Yi Ja-gyeom’s Rebellion
Yi Ja-gyeom, King Injong’s maternal grandfather and father-in-law, burned the palace with Cheok Jun-gyeong and held the king captive; Injong won Cheok over and removed Yi.
Aristocratic lineages such as the Gyeongwon Yi, Haeju Choe, Papyeong Yun and Gyeongju Kim monopolized high office through examinations and the eumseo privilege, inherited protected land and married into the royal house. Yi Ja-gyeom of the Gyeongwon Yi married his daughters to Yejong and Injong and dominated the court; in 1126 he overrode opposition and accepted Jin’s demand for vassalage.
When Injong’s aides failed in a bid to remove him, Yi and Cheok Jun-gyeong set the palace ablaze and confined the king to Yi’s house. Injong persuaded Cheok to switch sides, Yi was arrested and exiled, and Cheok himself was soon banished. The burned palace and humbled throne marked the beginning of the aristocratic order’s decline.