???: Was Yi Sun-sin's family a traitorous clan?

This is Yi Sun-sin's grandfather. In the drama <Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin>, he is depicted as receiving a royal decree to commit suicide (poison) after being implicated in the Gimyo Sahwa (Literati Purge of 1519).

Yi Jeong, the father of Yi Sun-sin.

He is portrayed as being accused of treason while performing ancestral rites for Jo Gwang-jo and suffering torture; subsequently, he hates corrupt politics and adamantly opposes his children entering government service.

The movie <Heaven's Soldiers> makes a similar historical error.

Major Park Jung-woo tells Sergeant First Class Won Hoon that Yi Sun-sin's grandfather was implicated in the Gimyo Sahwa, causing the entire family to be treated as traitors. He claims that because of this, the father lived as an unemployed man his whole life, and Yi Sun-sin himself only realized at age 18 that he was ineligible to take the civil service exam.

Dramas and movies often portray Yi Sun-sin's family as being unfairly branded as traitors and living as "dirt spoons" (born into poverty).

To get straight to the point: Yi Sun-sin's family were not traitors, nor were they an ordinary family—they were actually a very prestigious clan.

His great-great-grandfather, Yi Byeon, and great-grandfather, Yi Geo, both passed the civil service exam and raised the family's status. In particular, Yi Geo served as a tutor to the Crown Prince (Yeonsangun) in the 25th year of King Seongjong's reign (1494).

In other words, Yi Sun-sin's great-grandfather was a teacher to the King.

Furthermore, there is no record of Yi Baek-rok receiving a royal decree to commit suicide during the Gimyo Sahwa; rather, he maintained his official position.

If he had died by poison in 1519 when the Gimyo Sahwa occurred, he wouldn't appear in the Annals of King Jungjong in 1540, which states: "...(omitted) Yi Baek-rok, an official of the Pyeongsi-seo, is naturally arrogant and spends his days associating with ruffians, drinking recklessly, and causing many disturbances with his insolent behavior, so please dismiss him from office!"

Of course, there are records that Yi Baek-rok respected Jo Gwang-jo and was close to his faction, so it is true that he was caught up in the Gimyo Sahwa and punished, but that does not make him a traitor. There isn't even a record of him becoming an enemy of the Hungu faction that removed Jo Gwang-jo.

However, it is likely that the family's influence declined following the Gimyo Sahwa. Much like how people today go into self-reflection after losing a political battle.

Seeing as Yi Sun-sin's father did not hold office, and there are no records of his uncles (Yi Hyeon and Yi Gwi) or his brothers (Yi Hee-sin, Yi Yo-sin, and Yi Woo-sin) holding high-ranking positions, it seems they may have faced some disadvantages.

*Summary*

1. Yi Sun-sin's family was never treated as traitors. (If they were, three generations of the family would have been executed, or survivors would have become low-born commoners).

2. Yi Sun-sin's family was actually "gold spoon" level for generations.

3. In the first year of King Seonjo's reign, Jo Gwang-jo was exonerated, enshrined in the Confucian shrine, and posthumously promoted to Chief State Councilor, meaning the family actually benefited from the restoration of his honor.

Cheers

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Source: https://www.fmkorea.com/best/9847268557