Song Sa-ryeon

Song Sa-ryeon (宋祀連, 1496 (2nd year of Yeonsangun) – 1575 (8th year of Seonjo)) was an informant in the Sinsa literary purge of the mid-Joseon period.¹

History

Song Sa-ryeon, in collusion with his brother-in-law Jeong Sang (鄭鏛), fabricated the facts that An Cheo-gyeom and others had plotted treason, thereby instigating the purge.¹ Many people died as a result of this fabrication, and for more than thirty years he wielded power under four kings, relying on the authority of his patrons,¹ but after his death his official rank was stripped.¹

As a result, An Dang, An Cheo-gyeom, and An Cheo-geun (安處謹), three generations of father and sons, along with many Sarim scholars including Gwon Jeon, Yi Jeong-suk, Yi Chung-geon (李忠楗), Jo Gwang-jwa (趙光佐), Yi Yak-su (李若水), and Kim Pil (金珌), were implicated and executed, and Song Sa-ryeon enjoyed power for more than thirty years for his accusation.

In 1566 (21st year of Myeongjong), An Dang's innocence of the charge of treason was proven by a memorial from his grandson An Yun (安玧), and he was posthumously restored and his official documents were returned. Public outrage arose against Song Sa-ryeon, who had exposed the plot of An Cheo-ryeom's brothers and even framed them with false accusations.

In 1586 (19th year of Seonjo), An Dang's innocence was made clear by a memorial from Yun, the wife of An Ro (安璐), An Dang's great-grandson by the eldest line. Because their grandmother Gam-jeong (甘丁) was of low-born status, Song Sa-ryeon's sons, including Song Ik-pil, were reverted to slave status in the An family household; they changed their names and went into hiding.

Notes

Footnotes

1. https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0030837 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴