Gwak Jae-u

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Gwak Jae-u
Hangul:	곽재우
Hanja:	郭再祐
Revised Romanization:	Gwak Jae-u
McCune-Reischauer:	Kwak Chaeu

General Gwak Jae-u (1552 – 1617) was a Korean patriot from Ǔiryǒng; in 1592, nine days into Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea, he formed a militia to fight against the Japanese army. He was originally branded a rebel, but an appeal to the king granted him ligitimacy.

1 Early Operations
2 Later Operations
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Early Operations

Gwak Jae-u disrupted Japanese supply lines around the Naktong River in many guerrilla actions. Qwak also had the distinction of winning Korea's first land victory of the war: The Battle of Ǔiryǒng. In part of a two-pronged offensive into Cholla, Ankokuji Ekei led 6th division men from the south. Ankokuji needed to cross the Nam River to reach Ǔiryǒng, an objective. He had his men find the shallowest parts of the river and mark them with stakes. While Ankokuji's army slept, Gwak's men moved the stakes to deeper sections of the river. When the crossing began, the Japanese soldiers foundered in the deep water, and Gwak's army attacked then. In multiple attempts to cross, Ankokuji suffered many losses, and was forced to abandon his attack on Ǔiryǒng. The battle gave the Korean government respect for Gwak's abilities, and he was placed in command of the Korean forces in and around Ǔiryǒng and the nearby Samga.

[edit] Later Operations

 In 1597 in the Battle of Hwangsoksan he defended the Hwangsoksan Mountain Fortress.^[1]

There is a statue of Gwak Jae-u in Mang-u Park in Daegu^[1].

Gwak Jae-u's pen name was Mang-udang. He was called the "Red Robe General" after his habit of wearing red costumes and riding a white horse in battle.^[2]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Statue of General Gwak Jae-u. City of Daegu welcomes the world. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.
^ Mangu Park (PDF). Your Guide to a Successful Campus Life at Yeungnam University. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.