Sim U-seung (沈友勝, 1551 – 1602) was a civil official and meritorious subject of mid-Joseon Korea. His courtesy name was Sajin (士進), his art name Mansa (晩沙), his enfeoffed title Lord Cheonggye of Cheonggye (靑溪府院君), and his family seat was Cheongsong. He was a disciple of Gi Daeseung (高峯 奇大升). He died in office while serving as Governor of Gyeonggi Province.
Genealogy
- He was the grandson of the Gichimyeonghyeon Sim Dal-won and the son of Sim Jeon, posthumously State Councillor and Lord Cheongpa of Cheongpa (靑坡府院君), who had served as Governor of Gyeonggi Province. He was the younger brother of Sim U-seon and Sim U-jun, and the elder brother of Sim U-dan. He was the seventh-generation descendant of Sim Deok-bu (靑城伯 沈德符), Lord Cheongseong and a meritorious subject at the founding of Joseon.
- He was the adoptive father of Sim Aek, Minister of Personnel, Chief of the Office of Censors, and Lord Cheongsong of Cheongsong (靑松君), who was the son of the posthumous Vice Minister Sim U-jun. He was also the maternal uncle of the wife of Heo Gyun.
- He was the great-grandfather of Namin scholar-official Sim Gwang-su (南人 山林), Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince's Secretariat, Vice Director of Public Works, posthumous Vice Minister, Lord Cheongan of Cheongan (靑安君), and of Sim Gwang-sa, Chief of the Royal Clan Office and posthumous Vice Minister.
- He was a first cousin once removed of Queen Inson, queen consort of Myeongjong, and his sixth-cousin-once-removed relation, the leader of the Westerners Sim Ui-gyeom, was his cousin.
- He became the maternal great-grandfather of Injo's third son, Prince Inpyeong Yi Yo.
Life
He studied under Gi Daeseung. Although his close relatives, including Sim Ui-gyeom, became Westerners, he studied under Gi Daeseung, a disciple of Toegye Yi Hwang, and became a member of the Easterners; his descendants became members of the Southerners. In 1572, when his teacher Gi Daeseung died, he personally composed a funeral eulogy for him. However, for reasons that are unclear, he disparaged his teacher Gi Daeseung, saying that although he had not received the orthodox transmission of the Way from him, thinking of his words only stirred deep feelings (學道傳心未 思言感懷多).
According to Yi Min-gu, the grandson of his sister, although the family had prestige, he strictly observed the rites of Confucianism. In 1573 (the 6th year of King Seonjo), he passed the lower civil service examination and became a Jinsa. In 1580 (the 13th year of Seonjo), he passed the special civil service examination. When the Imjin War broke out in 1592, he served as a Junior Secretary of the Board of Revenue and accompanied King Seonjo on his flight to safety. For this service, he was promoted to Bongnyeol Daebu.1 In the same year, he served as a Senior Remonstrator of the Office of Remonstrance. In 1588, he had a clerk of the Board of Rites beaten with the cane, but the matter went wrong, and he was impeached by the Office of Remonstrance and dismissed from office.2 Afterwards, as a Director of the Sungkyunkwan, he served as secretary to the envoy Jeong Gon-su, who was sent to the Ming dynasty to request reinforcements, and returned from Beijing.3 He then became Junior Magistrate of the Office of the Inspector-General. In 1593, when the Ming reinforcements led by Li Rusong decisively defeated the Japanese forces at Pyongyang and recovered the city, King Seonjo considered the merit to belong to Jeong Gon-su, who had requested aid from the Ming, and to Sim U-seung. He promoted Sim U-seung to senior official rank and, after appointing him to Tongjeong Daebu, appointed him as Jeolchung Janggun, Chumji of the Chungchubu. Soon after, he passed through the post of Vice Minister of the , served as Junior Secretary and then Senior Secretary of the Royal Secretariat, and in 1595 served as Assistant Director of the Seungmunwon. In 1596 he became Vice Minister of the (戶曹參議). When the royal treasury had fallen into difficulties and the storehouses were empty, his arrival and filling of the storehouses led to entrust him with the affairs of the storehouses and to promote him. In 1597 he became Vice Minister of the .
At that time, the Ming soldiers stationed in Hanyang committed serious outrages, yet no one could say a word about them. When Ming Military Commissioner Yang Hao asked Sim U-seung about the misconduct of the Ming soldiers, Sim U-seung wrote out the facts truthfully in several hundred characters and showed them to Commissioner Yang. Commissioner Yang praised Sim U-seung, but King Seonjo dismissed him from office. When Commissioner Yang requested that King Seonjo reinstate Sim U-seung,910 he was highly praised for conveying to Commissioner Yang Hao the harms and outrages of the Ming soldiers without provoking his displeasure.
At Yang Hao's recommendation, King Seonjo reinstated him. In 1598 he was appointed Vice Mayor of Hanseong.11 While serving as Vice Mayor of Hanseong, he concurrently served as a Yusa Dangsang of the Border Defense Council. In 1601 he became Governor of Gangwon Province,12 and after serving as Dongji Jungchubu Sa, he became Governor of Gyeonggi Province.13 While he was Governor of Gyeonggi, he observed that some counties were large and some small, yet the corvée and labor duties were concentrated unevenly, and local officials each collected and procured taxes at their own discretion, so that clerks, local notables, and powerful families skimmed off the middle and monopolized the benefits. Believing that the small counties suffered from this procurement of taxes, he surveyed all the fields of Gyeonggi Province, measured the paddy and dry fields, divided them by the number of gyeol (結數), and then compared the lengths and breadths to make the assignment of taxes and labor equal. He petitioned for this and had it implemented, and the people rejoiced. When this became known, the method was followed thereafter as custom, but he suddenly died while on duty.
After death
- His tomb is located at Dosu-ri, San 70, Toechon-myeon, Gwangju County, Gyeonggi Province (now Gwangju City, Gyeonggi Province). Yi Min-gu, the grandson of his sister, who had once attended him, wrote and inscribed his memorial stele inscription.
- He was close to Yi Su-gwang (李睟光), whose art name was Jibong, and after his death Yi Su-gwang composed and presented a funeral eulogy for him.
- In 1604 he was listed as a 2nd-class Merit Subject of Hoseong, was posthumously enfeoffed as Lord Cheonggye of Cheonggye (靑溪府院君), and was posthumously conferred the title of State Councillor.
Family relations
- Sim Dal-won (Junior Secretary of the Seungmunwon, posthumous Minister of Personnel)
- Sim Jeon (沈銓, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, posthumous State Councillor, Lord Cheongpa of Cheongpa (靑坡府院君))
- Wife: Posthumous Jeonggyeong buin Jeonui Yi – daughter of Yi Han (李翰)
- Sim U-seon (Magistrate of Jangsu)
- Wife: Paepyeong Yun
- Sim Yang (Censor of the Office of the Inspector-General)
- Sim Gwang-han (posthumous Vice Minister)
- Sim Sang (son of Sim Gwang-sa, Junior Censor of the Office of Remonstrance, posthumous Minister of Personnel)
- Sim Deuk-ryang (Magistrate of Sunheung, posthumous Left Chancellor)
- Sim Gak (Minister of Rites, Chief of the Office of Censors, Chief State Councillor, Girosa)
- 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, Magistrate, styled Jawon (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)
Footnotes