O Yun-gyeom
Quick Facts
Biography
O Yun-gyeom (1559-1636) was a scholar-official and Prime Minister of the Joseon Dynasty Korea.
He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 2nd Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.
1617 mission to Japan
O Yun-gyeom was the leader selected by the Gwanghaegun of Joseon to head a mission to Japan in 1617. The diplomatic mission functioned to the advantage of both the Japanese and the Koreans as a channel for developing a political foundation for trade.
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."
The Joseon monarch's ambassador and retinue traveled only as far as Kyoto, where the delegation was received by Shogun Hidetada at Fushimi Castle.