Yu Eon-ho

Yu Eon-ho(兪彦鎬, 1730 – 1796) was a civil official of late Joseon. His family seat was Gigye (杞溪). His courtesy name was Sakyeong (士京), his pen name was Jeukjiheon (則止軒), and his posthumous name was Chungmun (忠文). He was a minister during the reign of Jeongjo (正祖), and after his death he was enshrined in King Jeongjo's shrine together with Kim Jong-su (金鍾秀).

생애

In 1761, he passed the civil service examination at the top of his class, and in 1763 he became a jeongeon (正言) of the Office of Remonstrance; in 1766 he was appointed sub-reader of the Hongmungwan. However, in 1771 he was exiled to Namhae County on the charge of supporting Gwon Jin-eung (權震應), who had stirred factional strife. At that time King Yeongjo said, "People of this kind have a factional mind from birth; how can their crimes be counted?" and criticized Yu Eon-ho together with Kim Bo-sun (金普淳), Kim Jae-in (金載人), and Kim Mun-sun (金文淳). The following year he was transferred to Heuksan Island (黑山島), was stripped of his office as a commoner, and his name was even erased from the Hodangnok (湖堂錄).

However, when King Jeongjo ascended the throne in 1776, he was promoted to high office; that June he became Left Secretary of the Board of Personnel concurrently Editor and Lecturer, and two months later was appointed Vice Minister of the Board of Personnel. At that time, his views on the in-law clans were largely similar to those of Jeongjo, and he gained the king's trust and was appointed Director-Secretary of the Kyujanggak to assist Jeongjo. The following year, he skillfully compiled the commentary for the Myeongui-rok (明義錄) and was awarded a saddle by Jeongjo; relying on the king's trust, he served as Vice Minister of the Board of Personnel, Chief Royal Secretary, Director of the Hongmungwan, Minister of Justice, Minister of Rites, and Minister of Personnel. In 1783, however, his elder brother Yu Eon-jip (兪彦鏶) died, and the following year his mother also died, so he withdrew from office. Still, Jeongjo continued to trust him and made him Senior Vice Guest of the Crown Prince's Tutorial Office; he was again appointed Minister of Rites, but later, while serving as Mayor of Hansung, he was dismissed on the grounds that he had not obeyed the king's order for three days. Yet the following year he rose to the post of (右議政). Yu Eon-ho repeatedly claimed he was unfit to be a chief minister and submitted resignation petitions three times, but Jeongjo rejected all of them. In the same year he went to Qing China as envoy for the winter solstice. However, the following year, when the Southerner Jo Deok-rin (趙德隣) was posthumously restored to office, he criticized Jeongjo; he was impeached by the Three Offices and was confined by encircling fence in Jeju County, but was released after one year. Afterward, in 1793 he became , and two years later he reached the post of . At that time he proposed measures to stabilize grain prices to Jeongjo, but Jeongjo showed a lukewarm response. Later, he resigned in protest against Jeongjo's attempt to restore Heo Jeok (許積) to office, and died the following year. He had instructed that he not receive a and not erect a tombstone, but Jeongjo had all of them granted according to custom. His grave is currently located in Daedeok-myeon, , . During his lifetime he formed a friendship with the scholar of Yeonam, and when Park Ji-won stayed in Geumcheon, , he volunteered for the post of Magistrate of and looked after Park's livelihood.