Im Gyeong-eop (1594 – 1646) 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 o ...

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 re ...

. He participated in Korea's war against the

Later Jin invasion of Joseon The Later Jin invasion of Joseon occurred in early 1627 when the Later Jin prince Amin led an invasion of the Joseon Dynasty. The war ended after three months with the Later Jin establishing itself as sovereign tributary overlord over Joseon. ...

and

Qing invasion of Joseon The Qing invasion of Joseon (Korean: Byeongja Horan) occurred in the winter of 1636 when the newly-established Qing dynasty invaded the Joseon dynasty, establishing the former's status as the hegemon in the Imperial Chinese Tributary System and ...

in the 17th century. After Ming forces surrendered to the Qing, Im Gyeong Eop was killed by soldiers hired by

Kim Ja-jeom Kim Ja-jeom (; 1588 – January 27, 1652) was a Korean scholar-official of the Joseon dynasty period and Ming-Qing transition. He was one of the disciples of Seong Hon and came from the Andong Kim clan. He was Joseon's Chief State Councillo ...

Early life

He was born in Chungju (충주; 忠州) during the

Imjin Wars The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...

. As a descendant of a high minister, in 1618 he and his brother applied for military tests and passed. He rose in ranks until the 1624 rebellion of

Yi Gwal Yi Gwal (1587 – 15 February, 1624) was a general during the Joseon Dynasty, Korea, known for the failed Yi Gwal's Rebellion. His family belonged to the Gosung Yi clan. He rebelled against King Injo in 1624, but failed. Yi Gwal was then kill ...

in which he was placed under general Jeong Chung-shin. He earned great merit in suppressing Yi Gwal's rebels, which led him to promotion and fame. He again rose in ranks such as associate commander (첨절제사; 僉節制使). In 1627, the

began, and he was sent to

Ganghwa Island Ganghwa Island (Hangul ; Hanja ), also known by its native name Ganghwado, is a South Korean island in the estuary of the Han River. It is in the Yellow Sea, off Korea's west coast. The island is separated from Gimpo (on the South Korean mainla ...

to assist in its defense, but by the time he arrived, a treaty had already been signed. In 1630, a Ming general, Liu Xingzhi (劉興治), entered Korea and set up camp between a road between two castles. Im was sent to keep an eye on this general and suppress him if needed. He was later appointed as Northern Defense General and Yongbyon magistrate and was responsible for the defenses of Beakma Mountain Fortress and

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 ...

Castle. Several Ming rebels crossed the border, only to be defeated by Im, who then also gained a title from the Ming court. In 1634, he was relieved of command after releasing some prisoners, but regained his position two years later, when the government realized his value.

Second Manchu invasion of Korea

The same year Im returned to his position, the

Manchus 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 Q ...

entered Joseon Korea after constant political pressures failed to suppress the nation. Im tied the Manchu forces down at Beakma Fortress and requested reinforcements from the capital, but

, a minister who desired the crown, corrupted the message and the Manchu forces headed south. Soon enough,

Namhansanseong Namhansanseong is a historical mountain fortress city 25 km southeast of Seoul, South Korea. It sits approximately 480 m above sea level and is aligned with the ridges of the mountain for maximum defensibility. The fortress, stretchin ...

(in which the king had fled to) was surrounded by Manchu forces and

King Injo Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, ...

surrendered. At that time Im moved his forces to the surrounded capital, and even managed to behead one of the Manchu Generals (要槌, nephew of

Hong Taiji Hong Taiji (28 November 1592 – 21 September 1643), also rendered as Huang Taiji and sometimes referred to as Abahai in Western literature, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizong of Qing, was the second khan of the Later Jin ...

), but failed to reach the enemy in time before the surrender. Although Im was called to the Manchu Emperor for beheading his nephew, he was freed because of the recognition of his noble efforts to protect his king and country (not to mention the fact that Im was not aware of the surrender at the time). Im lamented that if he had at least 20,000 men instead of the paltry 3,000, he would have headed north to invade Mukden (then-Qing capital) himself, which may have changed the outcome of the war.

After War and Deceit

In 1637, the Manchu Qing Empire requested reinforcements from Joseon to defeat Ming forces, and Im was sent as the Naval relief force. However, Im, wanting to repay Joseon's defeat during the Invasion, secretly sent a message to the Ming forces, revealing the Manchu plan and diminishing Ming casualties and worsening Manchu casualties. In 1640, he was again sent as reinforcements to the Qing but again he used a Buddhist monk as a messenger to the Ming to replay his double-sided plan. This way, the Joseon forces never actually engaged with the Ming in combat, while the Manchus did most of the fighting. The following year he returned to Seoul where suspicious Qing influence made him lose his rank. However, he soon regained another governmental position. However, in 1642, a Ming general affiliated with Im surrendered to the Manchus, thus revealing Im's relations with Ming forces. The Manchus immediately sent an arrest force in Korea, who seized Im Gyeong Eop and transported him to Beijing. However, in

Hwanghae Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo. History In 139 ...

province he managed to escape and entered a Buddhist Shrine, where he disguised himself as a monk, only to escape to the Ming a year later.

Return and Death

He then fought alongside the Ming forces with Ming general Ma Tenggao (馬騰高). However, Ma's courage failed and the Ming forces surrendered to the Manchus, and Im once again lost his opportunity. He began plotting to escape, but was turned over to the Manchu forces by his subordinate Han Sa-rip (한사립) and transported to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. But at the time in Joseon, a minister named Shim Gi-won (심기원; 沈器遠) attempted a coup, which led to King Injo requesting the return of Im Gyeong Eop for its suppression. However, on the way back, Im Gyeong Eop was killed by soldiers paid off by

, who felt the threat to have Im back in the capital.

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Baek Il-sub in the 1981

KBS1 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, a ...

TV Series ''

Daemyeong ''Daemyeong'' () is a 1981 South Korean television series starring Kim Dong-hoon, Kim Heung-ki, Seo Young-jin, Won Mi-kyung, Kim Sung-won and Baek Il-sub. It aired on KBS1 from January 5, 1981 until December 28, 1981 every Mondays for 52 episodes ...

''.

External links