The Battle of Gwiju, which occurred in 1019, was the major battle during the
Third Goryeo–Khitan War (1018-1019), fought between the
Khitan-led
Liao dynasty
The Liao dynasty (; Khitan language, Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that exi ...
of China and the
Goryeo dynasty of Korea.
After crossing the
Aprok River, the Liao dynasty troops invaded the Goryeo dynasty. The Goryeo general
Gang Gam-chan
Gang Gam-chan (; 22 December 948 – 9 September 1031) was a medieval Korean government official and military commander during the early days of Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392). Even though he was a career scholar and government official, he is bes ...
dammed a stream and released it as the Liao troops were crossing. Despite suffering significant casualties, some Liao troops marched to
Gaegyeong
Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...
, the capital of Goryeo.
During their campaign, general Gang Gam-chan cut the supplies of the Liao troops and harassed them relentlessly. Exhausted, the Liao troops decided to retreat hastily northward. Monitoring the movement of their troops, general Gang Gam-chan attacked them in the vicinity of Gwiju, ending in a complete victory for the Goryeo dynasty.
Aftermath
After the battle, peace negotiations followed and the Liao dynasty did not invade Korea again.
Korea entered in a long and peaceful period with its foreign neighbours across the
Yalu River
The Yalu River, known by Koreans as the Amrok River or Amnok River, is a river on the border between North Korea and China. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between ...
. The victory at the Battle of Kuju is regarded as one of the three greatest military victories (other victories are
Battle of Salsu
The Battle of Salsu was a major battle that occurred in the year 612 during the second campaign of the Goguryeo–Sui War between Goguryeo of Korea and Sui of China. Goguryeo won an overwhelming victory over the numerically superior Sui force ...
and
Battle of Hansando
The Battle of Hansan Island and following engagement at Angolpo took place from 8 July 1592. In two naval encounters, Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin's fleet managed to destroy roughly 100 Japanese ships and halted Japanese naval operations along th ...
) in Korean history. It is said through texts in the ''
Goryeosa'' and ''Goryeo Dogyeong'' that tens of thousands of Liao soldiers held prisoners during the battle were relocated to Namgyeong, today's
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
, while some worked as engineers in the nation's silk industry and booming economy.
See also
*
Goryeo-Khitan Wars
*
First Goryeo-Khitan War
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
*
Second Goryeo-Khitan War
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
*
Third Goryeo-Khitan War
*
Gang Gam-chan
Gang Gam-chan (; 22 December 948 – 9 September 1031) was a medieval Korean government official and military commander during the early days of Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392). Even though he was a career scholar and government official, he is bes ...
*
Siege of Kusong
The siege of Kuju (Korean: 귀주성전투) which occurred in 1231 was a decisive Goryeo victory against the Mongol Empire. After the Mongol army crossed the Yalu river, it quickly captured almost all of Goryeo's border defenses. The Mongol ...
References
{{coord missing, North Korea
Guju
Guju
Goryeo
Khitan history
Kuju
History of North Pyongan Province
Kuju
11th century in Korea
1019 in Asia