Gwon Yul
Encyclopedia
Kwon Yul was a Korean Army General
Army General
For the army rank of General, as opposed to the specific rank of Army General, see General officer.Army General is a title used in many countries to denote the rank of General nominally commanding an army in the field...

 and the Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...

 (도원수, 導元帥) of the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

, who successfully led the Korean forces against Japan during the Japanese invasions of Korea (임진왜란). He is best known for the Battle of Haengju
Battle of Haengju
The Battle of Haengju took place on February 12, 1593 during the Japanese invasions of Korea . Approximately 3,000 Korean defenders led by general Kwon Yul successfully repelled more than 30,000 Japanese forces...

 (행주대첩; 幸州大捷) where he defeated a force of about 30,000 Japanese with 2,800 troops.

Early life

Kwon Yul hailed from the prestigious Andong
Andong
Andong is a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, South Korea. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 in October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city...

 Kwon
Kwon
Kwon is a Korean family name. An absolute majority of the Kwons are the Andong Kwon clan, but there also exists Yecheon Kwon. Some sources list as many 56 clans, but most of them were merged with the Andong Kwon clan under the Shi'jueng-gong faction soon after the establishment of Republic of...

 clan (안동권씨; 安東權氏); his father, Kwon Cheol (권철), was the Yeonguijeong
Yeonguijeong
Yeonguijeong was a title created in 1400, during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea and given to the Chief State Councillor as the highest government position of "Uijeongbu" . Existing for over 500 years, its function can be compared to that of a present day "Prime Minister of South Korea"...

 (영의정, 領議政), the equivalent of Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

 of the Joseon court. However, Kwon did not enter political nor military career until he was 46. In 1582, he was first appointed a position in the Joseon government and promoted to several different positions including the mayor of Uiju
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 .-Location:...

 (의주) in 1591.

During Japanese invasions of Korea

When the Japanese forces invaded Korea in 1592, Kwon was appointed the mayor of Gwangju
Gwangju
Gwangju is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister...

 (광주; 光州), Jeolla
Jeolla
Jeolla was a province in southwestern Korea, one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and the Special City of Gwangju as well as Jeju Island...

 province (전라도) and given the military command of the region. Kwon and his troops followed his commander Yi Gwang and headed towards Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

 to join the main force. However, Yi was eventually defeated by Japaneses at Yongin
Yongin
Yongin is a major city in the Seoul National Capital Area, located in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population of nearly 1 million, the city has developed abrutly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the country. Yongin is home to Everland and...

 (용인). Kwon managed to retreat back to Gwangju, and gathered around 1,000 militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...

.

Battle of Ichi

When Japansese troops at Geumsan (금산), Jeolla province began to move to Jeonju
Jeonju
Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...

 (전주), Kwon moved his army to Ichi (배고개; 이치; 梨峙), a gateway to Jeonju. 10,000 Japanese troops under Kobayakawa Takakage
Kobayakawa Takakage
was a samurai retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi during Japan's Sengoku period, and the son of Mōri Motonari. Adopted by the head of the Kobayakawa clan, Takakage took his name, and succeeded his adoptive father to become head of the Kobayakawa clan following his death in 1545.As head of the Kobayakawa...

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

Siege of Doksan

The Joseon Government recognized Kwon's heroics, and named him the new Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 of the Jeolla province in the following year. Kwon then led an army of 10,000 to Gyeonggi to recapture Seoul once more, where he was joined by local militia and monks, which enabled Kwon to gather up to 20,000 men. Kwon's troops were stationed in the fortress Doksung (독성; 禿城) near Suwon
Suwon
Suwon is the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A major city of over a million inhabitants, Suwon lies approximately south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety"....

 (수원). Japanese led by Ukita Hideie
Ukita Hideie
was the daimyo of Bizen and Mimasaka provinces , and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Son of Ukita Naoie, he married Gohime, a daughter of Maeda Toshiie...

 (宇喜多秀家) laid siege to the fort for one month, and Kwon's army was running out of water supplies. One day, Kwon ordered to bring several war horses on the fort wall and wash them 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. Kwon chased the retreating Japanese, inflicting casualties of over 3,000 men. After the war, the king Sunjo
Sunjo of Joseon
Sunjo was the 23rd king of the Korean Joseon Dynasty.He was born His Royal Highness Prince Yi Gong, the 2nd son of King Jeongjo by his concubine, Lady Subin....

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

Battle of Haengju

Kwon 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 Kim 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 Kato Kiyomasa
Kato Kiyomasa
was a Japanese daimyō of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo period.-Origins and early career:Kiyomasa was born in Owari Province to Katō Kiyotada. Kiyotada's wife, Ito, was a cousin of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mother. Kiyotada died while his son was still young...

 (加藤清正) and Ukita, attacked Haengju fortress with 30,000 men, trying to finish off Kwon'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, Kwon's forces and the civilians at the fortress resisted heavily, throwing rocks, arrows, iron pellets, burning oil and molten iron at Japaneses. Korean anti-personnel gunpowder weapons Hwachas (화차; 火車)
Hwacha
Hwacha or Hwach'a is the world's first multiple rocket launcher developed and used in Joseon Korea. It had the ability to fire up to 100 steel-tipped rockets, or 200 Singijeon flaming arrow projectiles from a range of 500 yards in multiple salvos...

 and Bigyeok Jincholles (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
Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...

, and Kikkawa Hiroie
Kikkawa Hiroie
' was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period.Hiroie's father was Kikkawa Motoharu and his mother was a daughter of Kumagai Nobunao. He initially was named Tsunenobu and made his debut on the battle field on 1570 against Amago Katsuhisa with his father...

 wounded, were compelled to retreat and fled the region. It was one of the three greatest Korean military victories during the Seven-Year War, along with the Battle of Hansan Island
Battle of Hansan Island
The naval Battle of Hansan Island, also known as the Battle of Hansan-do, took place on August 14, 1592 near the Korean island of Hansan, and was one of the most important battles of the Imjin War. Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin destroyed at least 47 Japanese ships, captured 12 and killed over 8,000...

 (한산대첩) and the Siege of Jinju (진주대첩).

After the Battle of Haengju

After the battle, he kept his position, until the peace talks between Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

 and Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

 began. Then he moved to the Jeolla province, and from then on, Kwon Yul became the Dowonsu (도원수, 導元帥), the Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...

 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 of the Navy
Admiral of the navy is a senior-most rank of a naval service.Some navies use the term admiral of the navy as a title bestowed upon a fleet admiral or other senior naval official...

, Won Kyun, to battle the Japanese in the Battle of Chilchonryang
Battle of Chilchonryang
The naval Battle of Chilcheollyang took place before dawn on August 27th, 1597 during the Imjin War in Chilcheollyang, which is a narrow strait near Geoje island. It took place during the second invasion of the Japanese...

, which was won by Japanese. However Admiral Yi Sun Shin was able to defeat the Japanese navy under Todo Takatora
Todo Takatora
was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through Edo period. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru to become a daimyo...

 in the Battle of Myeongnyang
Battle of Myeongnyang
In the Battle of Myeongnyang, on October 26, 1597, the Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin fought the Japanese navy in the Myeongnyang Strait, near Jindo Island. With only the 13 ships remaining from Won Gyun's disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chilchonryang, Admiral Yi Sunsin held the strait against a...

. In 1597, Kwon and Chinese commander Ma Gui planned to combat the Japanese in Ulsan
Ulsan
Ulsan , officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north and the Sea of Japan to the east.Ulsan is the...

, but the Chinese commander-in-chief ordered Kwon to withdraw. Then Kwon tried to attack Japanese in Suncheon
Suncheon
Suncheon or Sunchon is the name of two Korean cities:*Sunchon, North Korea*Suncheon, South Korea...

, but the idea was again rejected by Chinese.

After the war

After the war, Kwon retired from all of his posts; he died in July 1599. After his death, he was given the posthumous title of Yeonguijeong
Yeonguijeong
Yeonguijeong was a title created in 1400, during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea and given to the Chief State Councillor as the highest government position of "Uijeongbu" . Existing for over 500 years, its function can be compared to that of a present day "Prime Minister of South Korea"...

 (영의정, 領議政), and awarded the title of the Ildung Seonmu Gongshin (일등선무공신, 一等宣武功臣) along with Yi Sun Shin and Won Kyun, the most prestigious award for the generals who fought during Japanese invasions of Korea.
Kwon is remembered in the Korean history as one of Korea's most successful and patriotic military commanders.

See also

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