Choe Yeong - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Choe Yeong also romanized

Romanization

In linguistics, romanization or latinization is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman script, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system . Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written...

as Choi Young, was a Korean general born in Cheorwon, Gangwon

Gangwon (historical)

Gangwon Province or Gangwon-do was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The province was formed in 1395, and derived its name from the names of the principal cities of Gangneung and the provincial capital Wonju .In 1895, Gangwon-do was replaced by the Districts of...

Province, in Goryeo

Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...

(modern-day Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

Early years

Despite being born into a relatively wealthy family, his beginnings were humble, and his lifestyle would best be described as spartan. He paid little heed to his own clothes and meals, and eschewed fine garments or other comforts even when he became famous and could easily have enjoyed them. He disliked men who desired expensive articles, and he viewed simplicity as a virtue. His motto, left to him by his father, was "Do not be covetous of gold".

Military career

Such a man was well suited for military service, and Choe quickly gained the confidence of both his men and his king during numerous battles with Japanese pirates

Wokou

Wokou , which literally translates as "Japanese pirates" in English, were pirates of varying origins who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century onwards...

who began raiding the Korea

Korea

n coast around 1350.

At 36 years of age he became a national hero when he successfully put down a rebellion by Jo Il-shin after the insurgents had surrounded the palace, killed many officials and had proclaimed Cho king. Then, in 1355, the Red Turban Rebellion

Red Turban Rebellion

The Red Turban Rebellion was an uprising much influenced by the White Lotus Society members that targeted the ruling Yuan Dynasty.- Causes :...

took place in areas of the Mongol-founded Yuan Dynasty

Yuan Dynasty

The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...

that ruled China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. As Goryeo was a tributary state of the Yuan since 13th century, Choe Yong was sent to help the Yuan forces squash the rebellion, and his success in nearly thirty different battles won him even more fame and favour at home. Upon returning to Korea, he dutifully reported to King Gongmin the internal problems experienced by the waning Yuan Dynasty, which gave the king the idea that the time was right to reclaim some of the northern territories previously lost to the Mongols. Choe fought to recover various towns west of the Yalu River

Yalu River

The Yalu River or the Amnok River is a river on the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China....

, to the great delight of his king.

He served briefly as the Mayor of P'yŏngyang

Pyongyang

Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...

, where his efforts at increasing crop production and mitigating famine won him even more attention as a national hero. In 1363, he distinguished himself further when a powerful minister named Kim Yon-an tried to overthrow the government. Choe gathered up his forces and defeated a Mongol force of 10,000 which subsequently attacked Goryeo

Goryeo

in support of the rebellion.

Betrayal and redemption

Following a dream that he thought predicted that a Buddhist monk would save his life, King Gongmin promoted a monk named Shin Don

Shin Don

Shin Don was a Korean Buddhist monk during the Goryeo Dynasty. His Dharma name was Pyeonjo.-Summary:He was a Buddhist monk. He had the full confidence of King Gongmin, and he tried to reform the society of Goryeo. King Gongmin judged Shin Don clever...

to a lofty position within his court, and allowed him considerable influence. At first Shin Don toiled to improve the lives of the peasants with great opposition from the ministers. However with the king's support he grew increasingly ruthless and corrupt, and Choe who vigorously opposed corruption in the kingdom found himself at odds with him. Subsequently, Shin Don engineered false accusations of misconduct against Choe that resulted in a punishment of six years in exile, and brought him dangerously close to execution. However, when Shin Don died, Choe Yong was restored to his previous position and was immediately asked to prepare a fleet to fight the Japanese pirates and eliminate the remaining Mongol forces on Jeju Island

Jeju-do

Jeju-do is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946...

. He engaged the Mongols first, who fought tenaciously, but Choe's forces eventually freed the island. Then, in 1376, the Wokou pirates advanced into Goryeo and captured the city of Gongju

Gongju

Gongju , also spelt Kongju, is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It is located at .- 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...

. Jeong Mong-ju

Jeong Mong-ju

Jeong Mongju , often known by his pen name Poeun, was a Korean civil minister and scholar during the late period of the Goryeo dynasty.-Biography:He was born in Yeongcheon, Gyeongsang province to a family from the Yeongil Jeong clan...

secured assistance from the Japanese Shogun to eliminate these pirates, but the Japanese were of little help. With the new gunpowder recipe obtained by scientist Choe Mu-seon

Choe Mu-seon

Choe Mu-Seon was a medieval Korean scientist, inventor, and military commander during the late Goryeo Dynasty and early Joseon Dynasty...

from a Chinese merchant, General Choe Yong and his subordinate Yi Seonggye managed to rout and eventually defeat the pirates and reclaim Gongju.

Final years

The 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...

in China had become powerful during the 14th century, and had driven back the Yuan to Mongolia and occupied Manchuria and parts of north-eastern Goryeo. In 1388, General Yi Seonggye was ordered to use his armies to push the Ming armies out of the Korean peninsula and invade Liaodong. However, Yi, knowing the support he enjoyed from both the high-ranking government officials and the general populace, he decided to return to the capital, Kaesŏng

Kaesong

Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...

, and trigger a coup d'état. This incident later became famous as the Wihwado Retreat (위화도 회군), and became the first sign of the change of dynasty.

When Yi returned to the capital, Choe Yeong put up a gallant fight at the palace, but was overwhelmed by Yi's forces. Records differ as to what happened next, although it seems likely that after his defeat, Choe was banished to Goyang

Goyang

Goyang is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Goyang includes the new city of Ilsan, which is connected to Seoul via Seoul Subway Line 3. Goyang is bordered by Seoul to the south; walls of the Bukhan Mountain Fortress lie along a small portion of this border.Several institutions of higher...

. He was later beheaded in the name of the government controlled by Yi Seonggye. Before the execution, he was famously known to have predicted that grass would never grow on his grave, due to his unjust demise. Interestingly, grass never did grow on his grave, and it was known as jeokbun (적분), which means red grave, because of the red soil. In 1979, the first sprouts of grass were found growing from General Choi's grave.

Legacy

There have been many judgements about General Choe as there had been about Yi Seonggye. Some people consider him a great general who was wholeheartedly devoted to the protection of his country, while others consider him to be a strict conservative tyrant who ursurped the government. However, he risked his life many times for Goryeo, and his unswerving loyalty eventually cost him his life.

External links

General Choi, Young Shrine at the Information Network Village