|
South Korea DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARMED FORCES
Koguryo, Silla, and Koryo Kingdoms
Historical records suggest that the Koguryo Kingdom was the
first Korean state to emphasize the military arts. From the first
through the fourth centuries A.D., the Koguryo tribes frequently
fought with Chinese and other groups for control of the region
from the Liao River south to the Yalu River, the latter forming
today's international boundary between North Korea and China.
Modern South Korean textbooks emphasize an unbroken history of
foreign incursions. Like the early warrior kings of Paekche and
Silla, however, King Kwanggaet'o, who ruled Koguryo from 391 to
412, significantly added to his state's territory by military
conquest, absorbing neighboring tribes and fortified towns
throughout present-day northeastern China and down into the
Korean Peninsula
(see Silla;
Koryo
, ch. 1). The Koguryo
established military units in each of their five tribes. Each
tribal army had about 10,000 men. An elected leader in charge of
all military forces in the kingdom headed the chain of command.
It was considered an honor for a man to be selected to be a
soldier by the council of elders.
In the seventh century, the Silla Kingdom united Korea south
of the Taedong River and successfully resisted repeated campaigns
by the rulers of Sui (581-617) and Tang (618-907) China to
conquer all of Korea. Under Silla rule, the king placed military
commanders in charge of civil and military affairs in all of the
country's local districts. A military academy was established in
the capital city of Kyongju and was open to young men of
aristocratic birth. Upon completion of their training, these
young men were given the title hwarang, meaning Flower
Knight. Most of the great military leaders of Silla trained at
this academy and dedicated their lives to military service.
During the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392), Korea remained
independent until the kingdom was invaded by the Mongols in 1231.
King Taejo (918-39) was a merchant and military leader who
reunified the peninsula after the political fragmentation that
followed the decline of the Silla Dynasty in the late ninth
century. During the reign of King Munjong (1046-83), Korea's
northern boundaries once again reached the Yalu and Tumen rivers.
King Munjong established two military districts along the
northern border and based army units there to defend the kingdom.
Following a military coup led by socially and economically
disgruntled generals in 1170, Koryo kings (most notably those of
the Ch'oe family) became virtual puppets of military leaders from
1196 to 1258. In 1259, at the end of several years of warfare
with the Mongols, Koryo capitulated, becoming a vassal of the
Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1279-1364) based in Dadu, which is modern
Beijing
(see The Evolution of Korean Society
, ch. 1). King
Kongmin (1351-74), however, increasingly resisted Yuan-imposed
institutions and sided with the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) against
the Mongols. Yi Song-gye, one of Kongmin's commanders, rebelled
against the effort of Kongmin's son to reverse Korea's pro-Ming
orientation and in 1392 established the Choson Dynasty.
Data as of June 1990
|
