Yeonggwang Yi Ran Tombstone

This tombstone stands at the entrance to the grave of Yi Ran (1582-1638), who was active during the Jeongmyo War, the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, in the Joseon period. In 1628 (the sixth year of King Injo), the year after the Jeongmyo War, Yi Ran was appointed Chunsinsa, a goodwill envoy, and travelled to Qing China, where he worked strenuously to bring the conflict to a close. During the mission he refused to yield to an interpreter's false accusations and the threats of a barbarian general, and after suffering severe hardship he was condemned and put to an unjust death. Through the pleas of Kim Sang-heon and others, he was restored to office posthumously by special order in 1639 (the seventeenth year of King Injo). The tombstone itself was erected in 1710 (the thirty-sixth year of King Sukjong). The epitaph was composed and written in seal script by Choe Seok-jeong (1646-1715), while the main inscription was written by Nam Gu-man (1629-1711). The tombstone of Yi Ran, as an epigraphic record, is one of the principal sources for research into the political history of the Later Jin invasion period. Although rooted in conflict between political factions, it is especially notable as a record of an incident in which friction among members of a diplomatic mission developed into a false accusation. The fact that the composer, the seal-script writer and the calligrapher of the memorial stone were all among the most eminent figures of their era also gives it a certain heritage value as an inscription.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeonggwang, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료