Paek Tongsu or Baek Dong-soo (; 1743–1816) was a Korean martial artist and swordsman of the

Suwon Baek clan The Suwon Baek clan () is a Korean clans, Korean clan. It is from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. According to research conducted in 2015, the number of members of the clan was 354,428. Their founder was , who came to Korea during the Silla period and ...

. He became a

folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythology, mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in Folk music, folk songs, folk tales ...

when his group protected

King Jeongjo Jeongjo (; 28 October 1752 – 18 August 1800), personal name Yi San (), sometimes called Jeongjo the Great (), was the 22nd monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Crown Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyŏng, and succeeded ...

from

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

attempts. He was known as the best warrior in Joseon. He was of low social class because he was a Seo-er (child of a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

History

In 1771, he passed the military service examination but the Joseon government didn't hire him. Given the social climate of the time included discrimination based on social status. In 1773, he gave up on getting an official position and left Seoul to live in seclusion, hiding in a rural village

Inje Inje County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Gangwon-do (South Korea), Gangwon Province, South Korea. It has the lowest population density of any South Korean county. The county seat is Inje-eup, which located near the ce ...

in Gangwon. In 1788, at the age of 45, Paek Dong-soo was appointed to a government position as the head of the Royal Guards by King

Jeongjo Jeongjo (; 28 October 1752 – 18 August 1800), personal name Yi San (), sometimes called Jeongjo the Great (), was the 22nd monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Crown Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyŏng, and succeede ...

, who had just ascended to the throne. From then on, Paek Dong-soo trained elite soldiers for the king while serving as his personal guard. In 1789, King Jeongjo ordered Paek Dong-soo and his two friends, Yi Deok-mu and Park Jae-ga, to write a book on

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

. Within a year, they completed ''

Muyedobotongji ''Muyedobot'ongji'' (; ''Muye Dobo Tong Ji'') was a Korean martial arts text written by , Pak Chega, and Paek Tongsu and published in four volumes in 1795. It was commissioned in 1790 by King Jeongjo (r. 1740–1810). It expanded on the eigh ...

''. That book is considered a classic work that combines the best martial arts techniques from across East Asia, featuring detailed illustrations and explanations. It is highly regarded both as literary and as a stand-alone instruction manual East Asian martial arts.

In popular culture

His life became the basis for the Korean

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

"Honorable Baek Dong-soo" written by Lee Jae-hoon which was turned into a ''

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

''.

Film and television

He was portrayed by

Ji Chang-wook Ji Chang-wook (; born 5 July 1987) is a South Korean actor and singer. He rose to fame for playing the lead role of Dong-hae in daily drama series '' Smile Again'' (2010–2011), and has had notable lead roles in television series such as '' W ...

and

Yeo Jin-goo Yeo Jin-goo (, born August 13, 1997) is a South Korean actor. Yeo began his career as a child actor, debuting in the film ''Sad Movie'' (2005). Nicknamed "Nation's Little Sister, Nation's Little Brother", he went on to play the younger characte ...

in the 2011 SBS TV series ''

Warrior Baek Dong-soo ''Warrior Baek Dong-soo'' () is a 2011 South Korean fusion historical/action television series starring Ji Chang-wook in the title role, with Yoo Seung-ho, Yoon So-yi, Shin Hyun-been, Choi Min-soo and Jun Kwang-ryul. It aired on SBS from Jul ...

''. He was portrayed by

Oh Ji-ho Oh Ji-ho (; born April 14, 1976) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for the television dramas '' Couple or Trouble'' (2006), '' The Slave Hunters'' (2010), '' The Queen of Office'' (2013) and ''My Fair Lady'' (2016). Career Oh was born an ...

in 2012 film ''

The Grand Heist ''The Grand Heist'' (; "Gone With the Wind") is a 2012 South Korean heist action comedy film about a gang of 11 thieves who try to steal ice blocks from the royal storage, ''Seobingo'', during the last years of the Joseon era. It was released ...

''.

Literature

The 2010 comic Honorable Baek Dong-soo by Lee Jae-heon, the series is about how Joseon historical figure Baek Dong-soo grew to become a swordsman and folk hero.

Family

*Father: **Paek Sa-goeng (백사굉, 白師宏; 1721–1792) ***Younger brother: Paek Dong-gan () *Wife: Lady, of the Jinju Yu clan (부인 진주 유씨, 夫人晉州柳氏; 1738–1790) **1st son: Paek Sim-jin () **2nd son: Paek Seong-jin ()

References

External links

SBS '무사 백동수', 월화극 시청률 정상 , 연합뉴스
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paek, Tongsu 1743 births 1816 deaths 18th-century Korean people 19th-century Korean people Korean male martial artists Korean warriors Suwon Baek clan Swordfighters