Gwon Yul (; December 28, 1537 - July 6, 1599) was a Korean

Army General Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System.　 In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of general commanding an army in the field, but in coun ...

and the Commander-in-chief (도원수; 導元帥) of 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 ...

, who successfully led the Korean forces against Japan during the

Japanese invasions of Korea Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

(임진왜란). He is best known for the

Battle of Haengju The Battle of Haengju took place on 14 March 1593 during the 1592–1598 Japanese invasion of Korea. The Japanese attack failed to overcome Haengju fortress. Background Gwon Yul was stationed at the fortress of Haengju, a wooden stockade o ...

(행주대첩; 幸州大捷) where he defeated an attacking force of about 30,000 Japanese with 2,800 troops. After the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, Yi Gwang-gwan and Kwokyeong, a North Korean patrol in Jeolla Province, joined the army of some 40,000 people. After that, he was stationed in Namwon, where he collected more than 1,000 volunteer soldiers and was promoted to a small division of Dakage, Kobayakawa, Japan. In addition, during the North Korean invasion, Dongwangsansan Fortress in Suwon was located, and a strong position was built, but the army was engaged in a war of land and a war of guerrilla fighters. In 1593, he divided his forces and ordered SeonguI, the deputy commander, to take the army to the Gimchusan Mountain, and then cross the Han River with 2,800 soldiers. He was dismissed for summary disposal of a police sergeant after earning his degree in the field, but was re-appointed as a judge of the Han family and was appointed as a police officer in 1596. When Jeong Yu-jaran broke out in 1597, he was forced to leave Ulsan with the emperor of Ming to block the enemy's north, but suddenly he retired as the commander of the Ming Dynasty. Afterwards, he attempted to attack the Japanese troops stationed in Yegyo Bridge in Suncheon, but failed due to the uncooperative efforts of the Ming Dynasty men who were reluctant to expand the war. He was a general who conducted the military for seven years during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592, and earned a major in history along with Admiral Yi Sun-shin of the sea. In 1599, he resigned his office due to old age and returned to his hometown. He was awarded the title of Prime Minister, first rank in 1604 (King Seonjo 37), and was designated as Yeongna County, and was named Chungjangsa.

Early life

Gwon Yul hailed from the prestigious Gwon clan of

Andong Andong () is a city in South Korea, and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 as of October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city. Andong is a ...

(안동권씨; 安東權氏); his father, Gwon Cheol (권철), was the

Yeonguijeong ''Yeonguijeong'' () was a title created in 1400, during the Joseon Kingdom and the Korean Empire times (1392–1910) and given to the Chief State Councillor as the highest government position of " Uijeongbu" (State Council). Existing for over 5 ...

(영의정, 領議政), which was the equivalent of

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

in the Korean court. However, Gwon did not begin his political or military career until he was 46. In 1582, he was first appointed a position in the Korean government and promoted to several different positions including the mayor of

Uiju Ŭiju County is a kun, or county, in North Pyongan Province, North Korea. The county has an area of 420 km², and a population of 110,018 (2008 data). Name Ŭiju appears as Uiju in South Korea's Revised Romanization and as Yizhou in Chinese ...

(의주) in 1591.

During Japanese invasions of Korea

When the Japanese forces invaded Korea in 1592, Gwon was appointed the mayor of

Gwangju Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial offic ...

(광주; 光州),

Jeolla Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in today Southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju Metropolitan City as w ...

province (전라도) and given the military command of the region. Gwon and his troops followed his commander Yi Gwang and headed towards

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

to join the main force. However, Yi was eventually defeated by Japanese at

Yongin Yongin () is a city in the Seoul Capital Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the cou ...

(용인). Gwon managed to retreat back to Gwangju, and gathered around 1,000

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

Battle of Ichi

When Japanese troops at

Geumsan Geumsan County (''Geumsan-gun''; Korean: 금산군) is a county in South Chungcheong Province (Before 1963, Geumsan was in Jeollabuk-do), South Korea. History Administrative district name, Geumsan-gun, have nowadays was originate from the union of ...

(금산), Jeolla province began to move to

Jeonju Jeonju () is the 16th largest city in South Korea and the capital of North Jeolla Province. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many residents who work in Jeonj ...

(전주), Gwon moved his army to Ichi (배고개, 이치; 梨峙), a gateway to Jeonju. Ten thousand Japanese troops under

Kobayakawa Takakage was a samurai and daimyō (feudal lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of the Ko ...

(小早川隆景) attacked Ichi. About 1,000 of Gwon's men fought and won the battle. Gwon supervised his unit by executing deserters personally, and his vanguard commander Hwang Jin (황진; 黃進) kept fighting despite a gunshot injury. The battle resulted in the recapture of the Jeolla province.

Siege of Doksan

The Joseon Government recognized Gwon's heroics, and named him the new

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the Jeolla province in the following year. Gwon then led an army of 10,000 to

Gyeonggi Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

to recapture Seoul once more, where he was joined by local militia and monks, which enabled Gwon to gather up to 20,000 men. Gwon's troops were stationed in Doksan Fortress (독산성; 禿山城) near

Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a popul ...

(수원). Japanese forces led by

Ukita Hideie was the ''daimyō'' of Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces (modern Okayama Prefecture), and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Son of Ukita Naoie, he married Gōhime, a daughter of Maeda Toshiie. Having fought ag ...

(宇喜多秀家) laid siege to the fort for one month, and Gwon's army was running out of water supplies. One day, Gwon ordered several war horses to be brought on the fort wall and washed with grains of rice. From a distance, it looked like the horses were bathed with plenty of water. The Japanese, who were waiting for the fort's water supply to run out, lost their spirits and retreated to Seoul. Gwon chased the retreating Japanese, inflicting casualties of over 3,000 men. After the war, the king

Seonjo Seonjo of Joseon (26 November 1552 – 16 March 1608) was the fourteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1567 to 1608. He was known for encouraging Confucianism and renovating state affairs at the beginning of his reign. However, politi ...

built a monument on the top of Doksan named Semadae (세마대; 洗馬臺), "the place where horses were washed", as a tribute to Gwon. After the battle, the Joseon government ordered Gwon to march northward and combat the Japanese in Seoul.

Battle of Haengju

Gwon and his men set up camp in the run-down fortress of Haengju (행주산성; 幸州山城) near Seoul. Although his forces were joined by local militias led by Gim Chun-il and monk soldiers led by Cheo Yung, his entire unit in Haengju was no more than 2,800 men. Threatened by this action, Japanese commanders

Katō Kiyomasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. His court title was Higo-no-kami. His name as a child was ''Yashamaru'', and first name was ''Toranosuke''. He was one of Hideyoshi's Seven Spears of Shizugatake. Biography ...

(加藤清正) and

, attacked Haengju fortress with 30,000 men, trying to finish off Gwon's troops once and for all. Ukita, who never led the attack in the frontline directly, led the Japanese toward the fortress. The Battle of Haengju commenced early in the morning of 12 February 1593. Japanese troops under Kato and Ukita, armed with muskets, surrounded the fortress and launched several massive attacks. However, Gwon's forces and the civilians at the fortress resisted heavily, throwing rocks, arrows, iron pellets, burning oil and molten iron at the Japanese. Korean anti-personnel gunpowder weapons called

hwacha The ''hwacha'' or ''hwach'a'' ( ko, 화차; Hanja: ; literally "fire cart") was a multiple rocket launcher and an organ gun of similar design which were developed in fifteenth century Korea. The former variant fired one or two hundred rocket- ...

s (화차; 火車) and explosive cannon shells called bigyeokjincheolloi (비격진천뢰; 飛擊震天雷) were also utilized in this battle. The Japanese, with over 10,000 casualties and top generals Ukita,

Ishida Mitsunari Ishida Mitsunari (, 1559 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the ...

, and

Kikkawa Hiroie (December 7, 1561 – October 22, 1626) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period. Hiroie's father was Kikkawa Motoharu and his mother was a daughter of Kumagai Nobunao. Biography He initially w ...

wounded, were compelled to retreat and fled the region.

After the Battle of Haengju

After the battle, he kept his position, until the peace talks between

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

and

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

began. Then he moved to Jeolla province, and from then on, Gwon Yul became the Dowonsu, the Commander-in-chief of Korean forces. He was briefly removed from office due to his harsh treatment of deserters, but was restored back again in the following year. He ordered the

Admiral of the Navy Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

, Won Kyun, to battle the Japanese in the

Battle of Chilchonryang The naval Battle of Chilcheollyang took place on the night of 28 August 1597. It resulted in the destruction of nearly the entire Korean fleet. Background Prior to the battle, the previous naval commander Yi Sun-sin, had been removed from his ...

, which was won by Japanese. However Admiral

Yi Sun-sin Admiral Yi Sun-sin (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. Over the course of his career, Admiral Yi fough ...

was able to defeat the Japanese navy under

Todo Takatora Todo may refer to: * Todo Bichig, Kalmyk ‘Clear Script’ * To-do list, a time management implementation * TODO (tag), a computer programming comment tag * ''Todo'' (album) Tōdō may refer to: * Tōkyūjutsu () or Tōdō (), a Japanese divina ...

in the

Battle of Myeongnyang In the Battle of Myeongnyang, on October 26, 1597, the Korean Joseon Kingdom's navy, led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, fought the Japanese navy in the Myeongnyang Strait, near Jindo Island, off the southwest corner of the Korean peninsula. With only ...

. In 1597, Gwon and the Chinese commander Ma Gui planned to combat the Japanese in

Ulsan Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...

, but the Chinese commander-in-chief ordered Gwon to withdraw. Then Gwon tried to attack the Japanese in

Suncheon Suncheon () (''Suncheon-si'') is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is a scenic agricultural and industrial city of around 250,000 people near Suncheon Bay. It is located in the southeastern corner of Jeollanam-do, just over an hour ...

, but the idea was again rejected by the Chinese.

After the war

After the war, Gwon retired from all of his posts; he died on July 6, 1599. After his death, he was given the posthumous title of

, and awarded the title of the Ildung Seonmu Gongshin (일등선무공신; 一等宣武功臣) along with

and Won Kyun.

Family

Parents *Father: Gwon Cheol (권철) *Mother: Unknown name Wives and issues: *Lady Jo, of the Changnyeong Jo clan (창녕조씨), daughter of Jo Wang-won (조광원) **Lady Gwon, of the Andong Gwon clan (안동권씨), first daughter ***Son-in-law: Yi Hang-bok (이항복)( 1556 – 4 July 1618), of the Gyeongju Yi clan (경주이씨) ****Grandson: Yi Seongnam (이성남) ****Grandson: Yi Jeongnam (이정남), a Yebinshijeong (예빈시정) ****Granddaughter: Lady Yi, of the Gyeongju Yi clan (경주이씨) *Lady Park, of the Juksan Park clan (죽산박씨) (1546 – February 1608), daughter of Park Sehyeong (박세형) **Gwon Ik-kyung (권익경), adopted sonson of Gwon Sun (권순) ***Daughter-in-law: Daughter of Yi Kwang-ryun (이광륜) ***Daughter-in-law: Dauhhter of Yi Jeong (이정)

Popular culture

* Portrayed by Nam Kyung-eup in the 2014 film '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents''.

References

Encyclopedia of Korean culture-Gwon yul
* Gyohaksa. (1983). ''새國史事典'' ew Encyclopedia of Korean History Seoul, Korea: Gyohaksa.
Doosan Encyclopedia Online

Information on Gwon Yul from Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism Web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwon, Yul Korean generals 1537 births 1599 deaths 16th-century Korean people People of the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) Marshals Gwon clan of Andong