Third Battle of Pyongyang

Third Battle of Pyongyang (第三次平壤城戰鬪) was fought after the Second Battle of Pyongyang, in which the Joseon–Ming allied forces suffered their first defeat. To check the Japanese army, volunteer militias came forward. Im Jung-ryang and Yun Bong of the Ming army, along with the brothers Cha Eun-jin and Cha Eun-ro, led the volunteers in setting up fortified positions and fighting the Japanese. However, Konishi Yukinaga launched a massive attack on the Ming forces, most of the volunteers were wiped out, and Yun Bong was killed in action.

Meanwhile, the Joseon court, believing that the Japanese strength in Pyongyang Castle had weakened, decided to gather more than the total of 20,000 Japanese troops and recapture Pyongyang Castle on its own.

It was planned that Sunbyeonsa Yi Il would attack from the east, Jobangjang Kim Gyeongseo from the west, and Sunchalsa Yi Won-ik from the north. On September 6 (lunar August 1), when the Joseon army arrived outside Botongmun of Pyongyang Castle, about 50 Japanese soldiers attacked. The Joseon forces responded by shooting arrows and killed 20 of them. Their morale rose, and they charged toward the castle gate. At that moment, several thousand Japanese troops emerged from within the castle and counterattacked, and the Joseon army was eventually split in two. Command collapsed, and soldiers who had not received proper training scattered. The Joseon army was pushed back by the fierce Japanese assault. The remaining troops barely withdrew to the west, and because they retreated quickly, they reduced their casualties somewhat. Nevertheless, this was the third defeat at the same location during the Imjin War, the first such record among the battles of that war.

Among them, only Kim Gyeongseo charged into the enemy lines, and 7,000 men were killed in action, resulting in a crushing defeat to the Japanese.

Significance of the Third Battle of Pyongyang

This was the first independent operation by the Joseon army since the Ming reinforcements arrived. Although it ended in a great failure, it held significance in showing that the Joseon army could still deploy as many as 20,000 troops.