Yun Ung-ryeol (Korean: 윤웅렬; Hanja: 尹雄烈; 18 May 1840[1] – 22 September 1911) was a Korean general and politician during the Joseon and Korean Empire periods. He was a member of the Gaehwa Party and a pro-Japanese scholar-official. He is also known as Yun Woong NielorYun Ung-nyeol.[2] His art name was Bangye (반계; 磻溪).
| Yun Ung-nyeol | |
Yun Ung-nyeol (left) and a friend attired in traditional Korean clothing. The two are engaged in a game of "Go-ban" (oriental chess) in one of the rooms of Yun's home in Seoul c. 1903.
| |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 윤웅렬 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Yun Ung-nyeol |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yun Ungnyŏl |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 반계 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Bangye |
| McCune–Reischauer | Pangye |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | 영중 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Yeongjoong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yongjung |
Yun Ung-nyeol was a member of one of the prominent yangban families of Korea, the Haepyeong Yun clan (해평 윤씨; 海平 尹氏). His family was considered wealthy,[3] which his father had paved the way to prominence by himself. From his early age, Yun and his younger brother were famous for their great physical abilities.[4]
At the age of 17, Yun went to Seoul by himself and took the Gwageo Military Examination, and passed the exam, making him an official.[4]
From 1881, Yun was in charge of the new army of Joseon Dynasty, also known as the Pyŏlgigun. As a member of the Gaehwa Party, Yun participated in the Gapsin Coup. After the short-lived new government was formed, Yun was appointed as Minister of Justice, and Vice mayor of Seoul.[5]
In 1904, Yun Ung-nyeol was appointed as the Korea's Minister of War.[6] On 30 September 1904, Yun was appointed as the Chief of Staff of Korean Empire[7] but he resigned on 30 January 1905 making him the last incumbent.[8] He died in 1911, aged 71.
In modern Korean historiography, General Yun has been designated one of the Chinilpa or pro-Japanese activists of the 1900s (decade).[9]