Battle of Haeyuryeong

Overview

The Battle of Haeyuryeong (also called the Battle of Yangju) took place on the sixteenth day of the fifth lunar month of 1592 (June 25 in the Gregorian calendar) at Haeyuryeong (蟹踰嶺, Genemi Pass) in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. In it, a Joseon force led by Vice Commander-in-Chief Sin Gak made a surprise attack on a Japanese unit and defeated it. It is regarded as the first victory won by the Joseon army on land after the Japanese landing at Busan, but it is also remembered as a tragic battle because Sin Gak was executed before news of his achievement reached the court. The battlefield is located in Yeongok-ri, Baekseok-eup, present-day Yangju City, and it has been designated a Gyeonggi Provincial Monument.

Background

As Hanseong fell, Commander-in-Chief Kim Myeong-won and Vice Commander-in-Chief Sin Gak were responsible for defending the Han River, but they failed to halt the advance of the Japanese forces. Kim Myeong-won withdrew toward the Imjin River, while Sin Gak followed Commander of the Capital Guard Yi Yang-won into the mountains of Yangju and gathered the scattered troops. At this time, he joined forces with the army of Yi Hon, Military Commander of South Hamgyong Province, who had marched south from Hamgyong Province with troops to rescue the king.

Course of the Battle

Some of the Japanese forces that had entered Hanseong went out to nearby towns and engaged in plundering. Sin Gak and Yi Hon learned that a Japanese unit was moving toward Yangju, and they concealed their troops near Haeyuryeong pass. When the Japanese, who were crossing the pass in disorder, entered the ambush point, the Joseon troops fired arrows at them from all sides and beheaded more than seventy of them (『한국민족문화대백과사전』 「양주전투」).

Execution of Sin Gak

Kim Myeong-won reported to the court that Sin Gak had not followed his command and had gone off on his own to follow Yi Yang-won. Believing this report, the court sent a Royal Military Officer to order Sin Gak's execution. Afterward, when Sin Gak's report of victory and the heads of the Japanese soldiers arrived, King Seonjo hastily issued an order to halt the execution, but by the time a second Royal Military Officer arrived, the execution had already been carried out. Korean Wikipedia records the date of the execution as the eighteenth day of the fifth lunar month (June 27 in the Gregorian calendar). Regarding the circumstances of Sin Gak's execution, the Korean National Encyclopedia's entry on 「양주전투」 attributes it to Kim Myeong-won's false report, while its entry on 「신각」 attributes it to a report claiming that Sin Gak had fled after following Yi Yang-won, so the two entries differ in emphasis.

Outcome and Impact

The victory at Haeyuryeong showed that even when the Japanese moved without order, they could be defeated through ambush and surprise attack. However, the court, which was then in flight, received this news late because the roads were blocked. With the loss of Sin Gak and the distrust toward Kim Myeong-won compounded, the chain of command became even more confused in the two days later.