Choi-Hyun (1563-1640) is bureaucrat literati who lived in mid-Joseon dynasty in the 16th and 17th centuries. He directly experienced Imjin-War (Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592) & Byongja War (Chong State's invasion of Korea 1636-1637). Thereby the last part of his life was poured out to overcome trauma & aftereffect of two wars. For the first time, his name became widely known in literature area for Myongwol-Eum, Yongsa-Eum, and Geumsaeng-Emunrog.
Of which, Injo-sillog (*authentic record) said about him that "ex-magistrate, Choi-Hyun who is well known for 'elegance' in Kyongsang province, finally passed away. After anti-government strike, he got through as a high bureaucrat, in the midst of Lee In-Geo's resistance movement he arrested and died." The word 'elegance' in the context of Kyongsang province surely is to mean a gentle, polite, and man of calm character.
So, Choi-Hyun seen by Sakwan was a typical scholar of Haepyong, Kyongsang province. And he got through high position, Chon-Hyun, in central bureaucrat after Injo anti-government strike. When he served local governor of Kangwon province, Ikchan Lee In-Geo as a general of volunteer army enlisted troops and conquered Hoengsung area.
But not before long he as a local governor got involved in political issue, ended up with unhappy ending. In spite of unhappy ending, most of his life as a bureaucrat is capable enough to read mind of the public & political relevance of the contemporary. In this context, if we understand the historical setting of his works, we then can also find some agony that lied in the contemporary intellectuals who tried to overcome trauma of two major civil wars. The main purpose of this paper is also designed carefully to examine what he has worried for aftereffect of two wars. Researches about him are newly emerging recent days. Most of them are focusing on overview of his poem world, political thought, and sometimes realistic criticism. On these established data, we might be able to depict overall sketch of his literature world. But, generally speaking, any report that dealt with his poem & thought in collective viewpoints is not easily to be found. For this reason, this study tried to examine his literature world with special reference to his 'patriotism', 'love our race spirit', thereby to look into his 'agony' presented in his Chinese poetry that depicted post-war trauma.
He as a life-long bureaucrat with abundant experiences wanted to pour out all his energy on political area delivering special letter to the King in his literature talent. Consequently, from this survey, we can find that how a gentle scholar of Kyongsang province wisely coped with such a historical crisis. As one of the bureaucrat literati, he & his works are rooted well in Korean literature history, on this fact we dare to give him a significant position in Chinese literature history especially in Kyongsang province. Historical significance of this paper is to close up his literary feature primarily through analysis of his Chinese poems.
The eminent feature of his literature is two: one is that he as a bureaucrat literati depicted human experiences well to give a form especially under Imjin War; the other is that he affirmed reasonable literature, and apply it into real political world. Delivering a letter to the King named 'Jungron-sanmoon ' is a good example of it.