Pak Chin (, 25th day, 8th month of 1560 – 30th day, 3rd month of 1597) was a Korean military leader of the mid-Joseon period. He was best known for his service during the Imjin War, particularly as Army Commander of Left Gyeongsang Province, where he oversaw the reorganization of provincial defenses and led campaigns to recover territory from Japanese forces.
Born in 1560 in Miryang, Pak came from a military family and entered official service through special recommendation. After passing the military examination in 1584, he held various posts before being appointed magistrate of Miryang in 1592, shortly before the outbreak of the Imjin War. During the initial Japanese advance, he participated in defensive actions at Sosan and Miryang and was subsequently promoted to Army Commander of Left Gyeongsang Province.
From mid-1592 onward, Pak directed efforts to rebuild command structures in Left Gyeongsang Province. Operating from Andong and Angang, he coordinated regular troops and righteous armies, supported operations to recapture Yeongcheon, and participated in subsequent campaigns to retake Gyeongju. He later served in additional regional commands, including Right Gyeongsang Province, Jeolla Province, and Hwanghae Province.
Pak died in 1597 from injuries sustained during the war and in an assault by a Ming general. Although initially excluded from the list of , he was posthumously enrolled in 1613 as a third-class and granted the title of Prince Ŭngch'ŏn. His tomb in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, is designated as a Provincial Monument.
Early life Pak Chin was born on the 25th day, 8th month of 1560 in Miryang, Gyeongsang Province, Joseon. He belonged to the Miryang Pak clan; His father, Pak Insu (), served during the reign of King Myeongjong as Naval Commander () and Army Commander () of Right Gyeongsang Province, among other posts. His mother was a daughter of Kim Chadal () of the Gangneung Kim clan.
Coming from a military family, Pak received an early appointment by special recommendation and was named Royal Messenger (). In 1584, while holding the junior sixth rank, he sat for the special military service examination () and placed 68th with third-tier honors ().
In 1589, when the Border Defense Council recruited military officials without regard to regular appointment procedures, Pak was recommended by , then Minister of War, and was appointed accordingly. He subsequently served as Vice Director () at the before being appointed Magistrate of Miryang in 1592.
Imjin War
Outbreak of the Imjin War On the 13th day, 4th month of 1592, Japanese forces appeared off the coast of Busan, marking the outbreak of the Imjin War. The following day, they captured Busanjinseong and subsequently attacked the fortress and Dongnaeeupseong in succession. Upon receiving news of the invasion, the Governor () of Gyeongsang Province, , immediately issued a mobilization order throughout the province.
At the time, Pak Chin was serving as Magistrate of Miryang and led the local troops toward Dongnaeeupseong in accordance with the order. However, on the evening of the 15th day, 4th month of 1592, while en route, he learned that Dongnaeeupseong had fallen. He therefore withdrew and joined Yi Kak, the Army Commander of Left Gyeongsang Province, who had established a defensive position at Sosan Post Station () after retreating from Dongnae.
Sosan Post Station occupied rugged terrain advantageous for defense and controlled access to the Great Yeongnam Road beyond Dongnae. Pak Chin emphasized to Yi Kak that failure to hold Sosan would result in the collapse of the Yeongnam defensive line and requested reinforcement from the rear. Accordingly, a defensive formation was established in which Pak Chin led approximately 500 troops at the front while Yi Kak's forces provided support from the rear. After fighting commenced on the evening of the 15th day, 4th month of 1592, the tide gradually turned against Pak Chin's forces, prompting Yi Kak to retreat to Eonyang. With rear support cut off, Pak Chin also withdrew, passing through Yangsan before retreating to Miryang.
Battle of Miryang On the 16th day, 4th month of 1592, Pak Chin gathered the scattered remnants of his defeated troops and reorganized his forces, seeking to block the northward advance of the Japanese army in the vicinity of Chagwŏn (). Chagwŏn was a strategic point situated at the terminus of the Chakch'ŏn gallery road, beyond the Hwangsan gallery road between Yangsan and Miryang, and contained both a checkpoint and a postal station. Pak Chin deployed his troops near and devised a defensive plan to impede the Japanese advance using the narrow cliff road.
When the vanguard of the Japanese First Division led by Konishi Yukinaga was blocked by Joseon forces along the cliff road, the follow-up force led by attempted to outflank the position by ascending Mount Kŭmbyŏngsan () and cutting off the rear of Pak Chin's unit. Upon recognizing this maneuver, Pak Chin dispatched his military officers Yi Taesu () and Kim Hyou () to Mount Kŭmbyŏngsan to intercept the enemy, but all of their troops were killed in battle after being overpowered.
Following the engagements, the Joseon forces were encircled at Chagwŏn, and Pak Chin withdrew toward Miryang. After setting fire to the government offices, arsenal, and grain stores of Miryang, he broke through the Japanese encirclement and retreated toward Yeongsan. The Japanese First Division subsequently occupied Miryang on the 18th day, 4th month of 1592. Meanwhile, the Japanese Second Division captured Gyeongju on the 21st day, 4th month of 1592, and advanced to occupy Yeoncheon on the 23rd day, 4th month of 1592.
After the Battle of Miryang, Pak Chin executed Confucian scholars of Eonyang who had attempted to collaborate with the Japanese forces, gathered intelligence on Japanese movements under the command of Kim Su, and joined the loyalist forces of Gyeongsang Province.
Appointment as Provincial Army Commander On the 6th day, 5th month of 1592, Yun Tusu recommended Pak Chin and Kim Sŏngil to King Seonjo as suitable candidates for the post of Army Commander. On the 10th day, 5th month of 1592, the Royal Messenger Min Chongsin () likewise reported that the defeat might have been avoided had Yi Kak and cooperated effectively. Following such defenses, he was promoted to Army Commander of Left Gyeongsang Province.
In the latter half of the 5th month of 1592, Pak Chin was appointed Army Commander of Left Gyeongsang Province upon reaching Onyang with the loyalist forces of Gyeongsang Province. Historian Kim Jin-su assesses that the post of Army Commander of Left Gyeongsang Province at that time constituted an exceptionally difficult assignment. Owing to the war, the military and administrative command structure in the province had collapsed, and the number of troops Pak Chin could effectively command was no more than fifty. Moreover, because his predecessor Yi Kak had lost the official seal while abandoning the military camp, the legitimacy of his orders was called into question, creating further obstacles to the consolidation of command authority.
In the middle of the 6th month of 1592, Pak Chin crossed the Nakdong River at night with some thirty military officers, thereby entering Left Gyeongsang Province. At the same time, he announced his intention to proceed to Andong and ordered the magistrates of each locality to deploy ambush units and report on the military situation. At Punggak (), he gathered scattered civilians and secured approximately five hundred troops, then advanced northward toward Andong. Upon arriving at , he appointed Kwŏn Ŭngsu as Auxiliary Defense Officer (). In Cheongsong, he received the official seal from , Magistrate of , thereby establishing the legitimacy necessary for issuing commands. Thereafter, passing through Cheongsong, he reached on the 5th day, 7th month of 1592.
After consolidating his forces in the Chinbo and Cheongsong areas, Pak Chin drove out the Japanese troops occupying Andong. He entered Andong on the 19th day, 7th month of 1592, and was granted military authority by the Regional Inspector () . At Kim's recommendation, he established the there. Thereafter, he stationed elite troops in Andong, repelled renewed Japanese incursions using artillery, and deployed forces along key routes in preparation for Japanese units advancing southward from the Kangwŏn Province region.
Siege of Yeongcheon With the entry of Ming forces into the war, the Joseon court ordered southern regional troops to intercept Japanese forces. In response, Pak Chin relocated the Military Headquarters at Angang, which was situated between Yeongcheon and Gyeongju in the middle of the 7th month. He also issued orders to Kwŏn Ŭngsu, directing him to raise troops. Kwŏn Ŭngsu integrated righteous armies from Sinnyŏng, Yeongcheon, , and , organizing them into a consolidated volunteer force. On the 24th day, 7th month of 1592, he prepared for an assault on the fortress Yeongcheonseong.
After receiving Kwŏn Ŭngsu's plan, Pak Chin supplied gunpowder and military equipment through his officer Pyŏn Ŭnggyu () to support the volunteer forces. At dawn on the 26th day, 7th month of 1592, Joseon forces launched their attack on Yeongcheonseong, and on the 28th day they recaptured the stronghold.
Siege of Gyeongju After recapturing Yeongcheon, Pak Chin sought to capitalize on the momentum by planning an operation to retake Gyeongju. He assembled the righteous armies of Left Gyeongsang Province and regular troops at Angang, and toured Cheongsong, Andŏk (), and Yeongcheon to rally dispersed soldiers and civilians, thereby consolidating additional manpower. After completing a military inspection at Angang on the 20th day, 8th month of 1592, Pak Chin set out at approximately 11 p.m. that same night. He placed Pak Ŭijang and Kwŏn Ŭngsu at the vanguard and led a force of roughly ten thousand troops toward Gyeongju. Although the march was carried out under harsh conditions, with the troops unable even to take proper meals, it is recorded that the soldiers were filled with confidence, buoyed by their recent victory at Yeongcheon.
Pak Chin's army reached the gates of Gyeongjueupseong at dawn on the 21st day, 8th month of 1592. He established his command post at Kŭmjangdae Pavilion (), situated on a cliff across the stream Seocheon () overlooking the fortress, and personally directed operations on site. In preparation for the siege, Pak Chin devised a plan to fill the moat surrounding the fortress by stuffing straw mats with grass and rice straw, while simultaneously employing incendiary tactics. He encircled the fortress on three sides—east, west, and north—assigning Pak Ŭijang to command the righteous armies on the eastern flank and Kwŏn Ŭngsu to command those on the western flank.
The attack commenced with the burning of houses as a signal. In the early phase of the battle, Japanese forces were heavily pressed by Joseon forces and retreated into the fortress. The Joseon forces reportedly killed approximately one thousand enemy troops. Around noon, however, Japanese reinforcements arriving from Eonyang lay in ambush in the vicinity of Baengnyulsa Temple () and the local Confucian school. They then launched a surprise attack against the rear of the Joseon forces, initiating a pincer movement. At the same time, the Japanese troops inside the fortress mounted a counteroffensive. Joseon forces continued fighting in the area of Kyeyŏn () between Gyeongjueupseong and Seocheon, but after sustaining heavy casualties, they crossed the river and withdrew to Angang.