Quick Facts
Biography
Yeo U-gil (1567-1632) was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea.
He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 1st Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.
1607 mission to Japan
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. The diplomatic mission functioned to the advantage of both the Japanese and the Koreans as a channel for maintaining 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."
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. In 1607, Yeo U-gil was the main envoy and Kyŏng Sŏn was the vice-ambassador.