Kwŏn Yul (; 28 December 15376 July 1599) was a Korean

army general Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

and the commander-in-chief () of the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period, who successfully led the Korean forces against Japan during the

Japanese invasions of Korea Japanese invasions of Korea may refer to: *Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) *Donghak Peasant Revolution ** Japanese occupation of Gyeongbokgung *Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fou ...

. He is best known for the

Battle of Haengju The Battle of Haengju took place on 14 March 1593 during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), 1592–1598 Japanese invasion of Korea. The Japanese attack failed to overcome the fortress Haengjusanseong. Background Gwon Yul was stati ...

where he defeated an attacking force of about 30,000 Japanese with 2,800 troops.

Early life

Kwŏn Yul hailed from the prestigious

Andong Andong () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, 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 Ri ...

Kwŏn clan (); his father, Kwŏn Ch'ŏl (), was the yeonguijeong. However, Kwŏn did not begin his political or military career until he was 46. In 1582, he was first appointed to a position in the Korean government and promoted to several different positions including the mayor of

Uiju Ŭiju 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 source ...

() in 1591.

During Japanese invasions of Korea

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

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

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

province and given the military command of the region. Kwŏn and his troops followed his commander Yi Kwang and headed towards

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

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

Yongin Yongin (; ) is a city in the Seoul Metropolitan 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 th ...

. Kwŏn managed to retreat back to Gwangju, and gathered around 1,000

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

Battle of Ichi

When Japanese troops at Geumsan, Jeolla province began to move to

Jeonju Jeonju (, , ) is the capital and List of cities in South Korea, largest city of North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many resi ...

, Kwŏn 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 military 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 ...

attacked Ichi. About 1,000 of Kwŏn's men fought and won the battle. Kwŏn supervised his unit by executing deserters personally, and his vanguard commander Hwang Chin () kept fighting despite a gunshot injury. The battle resulted in the recapture of the Jeolla province.

Siege of Doksan

The Joseon Government recognized Kwŏn's heroics, and named him the new governor of the Jeolla province in the following year. Kwŏn then led an army of 10,000 to

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

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

Suwon Suwon (; ) is the largest city and capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous province. The city lies approximately south of the national capital, Seoul. With a population of 1.2 million, Suwon has more inhabitants than Ulsan, tho ...

. 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 a ...

laid siege to the fort for one month, and Kwŏn's army was running out of water supplies. One day, Kwŏn 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. Kwŏn chased the retreating Japanese, inflicting heavy casualties of over 3,000 men. After the war, the king Seonjo built a monument on the top of Doksan named Semadae (), "the place where horses were washed", as a tribute to Kwŏn. After the battle, the Joseon government ordered Kwŏn to march northward and combat the Japanese in Seoul.

Battle of Haengju

Kwŏn and his men set up camp in the run-down fortress of Haengju () near Seoul. Although his forces were joined by local militias led by Kim Ch'ŏnil and monk soldiers led by , 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 period, Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. His court title was . His name as a child was ''Yashamaru'', and first name was ''Toranosuke''. He was one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi's Seven ...

and

, attacked Haengju fortress with 30,000 men, trying to finish off Kwŏn'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, Kwŏn'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'' () was a multiple rocket launcher and an organ gun of similar design which were developed in fifteenth century Korea. It resembled a wooden cart with a launch pad attached, and it had up to 200 tiny Sin'gijŏn, sing ...

s and explosive cannon shells called heaven-shaking explosive shell () were also utilized in this battle. The Japanese, with over 10,000 casualties and top generals Ukita,

Ishida Mitsunari 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 Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...

, and Kikkawa Hiroie 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 Emperor Wanli of

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

and ''Daijō-daijin''

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

began. Then he moved to Jeolla province, and from then on, Kwŏn 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 many navy, navies. In the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general officer, general in the army or the air force. Admiral is r ...

Wŏn Kyun Wŏn Kyun (; 12 February 1540 – 27 August 1597) was a Korean general and admiral during the Joseon period. He is best known for his campaigns against the Japanese during Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea. Wŏn was a member of Wonju Wŏn clan, ...

, to battle the Japanese in the Battle of Chilchonryang, which was won by Japanese. However, Admiral

Yi Sun-sin Yi Sun-sin (; ; April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해), and he was po ...

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 divin ...

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 onl ...

. In 1597, Kwŏn 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, neighbo ...

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

Suncheon Suncheon (; ) is the largest city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, with a population of 280,719 as of 2022. It is located in the southeast of the province and is a scenic agricultural and industrial city, known for tourist attractions, suc ...

, but the idea was again rejected by the Chinese.

After the war

After the war, Kwŏn retired from all of his posts and eventually died on July 6, 1599. After his death, he was given the posthumous title of Yeonguijeong, and awarded the title of the Ildŭng Sŏnmu Kongsin () along with

and

Family

Parents * Father – Kwŏn Ch'ŏl (; 1503–1578) * Mother – Lady Cho of the Changnyeong Cho clan () * Siblings ** Older brother – Kwŏn Hang () ** Older brother – Kwŏn Kae () ** Older brother – Kwŏn Sun () Wives and their issues: * Lady Cho of the Changnyeong Cho clan (); daughter of Jo Gwang-won () ** Daughter – Lady Kwŏn of the Andong Kwŏn clan () * Lady Pak of the Juksan Pak clan (; 1546 – February 1608) ** Adoptive son – Kwŏn Ikgyŏng (); son of Kwŏn Sun ()

Popular culture

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

Notes

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:Kwŏn, Yul Joseon generals 1537 births 1599 deaths 16th-century Korean people People from Incheon People of the Imjin War Marshals Andong Kwon clan