Gang Hongrip (1560 – 6 September 1627) was a

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic of ...

n general during the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

. Under repeated requests from

Ming China The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...

Gwanghaegun Gwanghae-gun or Prince Gwanghae (4 June 1575 – 7 August 1641), personal name Yi Hon (Hangul: 이혼, Hanja: 李琿), was the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. As he was deposed in a coup d'état, he did not receive a temple name. ...

commanded Gang Hongrip to help Ming forces with ten thousand soldiers against the

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

s in 1619. However, Ming armies were crushed in the

Battle of Sarhū The Battle of Sarhū (薩爾滸之戰; 萨尔浒之战; ''Sà'ěrhǔ zhī zhàn'') refers to a series of battles between the Later Jin dynasty (the predecessor of the Qing dynasty) and the Ming dynasty and their Joseon allies in the winter of 1 ...

. The Korean army under command of Liu Ting lost two-thirds of his troops at Fuca and surrendered to

Nurhaci Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing (), was a Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late 16th century in Manchuria. A member of the House of Aisin-Gioro, he reigned ...

. Official Korean records say that Gwanghaegun had ordered a betrayal to Nurhaci, but it is suspected to be a defamation by the Westerners faction, who deposed the king. In 1620 almost all Korean captives were released but Gang Hongrip, who had good command of the

Manchu language Manchu (Manchu:, ) is a critically endangered East Asian Tungusic language native to the historical region of Manchuria in Northeast China. As the traditional native language of the Manchus, it was one of the official languages of the Qing dyn ...

, was still kept. Frustrated with unsatisfactory reward for the coup which deposed Gwanghaegun, Yi Gwal rebelled against King Injo in 1624. He temporarily occupied

Hanseong 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 ...

(modern-day

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 ...

), but was eventually crushed. Yi Gwal was then executed by his own soldiers. Han Myeong-nyeon, an accomplice of Yi Gwal, was also killed, but his son

Han Yun Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

fled to the Later Jin (Manchus). Gang Hongrip fell for Han Yun's trick and wrongly believed that his family was all killed by the Joseon government. To get his revenge on Korea, he urged the Manchus to defeat the Joseon dynasty. In 1627 he guided the Later Jin army led by Amin to Hanseong and as a Manchu delegate he negotiated for a truce with Korea. Then he discovered that he was deceived about his family being killed and suffered a heartbreak. He was branded as a traitor and deprived of his official rank. He was rehabilitated after his death.

Family

Parents *Father: Gang Shin (강신) *Mother: Lady Jeong, of the Dongrae Jeong clan (본관: 동래정씨), Jeong Gwang-pil's great-granddaughter (정광필) and Jeong Yu-ui's daughter (정유의) Wives and issues: *Lady Hwang, of the Hwang clan (우주황씨), Hwang Heon's great-granddaughter (황헌) and Hwang Yi-hyeong's daughter (황이형) **Gang Suk (강숙), first son **Gang Won (강원), second son **Gang Chan (강찬), third son **Lady Gang, of the Jinju Gang clan (진주 강씨), first daughter ***Son-in-law: Yun Gam (윤감) **Lady Gang, of the Jinju Gang clan (진주 강씨), second daughter **Lady Gang, of the Jinju Gang clan (진주 강씨), third daughter ***Son-in-law: Yi Hyun-dal (이현달)

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Ahn Dae-yong in the 1995

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

TV Series ''

West Palace ''West Palace'' () is a 1995 South Korean television series starring Lee Young-ae, Kim Kyu-chul and Lee Bo-hee. It aired on KBS2 from July 7 to December 26, 1995, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:40 for 52 episodes. Synopsis The series is based on th ...

''.

Family

In popular culture

See also