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Po-eun Preface |
Po-Eun, also known as Mong Ju Chung, was a scholar, poet, and faithful public servant for the King during the Koryo Dynasty. At the age of 23, he took three different national qualifying examinations, which were used to select public servants, and received the highest scores on all three. He participated in various national projects because the king had much confidence in his wide knowledge and good judgment. From time to time, he also visited Japan and China as a diplomat for the king, and was most knowledgeable about human behavior. He also founded an institute devoted to the theories of Confucianism. He was a pioneer in the field of physics.
Jong Mong Ju held the highest civil post in Koryo. Ri Song Gye, the first King of the Ri Dynasty, tried to win him over to his side, but Jong refused to betray Koryo. After Ri Song Gye was injured after falling from his horse during hunting, Jong tried to have him killed but failed. Later Ri Song Gye invited Jong to his house trying to convince him again to betray his lord. However, Jong answered with a poem:
Even if, I may die, die a hundred times, Even if my skeleton may become dust and dirt, And whether my spirit may be there or not, My single-hearted loyalty to the lord will not change.
Then Ri Song Gye realized he could not convince Jong. On the night of April 4, 1392, he sent an assassin to Sonjuk Bridge who brutally killed Jong Mong Ju with an iron hammer. This well-known scholar advocated loyalty to the Koryo Dynasty against the usurpers. Sonjuk Bridge is located about 1 km east of Nam Gate, being situated at the south foot of Mt. Janam, which rises on the city centre. The small stone bridge dates from 1216. Later a bamboo grew up beside the bridge, and from that the bridge got his name. In 1780, the bridge was closed for all traffic and since then it is a monument.
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