Sejo of Joseon

King Sejo of Joseon(1417~1468, r.1455~1468) was the seventh king of Joseon Dynasty of Korea. Born in 1417 as Yi Yu, King Sejong the Great's second son, he showed a great ability on archery, horseriding and martial arts. He was also a briliant military commander, though he never went to the battlefront himself. He became Grand Prince Suyang in 1428, the name which he was better known.

Following King Sejong's death, Suyang's ill brother, Munjong took the throne but soon died. The crown passed to his 12-year-old son, Danjong. The new king was too young to rule the nation, and all political process was operated by then-premier Hwangbo In and General Kim Jongseo, who was vice premier. As Kim Jongseo and his faction used the chance to extend the power of court officials against many of royal family members, the tension between Kim and Suyang greatly increased; not only Suyang himself, but his younger brother-Grand Prince Anpyong-also was seeking his opportunity to take the power of the kingdom.

Suyang gathered several people, including his famous adviser Han Myung-Hoi. Han advised Suyang to take the power of the government by a coup, and in October 1453, he launched a coup, killing Kim Jongseo and his faction, thus taking the power of the government. After the coup, he arrested his brother Anpyong, first sending him into exile then put him to death, and finally in 1455, he forced the powerless young nephew to abdicate and became the seventh king of the dynasty. Later he demoted Danjong to Prince and ordered to poison him, after his younger brother-Grand Prince Geumsung-and later six scholars plotted to remove the king from power and bring Danjong back to the palace.

Even though he snatched the throne from his young nephew, and killed many people to become a king, he was certainly one of the best monarch and administrator in Korean history. First, he strengthened the absolute monarchy that was created by Taejong, by weakening the power of prime minister and bringing the staff directly under king's control. Also he strengthened the social security system, also had been introduced by Taejong during his rule, to find exact population and to mobilize troops effectively. Just like Taejong, he was hardliner on foreign policy, attacking Jurchens on the northern front in 1460 and 1467. He also revised the land ordinance to improve the national economy. He excuted scholars from King Sejong's era for plotting against him, but encouraged publishing, including several history/economy/agricultural/religious books, and the most important, the constitution and law of the dynasty. He died in 1468, and the throne passed to his weak son, Yejong.