Person1748 – 1807

Yu Deuk-gong

Gyujanggak editor of secondary-son birth whose Balhaego placed Balhae in Korean history and coined the term “Northern and Southern States”

In 1779, when Jeongjo opened office to sons of concubines, he became one of the first copyists (geomseogwan) of the Gyujanggak, with Yi Deok-mu, Park Je-ga and Seo I-su. A Silhak scholar of the Northern Learning school influenced by Park Ji-won, he wrote the Balhaego in 1784, calling the age of Silla and Balhae the "Northern and Southern States" period and claiming Balhae, heir to Goguryeo's land, as part of Korean history.

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2 related events

1
1777 – 1851Opening of office to secondary sons and the petitions of the junginrelated figure
In late Joseon the seoeol (sons of concubines) and the jungin petitioned collectively against discrimination in office. Under Jeongjo the way opened for the seoeol, and in 1851 restrictions on them were largely lifted.
2
1784Yu Deuk-gong’s Balhaegoauthor
In Balhaego, Yu Deuk-gong placed Balhae in Korean history and first called the age of Silla and Balhae the “Northern and Southern States”.

People who appear alongside

Jeongjo1752 – 1800
Twenty-second king of Joseon, founder of the Gyujanggak library and builder of Hwaseong Fortress
Cheoljong1831 – 1863
Twenty-fifth king of Joseon, raised on Ganghwa and placed on the throne by the Andong Kim clan; after the 1862 uprisings he set up an office to reform the three taxes
Park Je-ga1750 – 1805
Northern Learning scholar of secondary-son birth who served as a Gyujanggak editor; his Bukhagui urged learning from Qing and encouraging consumption to spur production

Themes this person appears in

Writing Korean HistoryAD 375 – 1931
From the Seogi, Guksa and Sinjip to the Joseon sanggosa — history-writing as royal display, Confucian record, assertion of independence and nationalist scholarship