Gongmin of Goryeo

King Gongmin (23 May 1330 27 October 1374) ruled Goryeo Dynasty Korea from 1351 until
1374. He was the second son ofKing Chungsuk. In addition to his various Korean names (see right),
he bore the Mongolian name Bayan Temr ().

Early life[edit]
Goryeo had been a protectorate of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty since the Mongol invasion of Korea.
Starting with King Chungnyeol, prospective rulers of Korea married Mongolian princesses and were
customarily sent to the Yuan Court, in effect, as hostages. As per this custom, King Gongmin spent
many years in the Yuan court, being sent there in 1341, before ascending the Korean throne. He
married a Mongolian princess who became Queen Noguk. The Yuan Dynasty began to crumble
during the mid-14th century, and was eventually conquered and replaced by the Ming dynasty in
1368.

Reign[edit]
With the disintegration of Yuan, which had influenced the Korean peninsula since the Mongol
invasions of Korea of 1238, Gongmin began efforts to reform Goryeo government. His first act was
to remove all pro-Mongol aristocrats and military officers from their positions. These deposed people
formed a dissident faction which plotted an unsuccessful coup against the king. High official Jo Ilshin even tried to take over the government, but this rebellion was put down by general Choi Young.
During the Mongol invasion of Korea, between the 1250s and the 1270s, the Mongolians had
annexed the northern provinces of Korea and incorporated them into their empire as Ssangseong
(, ) and Dongnyeong Prefectures (, ). In 1356, Goryeo army
retook these provinces partly thanks to the defection of Yi Ja-chun, a minor Korean official in service
of Mongolians in Ssangseong, and his son, Yi Seong-gye. In addition, Generals Yi Seong-gye and Ji
Yongsu led a campaign into Liaoyang.
Another issue was the question of land holdings. The land-grant system had broken down, and
Mongol-favoured officials, along with a handful of landed gentry, owned the vast majority of
agricultural land, which was worked by tenant farmers and bondsmen. However, King Gongmin's
attempt at land reform was met with opposition and subterfuge from those officials who were
supposed to implement his reforms, as they were landowners themselves.
The Wokou were also a problem encountered during Gongmin's reign. The Wokou had been
troubling the peninsula for some time and had become well-organized military marauders raiding

deep into the country, rather than the "hit-and-run" bandits they started as. Generals Choi
Young and Yi Seong-gye were called upon by Gongmin to combat them.
Additionally, Gongmin grappled with the Red Turban troops, who invaded Goryeo twice during his
reign (first in 1359 and again in 1361). In 1361, the Red Turban troops occupied Kaesong for a short
period of time. After Kaesong was recaptured by Generals Choe Yeong, Yi Seong-gye,Jeong
Seun, Yi Bang-sil, few Red Turban troops managed to escape with their lives.
During the reign of Gongmin, a Goryeo diplomat, Mun Ik-jeom, stationed in China managed to
smuggle cotton seeds into Goryeo, introducing them to the Korean peninsula for the first time.
Although the relationship between Queen Noguk and the king was very close, they failed to conceive
an heir for many years. Despite suggestions of taking a second wife, King Gongmin ignored these
requests. Queen Noguk became pregnant but died from complications with childbirth in 1365. Her
death led to Gongmin's depression and mental instability. King Gongmin became indifferent to
politics and entrusted the great tasks of state to Pyeonjo, a Buddhist monk who was born as the son
of a princess and a slave. Judging him as clever, Gongmin renamed Pyeonjo as Shin Don. Having
the full confidence of King Gongmin, Shin Don tried to reform the society of Goryeo. In 1365,
Gongmin gave Pyeonjo the nickname "Cheonghan Geosa", and the noble title
of Jinpyeonghu (Chinpyng Marquess). After six years, Shin Don lost his position and King Gongmin
had him executed in 1371.
Goryeo's entrenched bureaucracy never forgave King Gongmin for his reform efforts. They
interpreted his policy of cutting all ties with the Yuanand establishing relations with Ming China as a
direct threat to their status and feared that further attempts at reform might yet be made.Kaesong's
deposed pro-Mongol faction battled to protect its position and hoped to renew ties with the Mongols
who had helped them gain and hold their wealth in the first place.

Death[edit]
In 1374, he was killed by Choe Man-saeng () and others. One of the young men, Hong Ryun
() had relations with one of Gongmin's concubines, which led to Gongmin's anger. So before
Gongmin could kill him, Hong Ryun and Choe Man-saeng killed Gongmin in his sleep.
After his death, a high official Yi In-im assumed the helm of the government and enthroned elevenyear-old, King U.

Although he did not receive a temple name of a king, because the political situation of the time
following his death did not recognize him as such, he proclaimed himself king as a part of
reformations he undertook in order to reinstate Goryeo's position as an independent nation. [citation needed]

As An Artist[edit]
Yeon Je-shin's Portrait, painted by Gongmin around the 1370s.

King Gongmin was well known for his artistic skills, and he is referred to as one of the best artists of
the Goryeo period. He was also well known for his calligraphy works.
Example of his works are:

"Portrait of A Hunt in the Mountains of Heaven" ( Cheonsan

Daeryeop Do)

"Portrait of Two Sheep" ( I Yang Do)

"Portrait of Princess Noguk" ( Noguk Daejang Gongju

Jin)

"Portrait of Yeom Je-shin ( Yeom Je-shin Sang), 1370's

"Portrait of Sohn Hong-ryang" ( Sohn Hong-ryang Sang)

"Portrait of kyamuni's Leaving Mountain" ( Seokga Chulsan

Sang)

"Portrait of Epang Palace" ( Ahbanggung Do)

"Portrait of Hyeonreung" ( Hyeonreung Sansu Do)

"Portrait of Bodhidharma Crossing a River with a Broken Branch" (

Dalma Jeollo Dogang Do)

Dongjabohyeon Yugabaeksang Do ()

Family[edit]

Father: King Chungsuk ()

Mother: Queen Gongwon of the Namyang Hong clan ( , July 18, 1298
January 1380)[1]

Consorts and their Respective Issue:

1. Borjigin Budashiri, the Princess Noguk, posthumously known as Queen Indeok (
, ?-February 16, 1365)[2][3][4] - No issue, died in childbirth.
2. Consort Hye of the Gyeongju Lee clan ( , ?-February 3, 1408)[5][6][7][8] - No issue.
3. Consort Yik of the Han clan[9] ( , dates unknown)[10]
1. Lady Hong (, ?-1376) - daughter by Hong Ryun (), one of Gongmin's
pederastic bodyguards.
4. Consort Shin of the Seoheung Yeom clan ( , dates unknown)[7][11][12] - No issue.
5. Consort Jeong of the Jukju Ahn clan[13] ( , ?-1428 )[7][14][15][16] - No issue.
6. Palace Girl of the Han clan ( , dates unknown) - No issue.
7. Han Ban Ya (, ?-March 1376)[17]
1. Monino (/)