| Despite being born into a relatively wealthy family, his beginnings were humble, and his lifestyle would best be described as spartan. He paid little heed to his own clothes and meals, and eschewed fine garments or other comforts even when he became famous and could easily have enjoyed them. He disliked men who desired expensive articles, and he viewed simplicity as a virtue. His motto, left to him by his father, was "Do not be covetous of gold". Military career Such a man was well suited for military service, and Choi quickly gained the confidence of both his men and his king during numerous battles with Japanese pirates who began raiding the Korean coast around 1350. At 36 years of age he became a national hero when he successfully put down a rebellion by Cho Il-shin after the insurgents had surrounded the palace, killed many officials and had proclaimed Cho king. Then, in 1355, the Red Turban Rebellion took place in areas of the troubled Mongol Yuan Dynasty that occupied China. As Goryeo was a tributary state of the Yuan since 13th century, Choi Yong was sent to help the Mongols squash the rebellion, and his success in nearly thirty different battles won him even more fame and favour at home. Upon returning to Korea, he dutifully reported to King Gongmin the internal problems experienced by the waning Yuan Dynasty, which gave the king the idea that the time was right to reclaim some of the northern territories previously lost to the Mongols. Choi fought to recover various towns west of the Yalu River, to the great delight of his king. He served briefly as the Mayor of P'yŏngyang, where his efforts at increasing crop production and mitigating famine won him even more attention as a national hero. In 1363, he distinguished himself further when a powerful minister named Kim Yon-an tried to overthrow the government. Choi gathered up his forces and defeated a Mongol force of 10,000 which subsequently attacked Goryeo in support of the rebellion. Betrayal and redemption Following a dream that he thought predicted that a Buddhist monk would save his life, King Gongmin promoted a monk named Shin Don to a lofty position within his court, and allowed him considerable influence. At first Shin Ton toiled to improve the lives of the peasants with great opposition from the ministers. However with the king's support he grew increasingly ruthless and corrupt, and Choi – who vigorously opposed corruption in the kingdom – found himself at odds with him. Subsequently, Shin Ton engineered false accusations of misconduct against Choi that resulted in a punishment of six years in exile, and brought him dangerously close to execution. However, when Shin Ton died, Choi Yong was restored to his previous position and was immediately asked to prepare a fleet to fight the Japanese pirates and eliminate the remaining Mongol forces on Jeju Island. He engaged the Mongols first, who fought tenaciously, but Choi's forces eventually freed the island. Then, in 1376, the Wokou pirates advanced into Goryeo and captured the city of Gongju. Chong Mong-Chu secured assistance from the Japanese Shogun to eliminate these pirates, but the Japanese were of little help. With the new gunpowder discovered by scientist Choe Mu-seon, General Choi Yong and his subordinate Yi Seonggye managed to rout and eventually defeat the pirates and reclaim Gongju. Final years The Ming Dynasty in China had become powerful during the 14th century, and had driven back the Yuan to Mongolia and occupied Manchuria and parts of north-eastern Goryeo. In 1388, General Yi Seonggye was ordered to use his armies to push the Ming armies out of the Korean peninsula and invade Liaodong. However, Yi, knowing the support he enjoyed from both the high-ranking government officials and the general populace, he decided to return to the capital, Kaesŏng, and trigger a coup d'etat. This incident later became famous as the Wihwado Retreat, and became the first sign of the change of dynasty. When Yi returned to the capital, Choe Yong put up a gallant fight at the palace, but was overwhelmed by Yi's forces. Records differ as to what happened next, although it seems likely that after his defeat, Choi was banished to Goyang. He was later beheaded in the name of the government controlled by Yi Seonggye. Before the execution, he was famously known to have predicted that grass would never grow on his grave, due to his unjust demise. Interestingly, grass never did grow on his grave, and it was known as joekbun, which means red grave, because of the red soil. In 1979, the first sprouts of grass were found growing from General Choi's grave. Legacy There have been many judgements about General Choi as there had been about Yi Seonggye. Some people consider him a great general who was wholeheartedly devoted to the protection of his country, while others consider him to be a strict conservative tyrant who ursurped the government. However, he risked his life many times for Goryeo, and his unswerving loyalty eventually cost him his life. |
| III |
CHOI-YONG
| Movements - 46 Ready Posture - CLOSED READY STANCE C Pattern Meaning CHOI-YONG is named after General Choi Yong, premier and commander in chief of the armed forces during the 14th century Koryo Dynasty. Choi Yong was greatly respected for his loyalty, patriotism, and humility. He was executed by his subordinate commanders headed by general Yi Sung Gae, who later became the first King of the Lee Dynasty. |
1. Move the left foot to D to form a right rear foot stance toward D while executing a middle guarding
block to D with the forearm.
2. Execute a high punch to D with the left middle knuckle fist while maintaining a right rear foot stance
toward D
3. Move the left foot on line CD to form a left rear foot stance toward C while executing a middle
guarding block to C with the forearm.
4. Execute a high punch to C with the right middle knuckle fist while maintaining a left rear foot stance
toward C
5. Move the right foot on line CD to form a left walking stance toward D while executing a rising block
with the left knife-hand.
6. Execute a circular block to AD with the right inner forearm while maintaining a left walking stance
toward D.
7. Execute a middle punch to D with the left fist while maintaining a left walking stance toward D.
8. Move the left foot on line CD to form a right walking stance toward C while executing a rising block
with the right knife-hand.
9. Execute a circular block to AC with the left inner forearm while maintaining a right walking stance
toward C.
10. Execute a middle punch to C with the right fist while maintaining a right walking stance toward C.
11. Move the right foot on line CD to form a right L-stance toward D while executing a low guarding
block to D with a knife-hand.
12. Execute a middle turning kick to AD with the right foot and then lower it to the side front of the left
foot.
13. Execute a high reverse hooking kick to D with the left foot.
14. Execute a middle side piercing kick to D with the left foot, pulling both hands in the opposite
direction. Perform 13 and 14 in a consecutive kick.
15. Lower the left foot to D forming a left walking stance toward D while striking the left palm with the
right front elbow.
16. Move the left foot on line CD to form a left L-stance toward C while executing a low guarding block
to C with a knife-hand.
17. Execute a middle turning kick to AC with the left foot and then lower it to the side front of the right
foot.
18. Execute a high reverse hooking kick to C with the right foot.
19. Execute a middle side piercing kick to C with the right foot, pulling both hands in the opposite
direction. Perform 18 and 19 in a consecutive kick.
20. Lower the right foot to C forming a right walking stance toward C while striking the right palm with
the left front elbow.
21. Move the left foot to C to form a left walking stance toward C while executing a pressing block with
the right palm.
22. Move the right foot to C forming a right walking stance toward C while executing a pressing block
with the left palm. Perform 21 and 22 in a fast motion.
23. Move the right foot to D and then the left foot to D, turning counter clockwise to form a left walking
stance toward D while executing a W-shape block with a knife-hand.
24. Execute a middle front snap kick to D with the right foot keeping the position of the hands as they
were in 23.
25. Lower the right foot to C forming a right L-stance toward D while executing a middle guarding block
to D with the forearm.
26. Move the right foot to D to form a right walking stance toward D while executing a W-shape block
with a knife-hand.
27. Execute a middle front snap kick to D with the left foot keeping the position of the hands as they
were in 26.
28. Lower the left foot to d forming a left L-stance toward C while executing a middle guarding block to
C with the forearm.
29. Move the left foot to C and the right foot to C then slide to C turning clockwise to form a left
L-stance toward D while executing a middle guarding block to D with the forearm.
30. Move the left foot to D forming a left walking stance toward D while executing a high thrust to D
with the left flat fingertip.
31. Move the left foot on line CD forming a right walking stance toward C while executing a high thrust
to C with the right flat fingertip.
32. Move the right foot to D turning clockwise to form a parallel stance toward B while executing a
middle hooking block to B with the right palm.
33. Execute a middle punch to B with the left fist while maintaining a parallel stance toward B.
34. Turn the face toward A while forming a left bending ready stance A toward A.
35. Execute a middle side piercing kick to A with the right foot forming a forearm guarding block.
36. Lower the right foot to A in a jumping motion to form a right X-stance toward AD while executing a
high side strike to A with the right back fist and bringing the left finger belly to the right side fist.
37. Execute a high reverse hooking kick to B with the right foot.
38. Lower the right foot to B in a stamping motion to form a left L-stance toward B while executing a
middle outward strike to B with the right knife-hand.
39. Move the left foot to D turning counter-clockwise to form a parallel stance toward A at the same
time executing a middle hooking block to A with the left palm.
40. Execute a middle punch to A with the right fist while maintaining a parallel stance toward A.
41. Turn the face to B while forming a right bending ready stance A toward B.
42. Execute a middle side piercing kick to B with the left foot forming a forearm guarding block.
43. Lower the left foot to B in a jumping motion forming a left X-stance toward BD while executing a
high side strike to B with the left back fist and bringing the right finger belly to the left side fist.
44. Execute a high reverse hooking kick to A with the left foot.
45. Lower the left foot to A in a stamping motion to form a right L-stance toward A while executing a
middle outward strike to A with the left knife-hand.
46. Slide to A to form a right fixed stance toward A while executing a middle punch to A with the right
fist.
END: Bring the right foot back to a ready posture.
block to D with the forearm.
2. Execute a high punch to D with the left middle knuckle fist while maintaining a right rear foot stance
toward D
3. Move the left foot on line CD to form a left rear foot stance toward C while executing a middle
guarding block to C with the forearm.
4. Execute a high punch to C with the right middle knuckle fist while maintaining a left rear foot stance
toward C
5. Move the right foot on line CD to form a left walking stance toward D while executing a rising block
with the left knife-hand.
6. Execute a circular block to AD with the right inner forearm while maintaining a left walking stance
toward D.
7. Execute a middle punch to D with the left fist while maintaining a left walking stance toward D.
8. Move the left foot on line CD to form a right walking stance toward C while executing a rising block
with the right knife-hand.
9. Execute a circular block to AC with the left inner forearm while maintaining a right walking stance
toward C.
10. Execute a middle punch to C with the right fist while maintaining a right walking stance toward C.
11. Move the right foot on line CD to form a right L-stance toward D while executing a low guarding
block to D with a knife-hand.
12. Execute a middle turning kick to AD with the right foot and then lower it to the side front of the left
foot.
13. Execute a high reverse hooking kick to D with the left foot.
14. Execute a middle side piercing kick to D with the left foot, pulling both hands in the opposite
direction. Perform 13 and 14 in a consecutive kick.
15. Lower the left foot to D forming a left walking stance toward D while striking the left palm with the
right front elbow.
16. Move the left foot on line CD to form a left L-stance toward C while executing a low guarding block
to C with a knife-hand.
17. Execute a middle turning kick to AC with the left foot and then lower it to the side front of the right
foot.
18. Execute a high reverse hooking kick to C with the right foot.
19. Execute a middle side piercing kick to C with the right foot, pulling both hands in the opposite
direction. Perform 18 and 19 in a consecutive kick.
20. Lower the right foot to C forming a right walking stance toward C while striking the right palm with
the left front elbow.
21. Move the left foot to C to form a left walking stance toward C while executing a pressing block with
the right palm.
22. Move the right foot to C forming a right walking stance toward C while executing a pressing block
with the left palm. Perform 21 and 22 in a fast motion.
23. Move the right foot to D and then the left foot to D, turning counter clockwise to form a left walking
stance toward D while executing a W-shape block with a knife-hand.
24. Execute a middle front snap kick to D with the right foot keeping the position of the hands as they
were in 23.
25. Lower the right foot to C forming a right L-stance toward D while executing a middle guarding block
to D with the forearm.
26. Move the right foot to D to form a right walking stance toward D while executing a W-shape block
with a knife-hand.
27. Execute a middle front snap kick to D with the left foot keeping the position of the hands as they
were in 26.
28. Lower the left foot to d forming a left L-stance toward C while executing a middle guarding block to
C with the forearm.
29. Move the left foot to C and the right foot to C then slide to C turning clockwise to form a left
L-stance toward D while executing a middle guarding block to D with the forearm.
30. Move the left foot to D forming a left walking stance toward D while executing a high thrust to D
with the left flat fingertip.
31. Move the left foot on line CD forming a right walking stance toward C while executing a high thrust
to C with the right flat fingertip.
32. Move the right foot to D turning clockwise to form a parallel stance toward B while executing a
middle hooking block to B with the right palm.
33. Execute a middle punch to B with the left fist while maintaining a parallel stance toward B.
34. Turn the face toward A while forming a left bending ready stance A toward A.
35. Execute a middle side piercing kick to A with the right foot forming a forearm guarding block.
36. Lower the right foot to A in a jumping motion to form a right X-stance toward AD while executing a
high side strike to A with the right back fist and bringing the left finger belly to the right side fist.
37. Execute a high reverse hooking kick to B with the right foot.
38. Lower the right foot to B in a stamping motion to form a left L-stance toward B while executing a
middle outward strike to B with the right knife-hand.
39. Move the left foot to D turning counter-clockwise to form a parallel stance toward A at the same
time executing a middle hooking block to A with the left palm.
40. Execute a middle punch to A with the right fist while maintaining a parallel stance toward A.
41. Turn the face to B while forming a right bending ready stance A toward B.
42. Execute a middle side piercing kick to B with the left foot forming a forearm guarding block.
43. Lower the left foot to B in a jumping motion forming a left X-stance toward BD while executing a
high side strike to B with the left back fist and bringing the right finger belly to the left side fist.
44. Execute a high reverse hooking kick to A with the left foot.
45. Lower the left foot to A in a stamping motion to form a right L-stance toward A while executing a
middle outward strike to A with the left knife-hand.
46. Slide to A to form a right fixed stance toward A while executing a middle punch to A with the right
fist.
END: Bring the right foot back to a ready posture.