Korea's Military History
By Mark McKenzie
Throughout Korea’s history it
has been constantly under attack by foreign nations trying to invade
the small peninsula. The tribes of Korea have been fighting with the
Chinese since the first century AD and fought off repeat attempts
by China’s leaders to conquer all of Korea. They have also fought
with the Mongols as well as the Japanese, who have both invaded the
small peninsula. Korea has a history of seemingly unwavering attacks
on the region, and has been developing military arts from the beginnings
of its culture (2).
Koguryo Kingdom:
In the beginning Korea was divided by
three kingdoms, the Koguryo, the Paekchae, and the Silla Kingdoms
(Hee 19-20). Historical records indicate that the Koguryo Kingdom
was the first of these to practice military arts. The Koguryo Kingdom
was made up of five tribes, each of which had military units consisting
of about 10,000 men. A leader was elected as the head of all military
action in the kingdom and a counsel of elders selected who the members
of the military would be. It was considered an honor to be selected
to be a soldier (2).
Silla Kingdom:
In 668 AD, the Silla took over the other
two kingdoms and unified Korea as a single nation (2). The Silla made
a large contribution to the advancement of the military in Korea.
The king named military leaders in charge of civil as well as military
concerns in each of the countries local districts. Also a military
academy was created in the nations capitol. It was open to men of
aristocratic birth and produced most of the great leaders of the Silla
kingdom (2).
Koryo Kingdom:
The next main period of rule in Korea
was under the Koryo Dynasty. During this period, military advances
were not as significant as they had been in previous periods. It was
during this period that Mongols invaded Korea. King Monjong (1046-1083)
set up two military districts along the northern boarder to protect
the kingdom, but after spending years at war, surrendered to the Mongol
Yuan Dynasty. The leaders of Korea would eventually rise against the
dynasty which would lead into the next period of rule, the Choson
Dynasty (2).
Choson Dynasty:
Little attention was paid to the military
during much of the period ruled by the Choson Dynasty. The main military
event that happened was invasion by the Japanese. The army was reorganized
and five permanent military bases were established, but military service
had become unpopular after the invasion by the Japanese (2). This
was the last period that the entire Korean peninsula was united as
a whole. When Korea was liberated from the Japanese, a boarder was
created along the 38th parallel that divided north Korea from the
south. This boarder still stands today, and it divides the peninsula
into two separate countries, North Korea, and South Korea.
Present day:
After Korea was divided at the 38th
parallel, the two subsequent regions would not become united again.
Shortly after its division North Korea attacked the south and the
Korean War began. After three years of fighting, the boarder between
these two regions remained in approximately the same place that it
was at the beginning of the war (Chen 213). The result of the Korean
war was that two separate countries emerged, as well as a rivalry
that still exists today.
Bibliography:
1. Hee, Park. To Build a Nation. Washington, D.C. 1971.
2. A Country Study - South Korea - Chapter 5. National Security -
Development of the Armed Forces.
(http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/krtoc.html).
[November 3].
3. Jian, Chen. China’s Road to the Korean War, The Making of
the Sino-American Confrontation. New York, New York. 1994.
Additional Resources:
Fighting Ships of the Far East: by Stephen Turnbull
(http://tkdtutor.com/02Taekwondo/TKDHistory/05Kingdoms.htm)
(http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/kptoc.html)
(http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/krtoc.html)
(http://www.geocities.com/mokkim/koreahistory.html)
E-mail: mcke6542@pacificu.edu
