Ch'oe U, known as Ch'oe I, was a military ruler and official during the later Goryeo period, serving in various positions such as Assistant Executive in Political Affairs, the minister of personnel and war, and Censorate superintendent.
48 Facts About Ch'oe U
1.
2.
Ch'oe U was the eldest son of Ch'oe Ch'ung-hon, who founded the Ch'oe military regime.
3.
Ch'oe U was born to the first wife, Lady Song, the daughter of general Song Ch'ong.
4.
Ch'oe U's full brother, Ch'oe Hyang, was a rival for succession but was suppressed throughout Ch'oe U's rule and eventually eliminated in 1230 after a failed rebellion.
5.
The exact year of Ch'oe U's birth is not recorded, but given that Ch'oe Ch'ung-hon was born in 1149, Ch'oe U was likely born around the time of the military coup in 1170.
6.
Ch'oe U first appears in historical documents in 1202 when a rebellion broke out in Gyeongju, and Ch'oe Ch'ung-hon and Ch'oe U inspected the departing troops.
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Ch'oe U did not engage in any significant political activities during this time.
8.
However, as Ch'oe Ch'ung-hon's power solidified, Ch'oe U commanded many private soldiers.
9.
Ch'oe U's soldiers practiced combat with flags and drums from Seonjukkyo to Sunginmun when the Khitans invaded, indicating his preparedness to maintain power.
10.
Ch'oe U was regarded as one of the finest calligraphers in Korea of his time.
11.
King Huijong even requested Ch'oe U to write the screen texts for Seongyeongjeon and Daegwanjeon, where envoys from the Jin dynasty were received.
12.
Ch'oe U had already designated his eldest son, Ch'oe U, as his successor.
13.
However, Ch'oe U, heeding his father's warning, did not appear.
14.
Ch'oe U exiled the other three conspirators and killed Ch'oe Chun-mun during his exile.
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Ch'oe U first presented the gold, silver, and precious items accumulated by his father to the king.
16.
Ch'oe U returned the lands and enslaved people seized by force to their original owners, garnering public support.
17.
When Ch'oe U ascended to power in 1219, his official position was merely a vice commissioner of the Security Council.
18.
Ch'oe U concurrently held third-rank positions in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, as well as the superintendent of the Censorate, which was responsible for the inspection of officials.
19.
Ch'oe U inherited and expanded his father's tobang, reorganizing it into the Inner and Outer tobang.
20.
Ch'oe U often watched his Tobang and Mabyeolcho play polo there for five to six days while hosting banquets for officials and elders.
21.
The Mabeolcho was a cavalry unit created by Ch'oe U that served as the Ch'oe family's private guards and ceremonial troops.
22.
Ch'oe U organized the Yabyeolcho to patrol at night and suppress thieves.
23.
Ch'oe U was posthumously honored as Byeonhan Gukdaebuin and given the posthumous title Gyeonghye.
24.
Ch'oe U then moved his household goods and the Directorate-General for Policy Formulation to Ganghwa using 100 carts and helped the people of Gaeseong flee to Ganghwa.
25.
Ch'oe U relocated the people of various provinces to mountain fortresses and islands, ultimately persuading the king to relocate the capital.
26.
Ch'oe U established a fief for him, building a private estate and planting pines and cypresses over several miles.
27.
Ch'oe U used his private funds to initiate the second carving of the Tripitaka Koreana after its destruction in Ganghwa, completed in 1251, two years after his death.
28.
Ch'oe U had three primary wives, but none bore him sons.
29.
Ch'oe U's two sons were born to his concubine, Seo Ryeonbang.
30.
Ch'oe U did not consider these sons suitable as successors.
31.
However, jealousy from his wife over his interactions with other women led to a complaint to her father, Ch'oe U, resulting in Kim Yak-son's elimination.
32.
Moved, Ch'oe U reinstated Ch'oe Manjeon, renaming him Ch'oe Hang, and had him study the rites.
33.
In 1248, a year before his death, Ch'oe U strengthened Ch'oe Hang's position by appointing him as the Left and Right Guards Commander and Minister of Revenue and gave him 500 of his private soldiers.
34.
Ch'oe U was the first person to inherit the position of ruler within the Ch'oe military regime, approximately 50 years after its establishment.
35.
Unlike others who wielded power but lived in constant fear and rarely enjoyed their entire lifespan, Ch'oe U began his era on the solid foundation laid by his father, Ch'oe Ch'ung-hon.
36.
An astrologer, Chu Yon-ji, discreetly told him that the current king was destined to lose the throne while Ch'oe U was destined to become king.
37.
Ch'oe U confided this prediction to his close aide Kim Hui-je to gauge his reaction, but he became furious when it was met with indifference.
38.
Ch'oe U sometimes used his wealth for public works, such as repairing the outer walls of Gaegyeong or donating rice to the Yanghyeon Foundation.
39.
Ch'oe U held the second rank post of Assistant Executive in Political Affairs only a year after seizing power.
40.
Chamber of Scholarly Advisors was a group of literati established at Ch'oe U's residence, divided into three shifts to serve continuously.
41.
Ch'oe U decorated the area with giant ice sculptures shaped like mountains, surrounded by silver and mother-of-pearl decorations.
42.
Ch'oe U was honored as a loyalist for relocating the capital and was depicted in the Gongsindang Hall of Merit.
43.
Ch'oe U's titles were extensive, as recorded in the epitaph of his son and successor, Ch'oe Hang.
44.
Ch'oe U held 26 official titles, including Grand Master of the Palace with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon, acting grand preceptor, Kaebu uidong samsa, secretariat director, supreme pillar of state, supreme general, prime historiographer, superintendent of the Censorate, Jin Yang-gun Gae-guk-gong, and others.
45.
Ch'oe U was granted fiefs of 3,000 households and a food stipend for 1,000 families.
46.
Ch'oe U held the highest ranks in civil and military positions and received the posthumous title of Gwangyeol-gong.
47.
King Gojong promptly appointed Ch'oe U Hang to high offices similar to those initially held by his father and soon after made him special commissioner of the Directorate-General for Policy Formulation, formalizing his rule.
48.
Ch'oe U Hang ruled for eight years, dying in 1257 at 49.