Haeju Seok clan (Korean해주 석씨; Hanja海州 石氏) is one of the Bon-gwan or clans in South Korea. Established in the 17th century following the Japanese invasions of Korea, the clan eventually wielded significant political and economic influence due to its strong power base and control of iron production.[1]

Haeju Seok clan
해주 석씨
CountryKorea
Current regionHaeju
FounderSeok Seong [ja]
MembersSeok Seong, Seok Dam

Currently, the Seok clan is concentrated in Haeju, Hwanghae Province. According to research conducted in 1985[citation needed], the number of Haeju Seok clan’s members was 2,664.[citation needed]

Origin edit

The Haeju Seok clan can be traced to Seok Seong, a Chinese from Dongming County in the Wei Commandery (around present-day Handan, Hebei, China). He was a jinshi in the Ming dynasty during the Jiajing Emperor’s reign. He then worked as minister of public works and minister of defense.[citation needed]

Seok Seong played a role in the Ming intervention during the Japanese invasions in spite of opposition, an act for which he was executed due to Ming's difficulty in financing such an intervention. His eldest son Seok Dam (Hanja: 石潭) and his wife both settled in Haeju following his will, which was drafted when he was in jail. Seok Dam became Prince of Suyang (Hanja: 首陽君) and established the Haeju Seok clan.[2][3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Yu, Hong-june (1999). Smiles of the Baby Buddha: Appreciating the Cultural Heritage of Kyongju. Gyeonggi-do: Changbi Publishers. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-8936470562.
  2. ^ Academy of Korean Studies 해주석씨 海州石氏. Academy of Korean Studies.
  3. ^ Jin Guanglin [in Japanese] (2014). "A Comparison of the Korean and Japanese Approaches to Foreign Family Names" (PDF). Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia. 5: 23 – via Society for Cultural Interaction in East Asia.

External links edit