Hapcheon Gunsu Ijeungyeong Yuae Stele

This stele was erected to commemorate the achievements of Ijeungyeong (?–1563), who once served as magistrate (gunsu) of Hapcheon. It was set up in 1559, the 14th year of King Myeongjong of Joseon; the inscription was composed by Nammyeong Jo Sik (1501–1572), and the calligraphy was written by Gosan Hwang Gi-ro (1521–1567). The stele measures 87 cm wide, 202 cm high and 17 cm thick, and the inscription is carved in 13 lines with an average of 25 characters per line. The inscription records that Ijeungyeong, who served as magistrate of Hapcheon from 1554 to 1558, cared for the people as his own children and provided relief during the severe famine of 1554, and that he conducted his official career with integrity. Ijeungyeong, the subject of this stele, passed the lower civil service examination (samasi) together with Hwang Gi-ro in 1534, the 29th year of King Jungjong of Joseon. He later served as tutor to King Myeongjong while Myeongjong was still a grand prince (daegun), and after Myeongjong's accession to the throne he entered official life, holding a succession of posts before serving as magistrate of Hapcheon. He died in 1563 while serving as magistrate (moksa) of Cheongju. Gosan Hwang Gi-ro was not only the foremost calligrapher of his day but was especially skilled in cursive script (choseo), earning him the epithet "Sage of Cursive Script" (choseong). Although several examples of his cursive script survive, this stele is the only complete work in standard script (haeseo) discovered to date. Moreover, since the author of the inscription, Nammyeong Jo Sik, lived his life according to the philosophy of gyeongui (reverence and righteousness), the content of the inscription is considered all the more reliable, adding further to its value.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hapcheon, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산