Seong Sam-mun

Seong Sam-mun (1418 – 8 June 1456) was a scholar-official of early Joseon who rose to prominence in the court of King Sejong the Great (r. 1418–1450). He was executed after being implicated in a plot to dethrone King Sejo (r. 1455–1468) and restore his predecessor King Danjong (r. 1452–1455), and is known as one of the sayuksin (사육신, the six martyred ministers) with reference to this plot.

Biography
Sam-mun was born in Hongseong (then Hongju), South Chungcheong province to a yangban family of the Changnyeong Seong clan. He passed the lower examination at the regular triennial administration in 1438. He soon gained the favor of King Sejong, and was appointed to the Hall of Worthies. From 1442 to 1446, he cooperated with other members of that body to compose the Hunmin Jeongeum, in which the hangul alphabet was first presented to the world. The level of his involvement in the creation of the Korean alphabet Hangul (and that of other Hall of Worthies scholars) is disputed, although he and other scholars were sent on trips to consult with a Ming Chinese phoneticist several times, presumably because one of the first uses the new alphabet was put to was to transcribe the sounds of hanja, or Sino-Korean characters. In 1447, Sam-mun achieved the highest score on the higher literary examination.

In 1455, Prince Suyang (one of Sejong's sons) forced the young King Danjong, his nephew, to abdicate, taking the throne instead as King Sejo. Following secret orders from his father Seong Seung, Sam-mun along with Bak Jungrim, Bak Paengnyeon and others plotted to assassinate the new king and restore King Danjong to the throne. The plot was exposed and the plotters all arrested. Sam-mun and his father were executed along with other plotters. Before his execution, Sam-mun condemned the king as a pretender. The sayuksin and the saengyuksin (생육신, the six retainers who lived), who refused to accept King Sejo as the legitimate king, were praised by later generations for holding fast to the Confucian value of staying loyal to the true king.

Poems for his loyalty
He made several poems during imprisonment and before his execution. The following is his death poem.

擊鼓催人命 (격고최인명) -둥둥 북소리는 내 생명을 재촉하고,

回頭日欲斜 (회두일욕사) -머리를 돌여 보니 해는 서산으로 넘어 가려고 하는구나 黃泉無一店 (황천무일점) -황천으로 가는 길에는 주막조차 없다는데,

今夜宿誰家 (금야숙수가) -오늘밤은 뉘 집에서 잠을 자고 갈거나

As the sound of drum calls for my life,

I turn my head where the sun is about to set.

In the afterlife, there is not a single inn

This night, at whose house shall I rest ?

Another poem in prison written in sijo format

Another poem (using 7 words in each line)

Family

 * Father
 * Seong Seung (? – 8 June 1456)
 * Mother
 * Biological - Lady Park of the Juksan Park clan ; Seong Seung’s first wife
 * Grandfather - Park Cheom
 * Step - Lady Mi-chi ; became a slave of Yi Heung-sang, Prince Gyerim after husband’s death
 * Unnamed stepmother of commoner status
 * Siblings
 * Younger brother - Seong Sam-bing (?–1456)
 * Younger brother - Seong Sam-go (성삼고(成三顧; ?–1456)
 * Younger brother - Seong Sam-seong (?–1456)
 * Younger half-sister - Seong Seong-geum, Lady Seong; became a slave of Shin Suk-ju after her father’s death
 * Younger half-sister - Seong Ok-dong, Lady Seong; became a slave of Park Won-hyeong after her father’s death
 * Wives and their children
 * Lady Shin of the Ahju Shin clan — no issue.
 * Kim Cha-san, Lady Kim of the Yeonan Kim clan
 * Son - Seong Maeng-cheom (?–1456)
 * Daughter-in-law - Lady Hyeon-bi ; became a slave of Jeon Gyun
 * Son - Seong Maeng-nyeon (?–1456)
 * Granddaughter - Lady Seong
 * Grandson-in-law - Yu Jeub of the Munhwa Yu clan
 * Daughter - Seong Hyo-ok, Lady Seong; unmarried and became a slave
 * Daughter - Lady Seong (1439–1489)
 * Son-in-law - Park Rim-gyeong (1436–1485)
 * Grandson - Park Jeung (1461–1517)
 * Grandson - Park Ho (1466–1533)
 * Grandson - Park Han
 * Daughter - Lady Seong
 * Son-in-law - Eom Jeong-gu
 * Grandson - Eom Chan
 * Son - Seong Heon
 * Son - Seong Taek

In popular culture

 * Portrayed by Hyun Woo in the 2011 SBS TV series Deep Rooted Tree.