Person1552 – 1617

Gwak Jae-u

The first militia leader to rise, in Uiryeong; called the Red-Robed General

A disciple of Jo Sik. In April 1592 he spent his fortune raising a militia at his home of Uiryeong, and by holding off the Japanese at Jeongamjin he protected the land west of the Nakdong and the road into Jeolla. In the second Japanese invasion of 1597 he held Hwawangsan Fortress.

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1 related event

1
1592Gwak Jae-u Raises a Militiamilitia leader
About ten days into the war Gwak Jae-u raised a volunteer militia in Uiryeong, and militias soon rose across the country.

People who appear alongside

Jo Sik (Nammyeong)1501 – 1572
Neo-Confucian scholar of western Gyeongsang who stressed reverence, righteousness and practice; his disciples formed the Northerners and led militias in the Imjin War

Themes this person appears in

Imjin War1592 – 1598
From the Japanese invasion to the Battle of Noryang — the righteous armies, Yi Sun-sin at sea, and Ming intervention