Kim Yushin

Infobox Korean name

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caption=His statue in Namsan
hangul=김유신
hanja=金庾信
rr=Gim Yusin
mr=Kim Yu–sin

Kim Yusin (595-673) was a general in 7th-century Silla. He led the unification of the Korean peninsula by Silla under the reign of King Muyeol of Silla and King Munmu of Silla. He is said to have been the great-grandchild of King Guhae of Geumgwan Gaya, the last ruler of the Geumgwan Gaya state. This would have given him a very high position in the Silla bone rank system, which governed the political and military status that a person could attain.

Much of what we know about Kim's life comes from the detailed account in the "Samguk Sagi", Yeoljeon 1-3, and the much briefer record in the "Samguk Yusa", vol. 1.

Early years

Kim Yusin (김유신) was the son of General Kim Suhyeon and Lady Manmyeong, who was a daughter of King Jinheung of Silla. He was born in Gyeyang, Jincheon County in 595, became a Hwarang warrior at just 15 and was an accomplished swordsman and a Gukseon (국선, 國仙; Hwarang leader) by the time he was 18 years old. By the age of 34 he had been given total command of the Silla armed forces.

Military accomplishments

Kim's first military engagement in command is believed to have occurred around 629, and through it he quickly proved his capabilities as a warrior. Silla was in a constant struggle with its neighbor to the west, Baekje, over territory. There had been gains and losses on both sides, and the struggle lasted for many years. It was during this period that Kim rose through the ranks of the military, rising to the position of general and becoming a skilled field commander.

Baekje and Silla had formed an alliance to counter Goguryeo's power and its intentions to push southwards, and together they launched a successful attack on it, Silla taking the northern territory and Baekje the one south of the Han river. But Silla broke the alliance and attacked Baekje in order to claim both territories for itself. After this betrayal, Baekje allied with Goguryeo. When Goguryeo and Baekje attacked Silla in 655, Silla joined forces with Tang Dynasty China to battle the invaders. Although it is not clear when Kim first became a general, he was certainly commanding the Silla forces at this time. Eventually, with the help of the Silla navy and some 13,000 Tang forces, Kim attacked the Baekje capital, Sabi, in 660, in one of the most famous battles of the century, the Battle of Hwangsanbeol.

The Baekje defenders were commanded by none other than General Gyebaek, although the Baekje forces consisted of about 5,000 men and were no match for Kim's warriors, which numbered about ten times as many. Baekje, which had been experiencing internal political problems, crumbled. Kim's Silla forces and their Tang allies now moved on Goguryeo from two directions, and in 661 they attacked the seemingly impregnable Goguryeo kingdom, but were repelled. The attack had weakened Goguryeo, though. In 667 another offensive was launched which, in 668, finally destroyed Goguryeo.

Silla still had to subdue various pockets of resistance, but their efforts were then focused on ensuring that their Tang allies did not overstay their welcome on the peninsula. After some difficult conflicts, Silla eventually forced out the Tang troops and united the peninsula under their rule.

Legends

Many stories exist about Kim Yusin. It is told that he once was ordered to subdue a rebel army, but his troops refused to fight as they had seen a large star fall from the sky and took this to be a bad omen. To regain the confidence of his troops, the General used a large kite to carry a fire ball into the sky. The soldiers, seeing the star return to heaven, rallied and defeated the rebels. It is also related how General Kim ingeniously used kites as a means of communication between his troops when they had become divided between islands and the mainland. Another story relates how, while Silla was allied with the Tang against Baekje, an argument broke out between Kim's commander and So Jung-Bang, a Tang general. As the argument escalated into a potentially bloody confrontation, Kim's sword was said to have leaped from its scabbard into his hand. Because the sword of a warrior was believed to be his soul, this occurrence so frightened the Tang general that he immediately apologised to the Silla officers.

Incidents such as this kept the Tang in awe of the Hwarang, and meant that in later years, when asked by the Tang emperor to attack Silla, the Tang generals refused, claiming that although Silla was small, it could not be defeated.

His final years

Throughout his life Kim had felt that Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla should not be separate countries but united. He is regarded as the driving force in the unification of the Korean Peninsula, and is the most famous of all the generals in the unification wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Kim was rewarded handsomely for his efforts in the campaigns. In 668, King Munmu granted the postumous title of "Taedaegakgan" (태대각간, 太大角干). He reportedly received a village of over 500 households, and in 669 was given some 142 separate horse farms, spread throughout the kingdom. He died four years later, leaving behind ten children.

Kim lived to the age of 78 and is considered to be one of the most famous generals and masters of Korean swords in Korean history. He is the focus of numerous stories and legends, and is familiar to most Koreans from a very early age. Following his death in 673, General Kim was awarded the honorary title of King Heungmu, and was buried at the foot of Songhwa Mountain, near Gyeongju in southeastern Korea, in a tomb as splendid as that of kings.

Legacy

Kim Yusin is remembered by his people to have been one of the greatest generals in Korean history. He was said to have had a desire to give his life to unification efforts. His ultimate legacy is the unifying of the Korean nation. One of his ten children, Won-Sul, became a general during the time of King Munmu of Silla, and he was essential in the complete independence of Silla from the Tang. If not for Kim Yushin, the nation of Korea would not have been unified. Though the current situation of Korea is not what it used to be, the Korean people are an indistinguishable nation of people with an overall unique culture. This is the ultimate legacy of General Kim Yushin.

Sources

*McBride, Richard D. “Hidden Agendas in the Life Writing of Kim Yusin.” "Acta Koreana", vol. 1 (August 1998):101–142.

ee also

*List of Korea-related topics
*Korean history
*Three Kingdoms of Korea

External links

* [http://www.hwarangdo.com/hwarang.htm#yusin Kim Yusin]
* [http://www.kcaf.or.kr/art500/kimkyungseung/y60/g606.htm Kim Yushin statue]