Battle of Kuju

Not to be confused with Siege of Kuju.

Battle of Gwiju
Part of Third Goryeo-Khitan War
Date 10 March 1019 Location Kuju (present-day Kusong), North Pyongan Result Goryeo victory
Belligerents
Liao dynasty	Goryeo
Commanders and leaders
Xiao Paiya	Kang Kamch'an Kang Minch'ŏm Kim Chonghyŏn
Strength
100,000	12,000
Casualties and losses
90,000+	few thousand

Battle of Kuju
Traditional Chinese	龜州大捷
Simplified Chinese	龟州大捷
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Guīzhōu dàjié

Battle of Kuju
Hangul	귀주대첩
Hanja	龜州大捷
Revised Romanization	Gwiju Daecheop
McCune–Reischauer	Kwiju Taech'ŏp

The Battle of Gwiju, which occurred in 1019, was the major battle during the Third Goryeo–Khitan War (1018-1019), fought between the Khitan-led Liao dynasty of China and the Goryeo dynasty of Korea.

After crossing the Aprok River, the Liao dynasty troops invaded the Goryeo dynasty. The Goryeo general Kang Kamch'an dammed a stream and released it as the Liao troops were crossing. Despite suffering significant casualties, some Liao troops marched to Gaegyeong, the capital of Goryeo.

During their campaign, general Kang Kamch'an cut the supplies of the Liao troops and harassed them relentlessly. Exhausted, the Liao troops decided to retreat hastily northward. Monitoring the movement of their troops, general Kang Kamch'an attacked them in the vicinity of Gwiju, ending in a complete victory for the Goryeo dynasty.

Aftermath

After the battle, peace negotiations followed and the Liao dynasty did not invade Korea again. Korea entered in a long and peaceful period with its foreign neighbours across the Yalu River.

See also

• Goryeo-Khitan Wars
• First Goryeo-Khitan War
• Second Goryeo-Khitan War
• Third Goryeo-Khitan War
• Kang Kamch'an
• Siege of Kusong

Sources

• Rossabi, Morris (1983-05-20). China Among Equals: The Middle Kingdom and Its Neighbors, 10th-14th Centuries. University of California Press. p. 323. ISBN 9780520045620. Retrieved 30 July 2016.