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Ch'oe U
Ch'oe U (Korean: 최우; Hanja: 崔瑀; 1166 – 10 December 1249), also known as Ch'oe I (최이; 崔怡), was a military ruler and official during the later Goryeo period, serving in various positions such as Assistant Executive in Political Affairs, the minister of personnel and war, and Censorate superintendent. Ch'oe U's posthumous title was Kwangnyŏl (匡烈). His exact birth year is unknown, but he died in 1249 . His ancestral seat was Ubong, now known as Gimcheon in Hwanghae Province. Ch'oe U was the son of Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn. After Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn died in 1219, Ch'oe U ruled the Ch'oe military regime until 1249, becoming the second ruler of the Ch'oe family's military government. His first name was Ch'oe U, but he later changed it to Ch'oe I. During his rule, Goryeo faced many hardships, including the Mongol invasion of Korea, which led to the relocation of the capital from Gaegyeong to Ganghwa Island.
Ch'oe U was the eldest son of Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn, who founded the Ch'oe military regime. Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn had five sons and one daughter from three wives. Ch'oe U was born to the first wife, Lady Song, the daughter of general Song Ch'ŏng. His full brother, Ch'oe Hyang (최향; 崔珦), was a rival for succession but was suppressed throughout Ch'oe U's rule and eventually eliminated in 1230 after a failed rebellion.
The exact year of Ch'oe U's birth is not recorded, but given that Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn was born in 1149, Ch'oe U was likely born around the time of the military coup in 1170. This would make Ch'oe U in his twenties when Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn seized power in 1196 (the 26th year of King Myeongjong's reign). There is no record of Ch'oe U's role in his father's coup. He first appears in historical documents in 1202 when a rebellion broke out in Gyeongju, and Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn and Ch'oe U inspected the departing troops. There is little notable about Ch'oe U's activities before his father's death. Records indicate that in 1208, the king temporarily resided at Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn's residence and watched the royal guards play polo there. Ch'oe U did not engage in any significant political activities during this time. However, as Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn's power solidified, Ch'oe U commanded many private soldiers. Ch'oe U's soldiers practiced combat with flags and drums from Seonjukkyo to Sunginmun when the Khitans invaded, indicating his preparedness to maintain power.
Ch'oe U was regarded as one of the finest calligraphers in Korea of his time. Goryeo poet Yi Kyubo considered him one of the "Four Masters" alongside Kim Saeng (김생; 金生) of Silla, Tanyŏn (탄연; 坦然) and Yu Sin (유신; 柳伸) of Goryeo. King Huijong even requested Ch'oe U to write the screen texts for Seongyeongjeon and Daegwanjeon, where envoys from the Jin dynasty were received. This suggests that Ch'oe U had uncommon scholarly qualities among military rulers.
In 1219, Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn passed away. He had already designated his eldest son, Ch'oe U, as his successor. Near death, Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn secretly summoned Ch'oe U and warned him, "If my illness does not improve, trouble may arise in the family, so do not come again." Ch'oe U had his son-in-law, Kim Yaksŏn, care for his father while he stayed away to protect his inheritance.
Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn's intuition was correct. His four closest aides, Ch'oe Chunmun (최준문; 崔俊文), Chi Yunsim (지윤심; 池允深), Yu Songjŏl (유송절; 柳松節), and Kim Tŏngmyŏng (김덕명; 金德明), feared for their fate under Ch'oe U and wanted Ch'oe Hyang to succeed instead. They plotted to kill Ch'oe U when he visited his father, repeatedly sending for him. However, Ch'oe U, heeding his father's warning, did not appear. Kim Tŏngmyŏng eventually betrayed his co-conspirators, informing Ch'oe U, and the conspiracy failed. Ch'oe U exiled the other three conspirators and killed Ch'oe Chunmun during his exile.
A few days later, Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn died. Ch'oe U succeeded him, gaining control of Goryeo's government. He first presented the gold, silver, and precious items accumulated by his father to the king. He returned the lands and enslaved people seized by force to their original owners, garnering public support. He then systematically removed critical figures from his father's administration, including Kŭm Ŭi (금의; 琴儀), Chŏng Pangbo (정방보; 鄭邦輔), and Mun Yup'il (문유필; 文惟弼), under the pretext of eradicating corruption. Thus, Ch'oe U fully consolidated his power.
When Ch'oe U ascended to power in 1219, his official position was merely a vice commissioner of the Security Council (추밀원부사; 樞密院副使; ch'umirwŏnbusa). By the end of the following year, he had been promoted to Assistant Executive in Political Affairs (참지정사; 參知政事; ch'amjijŏngsa). He concurrently held third-rank positions in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, as well as the superintendent of the Censorate (판어사대사; 判御史臺事; p'anŏsadaesa), which was responsible for the inspection of officials. Although he monopolized these critical positions, several officials were still above him in the Goryeo bureaucratic hierarchy. Remarkably, despite holding exclusive power for almost 30 years after that, these were his last official positions, signifying that his authority was established independently of the formal bureaucratic structure.
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Ch'oe U
Ch'oe U (Korean: 최우; Hanja: 崔瑀; 1166 – 10 December 1249), also known as Ch'oe I (최이; 崔怡), was a military ruler and official during the later Goryeo period, serving in various positions such as Assistant Executive in Political Affairs, the minister of personnel and war, and Censorate superintendent. Ch'oe U's posthumous title was Kwangnyŏl (匡烈). His exact birth year is unknown, but he died in 1249 . His ancestral seat was Ubong, now known as Gimcheon in Hwanghae Province. Ch'oe U was the son of Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn. After Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn died in 1219, Ch'oe U ruled the Ch'oe military regime until 1249, becoming the second ruler of the Ch'oe family's military government. His first name was Ch'oe U, but he later changed it to Ch'oe I. During his rule, Goryeo faced many hardships, including the Mongol invasion of Korea, which led to the relocation of the capital from Gaegyeong to Ganghwa Island.
Ch'oe U was the eldest son of Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn, who founded the Ch'oe military regime. Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn had five sons and one daughter from three wives. Ch'oe U was born to the first wife, Lady Song, the daughter of general Song Ch'ŏng. His full brother, Ch'oe Hyang (최향; 崔珦), was a rival for succession but was suppressed throughout Ch'oe U's rule and eventually eliminated in 1230 after a failed rebellion.
The exact year of Ch'oe U's birth is not recorded, but given that Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn was born in 1149, Ch'oe U was likely born around the time of the military coup in 1170. This would make Ch'oe U in his twenties when Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn seized power in 1196 (the 26th year of King Myeongjong's reign). There is no record of Ch'oe U's role in his father's coup. He first appears in historical documents in 1202 when a rebellion broke out in Gyeongju, and Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn and Ch'oe U inspected the departing troops. There is little notable about Ch'oe U's activities before his father's death. Records indicate that in 1208, the king temporarily resided at Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn's residence and watched the royal guards play polo there. Ch'oe U did not engage in any significant political activities during this time. However, as Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn's power solidified, Ch'oe U commanded many private soldiers. Ch'oe U's soldiers practiced combat with flags and drums from Seonjukkyo to Sunginmun when the Khitans invaded, indicating his preparedness to maintain power.
Ch'oe U was regarded as one of the finest calligraphers in Korea of his time. Goryeo poet Yi Kyubo considered him one of the "Four Masters" alongside Kim Saeng (김생; 金生) of Silla, Tanyŏn (탄연; 坦然) and Yu Sin (유신; 柳伸) of Goryeo. King Huijong even requested Ch'oe U to write the screen texts for Seongyeongjeon and Daegwanjeon, where envoys from the Jin dynasty were received. This suggests that Ch'oe U had uncommon scholarly qualities among military rulers.
In 1219, Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn passed away. He had already designated his eldest son, Ch'oe U, as his successor. Near death, Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn secretly summoned Ch'oe U and warned him, "If my illness does not improve, trouble may arise in the family, so do not come again." Ch'oe U had his son-in-law, Kim Yaksŏn, care for his father while he stayed away to protect his inheritance.
Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn's intuition was correct. His four closest aides, Ch'oe Chunmun (최준문; 崔俊文), Chi Yunsim (지윤심; 池允深), Yu Songjŏl (유송절; 柳松節), and Kim Tŏngmyŏng (김덕명; 金德明), feared for their fate under Ch'oe U and wanted Ch'oe Hyang to succeed instead. They plotted to kill Ch'oe U when he visited his father, repeatedly sending for him. However, Ch'oe U, heeding his father's warning, did not appear. Kim Tŏngmyŏng eventually betrayed his co-conspirators, informing Ch'oe U, and the conspiracy failed. Ch'oe U exiled the other three conspirators and killed Ch'oe Chunmun during his exile.
A few days later, Ch'oe Ch'unghŏn died. Ch'oe U succeeded him, gaining control of Goryeo's government. He first presented the gold, silver, and precious items accumulated by his father to the king. He returned the lands and enslaved people seized by force to their original owners, garnering public support. He then systematically removed critical figures from his father's administration, including Kŭm Ŭi (금의; 琴儀), Chŏng Pangbo (정방보; 鄭邦輔), and Mun Yup'il (문유필; 文惟弼), under the pretext of eradicating corruption. Thus, Ch'oe U fully consolidated his power.
When Ch'oe U ascended to power in 1219, his official position was merely a vice commissioner of the Security Council (추밀원부사; 樞密院副使; ch'umirwŏnbusa). By the end of the following year, he had been promoted to Assistant Executive in Political Affairs (참지정사; 參知政事; ch'amjijŏngsa). He concurrently held third-rank positions in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, as well as the superintendent of the Censorate (판어사대사; 判御史臺事; p'anŏsadaesa), which was responsible for the inspection of officials. Although he monopolized these critical positions, several officials were still above him in the Goryeo bureaucratic hierarchy. Remarkably, despite holding exclusive power for almost 30 years after that, these were his last official positions, signifying that his authority was established independently of the formal bureaucratic structure.