Ch'oe Ŭi

Ch'oe Ŭi (Korean: 최의; Hanja: 崔竩; 1233–1258) was the fourth and last Ch'oe dictator of the Ubong Ch'oe Military regime.

Ch'oe Ŭi 최의
Military Leader of Goryeo
In office 1257–1258
Monarch	Gojong of Goryeo
Preceded by	Ch'oe Hang
Succeeded by	Kim Chun
Personal details
Born	1233
Died	1258
Spouse	Lady Lee
Children	-
Parent	Ch'oe Hang (father)

Ch'oe Ŭi
Hangul	최의
Hanja	崔竩
Revised Romanization	Choe Ui
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'oe Ŭi

Biography

When he was born in 1233, his father was a monk. In 1257, Ch'oe Ŭi became military leader of Goryeo after his father's death. He was beautiful in appearance, quiet and shy, but in other sources, Ch'oe Ŭi was described as cowardly and obese. He learned poetry and writing. The Ch'oe regime ended, after Ch'oe Ŭi was assassinated by Kim Chun in order to take the power. His ancestors were all trained in the martial arts, but Ch'oe Ŭi did not, probably because by then, the Ch'oe family was very wealthy, and no fighting on the battlefields was necessary.

Ch'oe Ŭi was the last of the Ch'oe rulers that lasted 60 years, during which Goryeo could resist the Mongol invasions. In 1258, Kim Chun overthrew him. Other accounts claim that some troops were trying to push the heavy tyrant over the wall but were killed before they could do so because he was so fat. After the fall of the Ch'oe military regime, the Sambyeolcho, the private army of the Ch'oe family, separated from the Goryeo government and attempted to start its nation. Still, this rebellion was defeated by a Mongol-Goryeo army.

Family

• Father: Ch'oe Hang (최항; 1209 – 17 May 1257)
  • Grandfather: Ch'oe U (최우; 1166 – 10 December 1249)
  • Grandmother: Seo Ryeon-bang (서련방)
• Mother: Unnamed concubine
• Wives:
  • Lady Yi of the Inju Yi clan (부인 인주 이씨) – No issue.
  • Lady Sim Kyŏng (심경) – No issue.

In popular culture

• Portrayed by Baek Jong-Min in the 2012 MBC TV series God of War.

External links

• 최의 (in Korean). Doosan Encyclopedia.