Yi Jun-min

Yi Jun-min (12th of June, 1732 - 14th of December, 1821) was a Buyeoin statesman and soldier who served as the first Chancellor of the Commonwealth from 1783 to 1789 and was one of the founders of the Commonwealth. He served as Supreme Commander of the Commonwealth Army during the Buyeoin Revolutionary War, and later presided over the 1782 Convention that drafted the Commonwealth Constitution. He is popularly considered the driving force behind the nation's establishment and came to be known as the "Father of Modern Buyeo," both during his lifetime and to this day.

Yi Jun-min was widely admired for his strong leadership qualities and was unanimously elected Chancellor by the Federal Assembly for six years. He oversaw the creation of a strong, well-financed national government that established a strong defence in the borders and won acceptance among Buyeoins of all types. Yi's incumbency established many precedents still in use today, such as the cabinet system and the inaugural address. His retirement from office after three terms established a tradition that lasted until 1940 when Yi Seung-ryong won an unprecedented fourth term.

He was born in Colonial Taegun to a prominent merchant family who controlled much of the shipping path from Taegun to Nochtlico. In his youth, he became a senior officer in the colonial militia during various colonial and native conflicts in the mid 18th century. In 1775, the First Provisional Assembly commissioned him as Supreme Commander of the Commonwealth Army in the Buyeo Revolution. In that command, Yi forced the Jeongmians out of Ganghae in 1776 but was defeated and nearly captured later that year when he lost Asadal.

After crossing the Gungnae River in the middle of winter, he defeated the Jeongmians in two battles (Cheongu and Donghwa), retook Habaek, and restored popular support for independence. His strategy enabled Commonwealth forces to capture two major Jeongmian armies at Misang in 1777 and Daum in 1779. Historians laud Yi Jun-min for the selection and supervision of his generals; preservation and command of the army; coordination with the Assembly, state governors, and their militia; and attention to supplies, logistics, and training. In battle, however, Yi Jun-min was repeatedly outmaneuvered by Jeongmian generals with larger armies.

After victory had been finalized in 1780, Yi resigned as Supreme Commander rather than seize power and was one of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1782, which devised a new form of federal government for the Commonwealth. Due to his popular support, he was elected by the Federal Assembly to be Chancellor. Following his ascension to the position of Chancellor in 1783, he worked to unify rival factions in the fledgling nation. He supported Baek Ki-nam's programs to satisfy all debts, federal and state, established a permanent seat of government, implemented an effective tax system, and created a national bank. In avoiding war with Imperial Jeongmi, he guaranteed a decade of peace and profitable trade by securing the Asadal Treaty in 1786, despite intense opposition from the Nationalist Party. He remained non-partisan, never joining the Republican Party, although he largely supported its policies. He retired from the politics in 1789, returning to his home in Giju for the ret of his life.

Upon his death, Yi Jun-min was eulogized as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen" by Representative Jun Chong-ho of Taegun. He was revered in life and in death; scholarly and public polling consistently ranks him among the top three chancellors in Buyeoin history. He has been depicted and remembered in monuments, public works, currency, and other dedications to the present day.

Early Life (1732 - 1758)
Yi was born in Giju, Taegun Colony in 1732. His family was part of the Giju Yi clan, a prominent shipping company in Taegun. His great-grandfather, Yi Jung-su, retired from politics in Jeongmi and settled to Taegun. His grandfather, Yi Song-hun, established a trading company to Nochtlico and grew wealthy from the large amount of trade, creating a generation of prominent merchants in Giju. Growing up, Yi worked in the family business, eventually being the one who would inherit the property while his older brother, Yi Geumhwa, studied for the civil service exam.