A tale about patriots
By Kim Jin-hyun
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Seokjukwan, one of the valley entrances to Jiri Mountain, is located at Toji Myeon, Kurye county, in South Jeolla Province. Seomjin River runs in front of it, and Baekwun Mountain, which is situated beyond the river, is giving way to its tough terrain.
Rivers have been hubs for transportation and routes for invasion. Seokjukwan, which is right behind the river, had also served as a fortress, a gateway, for thousands of years.
In 1592, the Japanese invaded Joseon Kingdom, conquering the Korean Peninsula except for Jeolla Province. The Joseon king, who lost his territory, asked Ming to save his county. Ming and Japan fought a war on the peninsula for six years.
In 1596, delegates from both countries negotiated a peace agreement, but their agreement was so tenuous that Japanese governor Toyotomi Hideyoshi evoked his wrath and ordered 110,000 of his soldiers to occupy the Joseon Kingdom again, including the Jeolla territory.
Toyotomi’s ambition was to colonize the area permanently. His strategy was to subdue Jeolla Province after blitzing Jeonju, the provincial capital, by way of three routes. One route was to raid Jeonju via Seokjukwan from Hadong Port. Along the way, all the buildings in Kurye and Namwon were destroyed and their citizens were oppressed. Even worse, the Japanese cut off peoples’ noses, regardless of whether they were living or dead, as spoils of war.
Such brutalities continued for a month. Ming’s commanders didn’t even try to help citizens who suffered under the Japanese control. In this desperate situation, a nobleman called Wang Deuk-in organized a guerrilla unit with dozens of fighters and positioned them in Seokjukwan armed with arrows, stones and sticks. However, all of them were killed by Japanese raiders, who were armed with guns.
Two months later, seven noblemen in their 20s, including Ui-seung, Deuk-in’s son, once again fought against the Japanese alongside over 500 citizens and managed to slaughter 100 Japanese invaders. Only a few of the noblemen’s warriors survived.
The fight to save their own families and the village encouraged patriotic citizens in other areas to thwart the Japanese troops. Moreover, their sacrifice boosted the morale of Ming and the Joseon Kingdom, which helped them beat Japan.
Years later, citizens in Kurye made tombs at the entrance of Seokjukwan for the seven noblemen in memory of their spirit. To this day, every year, citizens hold a ceremony to pray for the patriotic noblemen’s spirit. In an era in which citizens of nations often feel neglected, these patriotic noblemen and unknown warriors serve as examples to live by.
The writer works at Jeonnam Natural Science High School in South Jeolla Province. His email address is shinykim60@hanmail.net.