Yi Yulgok

Yi I, also known as Yulgok, was a prominent Korean scholar during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). He was a leading figure in Neo-Confucianism, a philosophical and ethical system that became the dominant ideology of the era. Yulgok, along with Yi Hwang (Toegye), developed distinct theories of the universe that led to rival schools of thought within Neo-Confucianism. He was educated in private academies known as seowon, which produced many eminent scholars. The Joseon dynasty officially adopted Confucianism, establishing institutions of learning and a society dominated by the yangban aristocratic class, who devoted themselves to Neo-Confucian studies.12