Park Gyu-su

Park Gyu-su (박규수, 朴珪壽, 1807~1877) was a scholar-bureaucrat, a teacher, a politician and a diplomat of Joseon Dynasty Korea. He was known as a pioneer of the enlightenment group. Park Gyu-su was a grandson of Park Ji-won, the great Silhak scholar of the Joseon.

Life

When Park was 20, he became acquainted with Crown Prince Hyomyeong. They became close friends and discussed politics. When the crown prince died a sudden death, Park was so shocked that shuted himself up for 20 years.^[1]

In 1848, He successed Gwageo exam on forth class. In middle of 1870s, Pak Yeong-hyo visited Park Gyu-su and be taught about the Enlightenment Thought^[2]. Kim Okgyun was affected Park too.

During the period of King Gojong's reign, Queen Sinjeong, who was a wife of Prince Hyomyeong, promote Park. When General Sherman incident occurred, Park was the governor of Pyongan. Park ordered the General Sherman's crew to depart from Joseon. The ship's crew ignored Park's order and captured Yi Hyeon-ik, an adjutant of Park. Park rescued Yi and destroyed the General Sherman.

In 1872, Park Gyu-su was Joseon chief envoy to the court of the Tongzhi Emperor, offering congratulations.^[3]

Notes

References

• Daehwan, Noh. "The Eclectic Development of Neo-Confucianism and Statecraft from the 18th to the 19th Century," Korea Journal (Winter 2003).
• Kang, Jae-eun and Suzanne Lee. (2006). The Land of Scholars : Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism. Paramus, New Jersey: Homa & Sekey Books. 10-ISBN 1-931-90737-4/13-ISBN 978-1-931-90737-8; OCLC 60931394