19 Facts About Choe Yeong

Choe Yeong, romanized as Choi Young, was a Korean general born in Hongseong or Cheorwon during the Goryeo period.

Choe Yeong became a national hero after he put down the Jo Il-shin rebellion.

Choe Yeong participated in the Red Turban Rebellions and later allied with the Ming dynasty to overthrow the Mongol Yuan dynasty.

Choe Yeong was born into the prestigious Cheolwon Choe noble clan as the fifth descendant of Choe Yu-cheong, the Grand Scholar of Jiphyeonjeon, the Royal Academy, and the son of Choe Won-jik.

Choe Yeong was raised in a strict austere lifestyle, befitting a noble aristocratic family of Goryeo.

Choe Yeong paid little heed to what he wore and ate, and eschewed fine garments and other comforts even after becoming famous and successful.

Choe Yeong disliked men who desired expensive articles, and he viewed simplicity as a virtue.

Choe Yeong's motto, left to him by his father, was to regard gold as nothing but mere rocks.

In 1352, at the age of 36, Choe Yeong became a national hero after he successfully put down a rebellion by Jo Il-shin when insurgents surrounded the royal palace, killed many officials, and proclaimed Jo Il-shin as the new ruler.

General Choe Yeong fought to recover various towns west of the Yalu River to the great delight of Gongmin.

In 1360, Choe Yeong defeated the Red Turbans during the Red Turban invasions of Goryeo.

Choe Yu, appointed by Empress Gi of Yuan, invaded Korea with 10,000 Mongol cavalry to overthrow the rebellious king, but Choe Yeong gathered up his forces and defeated the Mongol Tumen of 10,000, solidifying the final defiance and independence of Goryeo dynasty from the Mongols in 1364.

In 1368, when the new Ming dynasty of China offered an alliance against the Mongols, King Gongmin of Goryeo ordered Choe Yeong to invade the remaining Mongol garrisons in Manchuria.

Choe Yeong maneuvered north of the Yalu River and captured Oro Mountain Fortress and the city of Liaoyang in 1370, but this did not lead to a permanent settlement.

Choe Yeong engaged the Mongols first, who fought tenaciously, but Choe's forces eventually freed the island.

General Choe Yeong was betrayed and executed by his former subordinate Yi Seong-gye.

General Choe ordered the invasion nevertheless, supported by the young King U However, knowing the support he enjoyed from high-ranking government officials and the general populace, Yi Seong-gye decided to return to the capital, Gaegyeong, and trigger a coup d'etat.

When Yi Seong-gye returned to the capital, Choe Yeong Young put up a gallant defense at the palace, but was outnumbered and overwhelmed.

General Choe Yeong was defeated, captured, and banished to Goyang and was later beheaded by Yi Seong-gye's government.