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The implication of general of the Righteous Armies, Kwak Jae-Woo’s Raising Righteous Army in Ui-Ryeong

Jaeho Choi 1

1육군3사관학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Kwak Jae-Woo(郭再祐) was the first person to raise Righteous Army during Im-Jin-Wae-Ran(壬辰倭亂), and in this paper I intend to analyze and research into the significance and background of his raising righteous army in Ui-Ryeong(宜寧). Firstly, I have given insight to the historical background and significance of the raising in Ui-Ryeong. as discussed in previous researches, the reasons why the continuous defeats of Cho-Seon in the early stages of Im-Jin-Wae-Ran were due to disorder in military administration and slackened discipline in national defence; however this paper puts emphasis on the necessity of looking into the exterior influential factor of the Japan, the world’s strongest military powerhouse at that time. In addition, I have discussed how his competence as a commander of the Righteous Army was possible to be formed, since Kwak was also a general who has outstanding realistic judgment and a sense of neutrality; and also the solidarity of the Ui-Ryeong troops. Secondly, I argued that Kwak’s raising of the Righteous Army in Ui-Ryeong contains more significance than just being the first, since he was able to raise the Army albeit the deficient conditions, especially centered around his relationship with Seon-Jo(宣祖). Moreover, I have examined the fact that Kwak’s raising gave peace to the unstable public at that time, and served as a catalyst for other raising of righteous armies to occur. Thirdly, I have confirmed that the strategic effects of the raising army in Ui-Ryeong is not just limited to local defence of Kyeong-Sang-Woo-Do(慶尙右道) beyond that it provides a turning point to the Choseon government to protect Ho-Nam(湖南) and the naval forces bases, restrain the exile of Seon-Jo and lead the participation of Myung(明) troops into war. In the thesis I have examined the defense strategies that Kwak adopted to fight against the Japanese troops three major skills, bird-rifle(鳥銃), sword- wielding, charging at enemies and defense strategies adopted when positioned in a river. Among recent researches on the history of Im-Jin-Wae-Ran Righteous Army are at standstill. I proudly present this paper, as I wish this paper serves as a catalyst of more academic endeavors on the Im-Jin-Wae-Ran Righteous Army.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.