Yi Ch'ae (born 1745)

Yi Ch'ae (1745 – 1820) was a Korean civil official who served the Joseon dynasty during the reigns of King Jeongjo and Sunjo.

Biography
Yi Ch'ae was born on 1745 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, as the son of censor-general Yi Che-wŏn, of the Ubong Yi clan, and his wife, Lady Hong. His grandfather was Yi Chae. His family background belonged to the Noron political faction. His art name was Hwach'ŏn and his courtesy name was Kyeryang.

In 1774, Yi Ch'ae would pass the literary licentiate examination, and in the following year, he would be appointed to his first government post of assistant caretaker of the Hwiryŏngjŏn. He would then go on to serve various positions, such as assistant section chief of the Ministry of Taxation, an inspector from the Office of the Inspector-General , section chief of the Ministry of Taxation , and recorder of the Royal House Administration. By 1780, he was the magistrate of Eumjuk-hyeon. Due to false allegations against him, he was dismissed from his government post.

In 1790, he was able to serve the government once more, being appointed as the magistrate of Jirye-hyeon (in modern-day Gimcheon). When he arrived at Jirye, the flooded Gamcheon river had just damaged the local area. Yi built a dyke to prevent further flooding and to aid the local farmers. In 1800, when King Sunjo ascended to the throne, he was appointed as a guard in the Standby Guard for Heir Apparent. His final posts in the government would be the deputy minister of the Ministry of Taxation and the second magistrate of Hanseong. Yi Ch'ae died in 1820, and was buried in Chungju. He was given the posthumous name, Mungyŏng. In 1886, his great-grandson, Yi Ho-ik would publish his great-grandfather's collected works in the Hwach'ŏnjib.