Byeolmuban is the name of a special army unit in the time of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unifica ...

Dynasty (918–1392). The word ''byeol'' literally means star, but also has the meaning of special. Founding of the army was initiated by

Yun Gwan Yun Gwan (윤관, 尹瓘; 12 July 1040 – 15 June 1111) was a general of Goryeo who was known for training the Byeolmuban and leading it to victory against the Jurchen tribes. Family * Grandfather ** Yun Geum-kang (윤금강, 尹金剛) * ...

during the reign of king

Sukjong of Goryeo Sukjong of Goryeo (2 September 1054 – 10 November 1105) (r. 1095–1105) was the 15th ruler of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. Sukjong rose to the throne in 1095 upon the abdication of his young nephew, Heonjong. He oversaw various internal i ...

. The army was put together to fight the Jurchen who were putting pressure on Goryeo's northern borders. The Goryeo infantry had a hard time resisting the strong Jurchen cavalry.

Organization

The ''Byeolmuban'' army had six divisions:

regular army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standi ...

and Armor Guards called ''Jeonggyugun'' (정규군, 正規軍)

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

called ''Sinbogun'' (신보군, 神步軍), Cavalry called ''Sin-gigun'' (신기군, 神騎軍), an army of Buddhist monks called ''Hangmagun'' (항마군, 降魔軍),

Supporting troop Support may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Supporting character Business and finance * Support (technical analysis) * Child support * Customer support * Income Support Construction * Support (structure), or lateral support, a ...

made of slaves called ''Yeonhogun'' (연호군,烟戶軍), and volunteered

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

made of merchants and ordinary citizens called Jubugunhyeon (주부군현, 州府郡縣). Combating troops were divided into Assassin/Spies called ''Sinbo'' (신보, 神步), Siege Engineers called ''Dotang'' (도탕, 跳蕩), Archers called ''Gyeonggung'' (경궁, 梗弓), Builders called ''Jeongno'' (정노, 精弩), Ballistic/Cannon gunners called ''Balhwa'' (발화, 發火), and special force called ''Teugibudae'' (특기부대, 特技部隊). They were to be trained and maintain/make weapons & fight with regular army. During the second year of king

Yejong of Goryeo Yejong of Goryeo (11 February 1079 – 15 May 1122) (r. 1105–1122) was the 16th monarch of the Korean Goryeo dynasty. He was the eldest son of King Sukjong and Queen Myeongui, and succeeded to the throne upon his father's death. His reign is u ...

's reign the byeomuban, consisting of 17,000 soldiers, attacked Jurchen and killed approximately 5,000 Jurchen troops, detained another 5,000 POWs and 350 Jurchen tribal clans and took over their territory by building nine fortresses at Hamju region. Fortresses were called Northeastern Nine Fortresses, and they are in Hamju (함주, 咸州), Yeongju (영주, 英州), Ungju (웅주, 雄州), Bokju (복주, 福州), Gilju (길주, 吉州), Gongheomjin, (공험진, 公咽鎭), Sungnyeong (숭녕, 崇寧), Tongtae (통태, 通泰), and Jinyang (진양, 眞陽). However internal trouble at the Goryeo court later forced the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

to leave Jurchen territory just after few years.

References

{{Reflist 별무반 (別武班) - https://web.archive.org/web/20070327072129/http://mtcha.com.ne.kr/korea-term/goryo/term67-byulmuban.htm Military history of Korea