Yeo U-gil | |
Hangul | 여우길 |
---|---|
Hanja | 呂祐吉 |
Revised Romanization | Yeo U-gil |
McCune–Reischauer | Yŏ U-gil |
Yeo U-gil (Korean: 여우길; Hanja: 呂祐吉; 1567–1632) was a Korean scholar-official of the Joseon period.
He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 1st Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.[1]
This embassy represented King Seonjo of Joseon, traveling to Edo for an audience with Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada; and Yeo U-gil was the chief Joseon envoy.[2] The diplomatic mission functioned to the advantage of both the Japanese and the Koreans as a channel for maintaining a political foundation for trade.[3]
This delegation was explicitly identified by the Joseon court as a "Reply and Prisoner Repatriation Envoy" (회답겸쇄환사; 回答兼刷還使). The mission was not understood to signify that relations were "normalized."[4]
A diplomatic mission conventionally consisted of three envoys—the main envoy, the vice-envoy, and a document official. Also included were one or more official writers or recorders who created a detailed account of the mission.[5] In 1607, Yeo U-gil was the main envoy and Kyŏng Sŏn was the vice-ambassador.[6]