Origins & Early Life

Kwŏn Yul (Korean: 권율; Hanja: 權慄; 28 December 1537 – 6 July 1599) was a Korean army general and the commander-in-chief (도원수; 導元帥) of the Joseon period, who successfully led the Korean forces against Japan during the Japanese invasions of Korea. He is best known for the Battle of Haengju where he defeated an attacking force of about 30,000 Japanese with 2,800 troops. Kwŏn Yul hailed from the prestigious Andong Kwŏn clan (안동권씨; 安東權氏); his father, Kwŏn Ch'ŏl (권철), was the yeonguijeong. However, Kwŏn did not begin his political or military career until he was 46.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1582, he was first appointed to a position in the Korean government and promoted to several different positions including the mayor of Uiju (의주) in 1591. When the Japanese forces invaded Korea in 1592, Kwŏn was appointed the mayor of Gwangju, Jeolla province and given the military command of the region. Kwŏn and his troops followed his commander Yi Kwang and headed towards Seoul to join the main force. However, Yi was eventually defeated by Japanese at Yongin. Kwŏn managed to retreat back to Gwangju, and gathered around 1,000 militia.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

When Japanese...

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