Yi Hwang

Yi Hwang (* 1501, † 1570) was Korean philosopher and writer at the time of the Joseon Dynasty, Yi besides I probably the greatest Confucian thinker in Korea. It is often called him with his nickname Yi Toi - gye ( 이퇴계 [it øgje ʰ ] ).

Yi Hwang is pictured on the front of the South Korean 1,000 won note

His philosophy

He was a scholar of the so-called Neo-Confucianism. This then new direction of Confucianism deals with two principles, the principles of order Li and the invisible energy of the world qi. From these two principles a practical morality is derived.