Ch'oe Yŏng (; 1316–1388), also

romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

as Choi Young, was a

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

general born in

Hongseong Hongseong County () is a county in South Korea, and the capital of South Chungcheong Province. The current governor is Lee Yong-log. The original name of the city is ''Hongju''. Symbols * The flag represents the Joyang Gate along with the west c ...

or Cheorwon during the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

period. He became a national hero after he put down

Cho Il-sin Cho Il-sin (; ? – November 12, 1352) was a Goryeo civil official. A close confidant of King Gongmin while the future king was a Yuan hostage in Dadu, Cho became an official of the Goryeo court after Gongmin's return to Goryeo and ascension to ...

's Rebellion (). He also participated in the

Red Turban Rebellions The Red Turban Rebellions () were uprisings against the Yuan dynasty between 1351 and 1368, eventually leading to its collapse. Remnants of the Yuan imperial court retreated northwards and is thereafter known as the Northern Yuan in historiogr ...

and later allied with the

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 ...

to overthrow the Mongol

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

. In his final years, General Ch'oe was betrayed and executed by his former subordinate

Yi Sŏng-gye Taejo (; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), personal name Yi Seong-gye (), later Yi Dan (), was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdi ...

, who founded the

Joseon dynasty 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 ...

of Korea, bringing an end to the Goryeo period.

Early years

Ch'oe Yŏng was born into the prestigious Cheorwon (more recently known as Dongju) Ch'oe noble clan as the fifth generation descendant of Ch'oe Yu-ch'ŏng, the Grand Scholar of Jiphyeonjeon, the Royal Academy, and the son of Ch'oe Wŏn-jik. He was raised in a strict austere lifestyle, befitting a noble aristocratic family of

. He paid little heed to what he wore and ate, and eschewed fine garments and other comforts even after becoming famous and successful. He disliked men who desired expensive articles, and he viewed simplicity as a virtue. Ch'oe Yŏng's motto, left to him by his father, was to regard gold as nothing but mere rocks.

Military career

Cho Il-sin and Japan

Based on his character and beliefs, Ch'oe Yŏng was well-suited for the military. In the military, Ch'oe Yŏng quickly gained the confidence of both his men and the king due to numerous victories against Japanese pirates (

Wokou ''Wokou'' ( zh, c=, p=Wōkòu; ; Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ; ; literal Chinese translation: "dwarf bandits"), which translates to "Japanese pirates", were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century to the 17 ...

) who began raiding the

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n coast around 1350. In 1352, at the age of 36, Ch'oe Yŏng became a national hero after he successfully put down a rebellion by

when insurgents surrounded the royal palace, killing many officials.

Red Turban rebellions

As Goryeo was a tributary, or "Bumaguk (son-in-law nation)", to the Mongol

since 1259, Ch'oe Yŏng was sent to help the Yuan forces quash insurgents during the

Red Turban Rebellion The Red Turban Rebellions () were uprisings against the Yuan dynasty between 1351 and 1368, eventually leading to its collapse. Remnants of the Yuan imperial court retreated northwards and is thereafter known as the Northern Yuan in historiogr ...

in northern China. In 1354, at the age of 39, he deployed to northern China with 2,000 Korean mounted archers, and was reinforced in Kanbaluk by 20,000 veterans of the Goryeo Tumens. Together they suppressed the Red Turban Rebellion and returned home to Goryeo. However, later the Yuan dynasty was overthrown by the uprisings of

Zhu Yuanzhang The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328– 24 June 1398), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, courtesy name Guorui, was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1368 to 1398. In ...

, who founded the

, and

Chen Youliang Chen Youliang (; 1320 – 3 October 1363For those cross-referencing the Mingshi, in the old Chinese calendar refers to the year 1363 CE, refers to 8月29日 or 29 August, and refers to 10月3日 or 3 October.) was the founder and first ...

, who founded the

Chen Han Chen Han, officially the Great Han, was a short-lived rebel state that existed in China during the Red Turban Rebellion, in the final phase of the Yuan dynasty. It was founded in Jiangxi in 1360 by General Chen Youliang, who had been ruling ...

dynasty. Ch'oe Yŏng's success in nearly 30 different battles won him even more fame and favor at home. Upon returning to Korea, he dutifully reported to

King Gongmin Gongmin (; 23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian name, Bayan Temür, was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of King Chungsuk. Biography Early life Goryeo had been a semi-autonomous vassal s ...

about the internal problems troubling the waning Yuan dynasty, which gave the king the idea that the time was opportune to reclaim some of the northern territories previously lost to the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

. General Ch'oe fought to recover various towns west of the

Yalu River The Yalu River () or Amnok River () is a river on the border between China and North Korea. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between China and North Korea. Its valle ...

to the great delight of King Gongmin. In 1356, he attacked and received the surrender of the Mongol-Korean

Darughachi ''Darughachi'' (Mongol form) or ''Basqaq'' (Turkic form) were originally designated officials in the Mongol Empire who were in charge of taxes and administration in a certain province. The singular form of the Mongolian word is ''darugha''. They ...

of Ssangseong Chonggwanbu in what is now

Wonsan Wonsan (), previously known as Wonsanjin (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwon Province (North Korea), Kangwon Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

, where the former Goryeo ruling aristocrats had surrendered their fiefdoms to the Mongols prior to Goryeo's national surrender of sovereignty in 1259. The surrendering darughachi of Ssangseong was none other than

Yi Cha-ch'un Yi Chach'un (; 20 January 1315 – 3 June 1361) or known by his Mongolian name Ulus Bukha (), was a minor military officer of the Yuan Empire who later transferred his allegiance to Goryeo and became the father of Yi Sŏng-gye, founder of the Jo ...

, whose son, the deputy darhughachi, was

, the future founder of the

. In 1360, Ch'oe Yŏng defeated the Red Turbans during the

Red Turban invasions of Goryeo The Red Turban invasions of Goryeo occurred in the 14th century, when the Red Turban Rebellion against the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty spread to the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. The Red Turban rebels, originating in the Zhejiang area, were opposed to the ...

. On April 15, 1363, Kim Yong, a senior Goryeo official attempted to assassinate the king while he was staying at Hŭngwang-sa Temple. General Ch'oe and his army were able to defeat the rebels and rescue the king, arresting the rebellion's ringleader, Kim Yong. Ch'oe Yŏng served briefly as the mayor of

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

, where his efforts at increasing crop production and mitigating famine won him even more attention as a national hero. In 1364, he distinguished himself further when he defeated a former prince of Goryeo,

Prince Deokheung Prince Deokheung (), personal name Wang Hye () was the third son of Chungseon of Goryeo who became a Mongolian-backed pretender to the throne of Goryeo. After the ascension of King Gongmin, his half-nephew, to the throne of Goryeo, Prince Deokheu ...

, who tried to overthrow King Gongmin for asserting independence from the

. Ch'oe Yu, appointed by

Empress Gi Empress Gi or Empress Ki (; 1315–1369(?)), also known as Empress Qi () or Öljei Khutuk ( Mongolian: Өлзийхутаг; ), was a Goryeo-born empress consort of the Yuan dynasty. She was one of the primary empresses of Toghon Temür (Emper ...

of Yuan to accompany Deokheung, invaded Goryeo with 10,000 Mongol cavalry to overthrow the rebellious king. Upon his crossing of the Yalu River, the provincial commander, An U-gyŏng () fought against him until Ch'oe Yŏng's arrival. Their combined forces defeated the Mongol Tumen of 10,000, solidifying the final defiance and independence of Goryeo dynasty from the Mongols in 1364.

Yuan-Ming dynasties

In 1368, when the new Ming dynasty of China offered an alliance against the Mongols, King Gongmin ordered Ch'oe Yŏng to invade the remaining Mongol garrisons in

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

. Ch'oe Yŏng maneuvered north of the Yalu River and captured and the city of

Liaoyang Liaoyang ( zh, s=辽阳 , t=遼陽 , p=Liáoyáng) is a prefecture-level city of east-central Liaoning province, China, situated on the Taizi River. It is approximately one hour south of Shenyang, the provincial capital, by car. Liaoyang is hom ...

in 1370, but this did not lead to a permanent settlement.

Betrayal and redemption

Following a dream that he thought predicted that a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

monk would save his life,

promoted a monk named

Sin Ton Sin Ton (; 21 January 1322 – 21 August 1371) a Korean Buddhist monk and scholar during the Goryeo period. His Dharma name was P'yŏnjo () and he became a teacher and advisor of King Gongmin. Biography He was a Buddhist monk with the full co ...

to a lofty position within his court and allowed him considerable influence. At first, Sin Ton toiled to improve the lives of the peasants despite great opposition from the ministers; however, with the king's support Sin Ton grew increasingly ruthless and corrupt. Ch'oe Yŏng, who vigorously opposed corruption in the kingdom, found himself at odds with the monk, and subsequently, Sin Ton engineered false accusations of misconduct against Ch'oe Yŏng that resulted in a punishment of six years in exile and brought him dangerously close to execution. However, after Sin Ton's death in 1374, Gongmin restored Ch'oe Yŏng to his previous position. In 1374, the Mongol horse herders on Tamna Island rebelled against the Goryeo court after being asked for their horses to send to the Ming as supplies against their fellow Mongols of the Yuan. To crush the rebellion, Goryeo assembled a force of 314 ships and 25,605 troops. General Ch'oe was picked as its commander. On October 4, Ch'oe Yŏng landed on Tamna and engaged the Mongols, who fought tenaciously, but Ch'oe's forces quickly freed the island. The three ringleaders of the revolt were executed and their heads sent to the capital. Then, in 1376, the

Japanese pirates ''Wokou'' ( zh, c=, p=Wōkòu; ; Hepburn: ; ; literal Chinese translation: "dwarf bandits"), which translates to "Japanese pirates", were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century to the 17th century.

advanced into Goryeo and captured the city of

Gongju Gongju (; ) is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. History Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo. Goguryeo had overrun the previ ...

. With the new gunpowder recipe obtained by scientist Ch'oe Mu-sŏn, General Ch'oe and his subordinate,

, routed and defeated the pirates, and reclaimed Gongju.

Final years

General Ch'oe was betrayed and executed by his former subordinate Yi Sŏng-gye. In 1388, General Yi Sŏng-gye was ordered to use his armies to push the Ming forces out of the

Liaodong The Liaodong or Liaotung Peninsula ( zh, s=辽东半岛, t=遼東半島, p=Liáodōng Bàndǎo) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located ...

peninsula. Yi Sŏng-gye opposed the northern expedition, citing four reasons:국역 고려사 권111 열전 24 # A smaller nation should not attack a larger nation, as it goes against the Confucian order of the world # It is harsh to campaign during the summer farming season, as it will result in a poor harvest for the populace # With the bulk of the men away to the north, Japanese pirates will have free rein in the south # Monsoon rains will reduce the effectiveness of composite bows, the army's main weapon, and will encourage the spread of infectious diseases in the camps. General Ch'oe ordered the invasion nevertheless, supported by the young

King U U (25 July 1365 – 31 December 1389) ruled Goryeo (Korea) as the 32nd king from 1374 until 1388. He was the only son of King Gongmin. Cultural background In the thirteenth century, Mongol forces had invaded China and established the Yuan dy ...

. However, knowing the support he enjoyed from high-ranking government officials and the general populace,

decided to return to the capital,

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 ...

, and trigger a coup d'état. This incident later became famous as the Wihwado Retreat and became the first sign of the change of dynasty. When Yi Sŏng-gye returned to the capital, Ch'oe Yŏng put up a gallant defense at the palace, but was outnumbered and overwhelmed. General Ch'oe was defeated, captured, and banished to

Goyang Goyang (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's Satellite city, satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, w ...

and was later beheaded by Yi Sŏng-gye's government. Before the execution, Ch'oe was famously known to have predicted that due to his unjust demise, grass would never grow on his grave. Grass did not grow on his grave until 1976 and it became known as ''Jeokbun'' (), which means red grave, because of the red soil.

Family

*Father: Ch'oe Wŏn-jik () *Mother: Lady Chi, of the Bongsan Chi clan () *Wives and children: **Lady Yu, of the

Munhwa Yu clan The Munhwa Yoo clan (), also known as the Munhwa Ryu clan (), is a Korean clan. Background In the 2015 South Korean census, 237,314 individuals identified themselves as part of the Munhwa Yoo clan, and 90,313 individuals identified themselve ...

() ***Son: Ch'oe Tam () ***Daughter: Lady Ch'oe () **Lady Ŭn () ***Daughter: Royal Consort Ch'oe Yeong-bi ()

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Shin Goo Shin Soon-ki (; born August 13, 1936), known professionally as Shin Goo (), is a South Korean film, theater, and television actor. Shin began his career on stage in 1962, in the play "Cow", and has appeared in numerous works of Korean theatre, ...

in the 1983

KBS1 KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials. Hi ...

TV series ''

Foundation of the Kingdom Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

''. * Portrayed by Kim Gil-ho in the 1983 MBC TV series ''

The King of Chudong Palace ''The King of Chudong Palace'' () is a 1983 South Korean historical television series, the first installment of the drama series ''500 Years of Joseon Dynasty'' by director Lee Byung-hoon and writer Shin Bong-seung. It aired on MBC from March ...

''. * Portrayed by Kim Sung-ok in the 1996-98 KBS1 TV series '' Tears of the Dragon''. * Portrayed by Choi Sang-hoon in the 2005-06 MBC TV series ''

Shin Don Sin Ton (; 21 January 1322 – 21 August 1371) a Korean Buddhist monk and scholar during the Goryeo period. His Dharma name was P'yŏnjo () and he became a teacher and advisor of King Gongmin. Biography He was a Buddhist monk with the full co ...

''. * Portrayed by

Lee Min-ho Lee Min-ho (, born June 22, 1987) is a South Korean actor and singer. He gained widespread fame with his role as Gu Jun-pyo in the Korean drama, television series ''Boys Over Flowers (2009 TV series), Boys Over Flowers'' (2009), which also earn ...

in the 2012 SBS TV series ''

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

''. * Portrayed by

Son Byong-ho Son Byong-ho (; born August 25, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Son is known for his role in action films, notably, '' R-Point'' (2004), '' Running Wild'' (2006), '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) and '' Insu, The Queen Mother'' (2011). ...

in the 2012-13 SBS TV series ''

The Great Seer ''The Great Seer'' (, also known as ''The Great Geomancer'') is a 2012 South Korean historical television series, starring Ji Sung, Ji Jin-hee, Song Chang-eui, Kim So-yeon and Lee Yoon-ji. Set during the turbulent decline of Goryeo, it is ...

''. * Portrayed by

Seo In-seok Seo In-seok (born February 22, 1949) is a South Korean actor. Seo made his acting debut in 1976, and among his notable television series are the historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramati ...

in the 2014 KBS1 TV series ''

Jeong Do-jeon Jeong (the Revised Romanization spelling of ) may refer to: *Jeong (surname) *Jeong (given name) *Qing (concept) In Chinese philosophy, ''qing'' ( zh, c=, p=qíng) is a concept translated variously as "emotion", "feeling", "sentiment", or "passion" ...

''. * Portrayed by Jeon Guk-hwan in the 2015-16 SBS TV series ''

Six Flying Dragons ''Six Flying Dragons'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Ah-in, Kim Myung-min, Shin Se-kyung, Byun Yo-han, Yoon Kyun-sang and Chun Ho-jin. It aired on SBS on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 50 episodes beginning on Oc ...

''. * Portrayed by Song Yong-tae in the 2021–2022 KBS1 The King of Tears,Lee Bang-won.

References

External links

General Choi, Young Shrine
at the Information Network Village {{DEFAULTSORT:Ch'oe, Yŏng Goryeo generals 14th-century Korean people 1316 births 1388 deaths People from Cheorwon County People from Hongseong County