinseon of the Sejasigangwon, Vice Minister of Works, posthumously Vice Minister of Personnel, Lord Cheongan) - Lady: Posthumously ennobled Lady [[Jeong-bu-in]] of the [[Andong Gwon clan]] (安東 權氏) - Sim Baek (son of Sim Gwang-sa, Junior Secretary of the Board of War) - Sim Gwang-sa (沈光泗, Jeonbu of the Jongchinbu, posthumously Vice Minister of Personnel; all five of his sons passed the civil service examination) - Lady: Posthumously ennobled Lady [[Jeong-bu-in]] of the [[Jeonui Yi clan]] – daughter of Vice Minister of War Lee Myeong-jun (李命俊) - Daughter: [[Cheongsong Sim clan]] (靑松 沈氏) - Husband: [[Haenam Yun clan]] (海南 尹氏), Yun I-seok (尹爾錫), grandson of [[Yun Seon-do]] of Gosan, Jeonbu of the Jongchinbu - Son of Yun I-seok: [[Yun Du-seo]] (尹斗緖), maternal grandson of Sim Gwang-sa, called Gongjae; with Jeong Seon (鄭歚), styled Gyeomjae, and Sim Sa-jeong (沈師正), styled Hyeonjae, one of the Three Masters of Joseon - Sim Baek (adopted into the family of Sim Gwang-su, Junior Secretary of the Board of War) - Sim Sang (adopted into the family of Sim Gwang-han, Jeongeon of the Sagan-won, posthumously Minister of Personnel) - Sim Beol (Gyeonggi... Governor of Hwanghae Province) - Sim Bang (Magistrate of Jinju) - Sim Taeng (Seungji) - Daughter of [[Sim Aek]]: [[Cheongsong Sim clan]] - Son-in-law of [[Sim Aek]]: [[O Dan]], Governor - Daughter of [[O Dan]]: Lady Bokcheon, [[Dongbok O clan]] - Son-in-law of [[O Dan]]: [[Grand Prince Inpyeong]], third son of [[Injo of Joseon|Injo]] - Eldest son of [[Grand Prince Inpyeong]]: [[Bokneong-gun]] - Second son of [[Grand Prince Inpyeong]]: [[Bokchang-gun]] - Third son of [[Grand Prince Inpyeong]]: [[Bokseon-gun]] - Fourth son of [[Grand Prince Inpyeong]]: [[Bokpyeong-gun]] - Sim Bo (沈譜, passed the military examination, Magistrate of Bucheon) - Sim Gwang-suk (沈光淑, passed the military examination, Manho) - Sim Ryun (沈棆, Jeomji Junguibu-sa) - Sim Deuk-mang (沈得望, passed the military examination, Cheomjeoljesa) - Sim U-dan (Jiphyeon of the [[Saheonbu]]) - Lady: [[Suwon Choe clan]] - Sim Seon (Magistrate of Danchon) ## Notes [^1]: Injo Sillok [^2]: Hyojong Sillok [^3]: Hyeonjong Sillok [^4]: Korean National Encyclopedia of Culture [^5]: Gukjo Inmul Gogo (Korean translation) – Epitaph of Sim Gwang-su [^6]: Gukjo Inmul Gogo (Korean translation) – Epitaph of Sim Gwang-su