HELLO from KOREA

22 _ HELLO from KOREA
Kim Yu-sin (595 ~ 673)
In the Silla Kingdom, talented young men
were chosen to be members of the Hwarang
(an elite youth group). They were trained in
academics, philosophy, and the classics,
morals, and in the military arts: horseback
riding, swordsmanship,
archery and strategy and the
cultural arts: poetry, painting,
music and dancing. They followed
five rules set by the
famous Buddhist monk
Wongwang: 1) to be loyal to
the king; 2) to obey parents; 3)
to be faithful to friends; 4)
never to retreat in battle and 5)
not to kill unless necessary. It
was through the efforts of the Hwarang that
the peninsula was unified. Among them, Kim
Yu-sin ranks among the best.
Considered the greatest Silla general, Kim
Yu-sin won some spectacular victories which
allowed Silla to unify the country. Born an
aristocrat, Kim Yu-sin dreamed of becoming
a great warrior and began military training
early. He joined the Hwarang at the age of
15, and by 18, was considered a master
swordsman. But he fell in love with a
gisaeng, a female entertainer similar to the
Japanese geisha. This turned out to have a
tragic ending. Unable to concentrate on his
studies he went to visit her every night. His
mother found out about this and reprimanded
him severely, so he decided to abandon
his lover to continue his studies. One day,
after returning from a training session, he fell
asleep on his horse. The
horse, accustomed to stopping
by the gisaeng's
house everyday, took Kim
there. Upon waking up, Kim
was shaken and in front of
his lover, killed his horse to
make sure he would never
return to her again. His
lover killed herself, and Kim
went off by himself to train
in the mountains for seven years.
When he emerged, he quickly demonstrated
his skills, and was soon made a commander
in the Silla army. By the time Silla
had become allied with the Tang China
forces in 655, Kim was in command of the
Silla forces. They captured the capital of
Baekje in 660, and in 668, they were finally
able to defeat Goguryeo.
Kim Yu-sin was well rewarded by the king
for his efforts and lived comfortably until the
ripe old age of 78.
(posthumous name, King Taejo), founder of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Subsequent to the fall of Goguryeo, Dae Jo-yeong, a former Goguryeo
general, formed an army of Goguryeo and Malgal (a Tungusic tribe) people,
and led a migration to Chinese-controlled territory. They settled
eventually near Jilin in Manchuria, and there founded a state which was
at first called Chin, but in 713 was renamed Balhae (Bohai in Chinese).
Balhae soon gained control of most of the former Goguryeo territory. The