— Overview
Sports history, the essay says, is a microscopic study of how physical practice has changed over time. Korean research in the field is here divided into three periods. Period 1 (1953–1993) is headed by Na Hyun-seong. In 1953 the Korean Society of Physical Education was founded, a related journal was started, and a sports-history subcommittee was set up, laying a base for the work. Na published History of Korean Sports in 1958, asking how one could expect practice in physical education without a theoretical foundation. Research in this period centred on the history of sport and cultural exchange, of method, and of education. Period 2 (1994–2004) begins with the founding, in 1994, of the Korean Society of Sport History; on the basis of early work, scholars took part in various international research seminars, and research got properly under way. In this period, the notes say, the history of sport thought matured, and papers in that line were the third most numerous, after cultural-exchange history and the history of traditional sport and martial arts. Period 3 runs “from 2005 to 2017 at present,” a cut made, after the society’s twentieth anniversary, because research was judged to have entered a stable phase and a new direction was being sought. In this period, work on traditional sport and martial arts, and on competitive sport and event history, was active; in every period, work on sport culture and exchange remained active. Those years stay as 2005 to 2017, and are not treated here as a later official span. In prehistory, physical education as a field of study seems not to have existed; tools were limited, so body activity for survival would have been the main thing. After the bronze and iron ages, and once states had arisen, activity was done not only for survival but for war and for play, and an early, more systematic physical practice was formed. In the Three Kingdoms, when war was frequent, horsemanship, archery, fighting, the spear and the sword were taught and practised.
A famous Goguryeo hunting mural shows horsemanship and archery used to train body and fighting skill; Goguryeo murals also show an early form of fighting. This was not only a trait of a warlike Goguryeo: all three kingdoms trained their young men in skills useful in war. In King Jinheung’s reign a group called the hwarang arose, mainly of aristocratic boys; they trained the body and at the same time received an education in thought, learning Confucianism and Buddhism, and music and dance, for the cultivation of character, not simply as a recruitment of boy soldiers, though physical training was still held important. In Goryeo, martial arts could be taught in Gangyejae, one of the seven colleges of the Gukhak, the largest national school; many historical records have been lost, but because Goryeo fought the Jurchens and the Liao so fiercely, it can be guessed that this was an institution for training generals who could fight in the field. Official posts were divided into civil and military; for military men the important fighting art was subak, and a horseback game, gyeokgu, played with a ball somewhat as golf is played today, also flourished. When military men rose in revolt and a hundred years of military rule followed, civil officials were slighted and military officials honoured. Joseon, like Goryeo, divided posts into civil and military, but unlike Goryeo had a separate military examination, the mugwa, and separate institutions for training military men; yet, as in the early military period of Goryeo, a strong tendency to honour letters and slight arms, under Neo-Confucianism, is also named. The largest part of Joseon sports history, the notes say, is the Muyedobotongji of King Jeongjo’s reign, compiled in 1790 by his order, by Park Je-ga, Lee Deok-mu, and the then well-known martial artist Baek Dong-su. It combined and supplemented earlier manuals, explained combat techniques and weapons usable in real fighting rather than leaning only on the theory of strategy, and drew each movement so that it could be understood; it was used as a manual for military training. In late Joseon, after the opening of the ports and the taking-in of new Western things, Korean sports history, the notes say, took on a different look. Shop chrome is unused.
— Contents and key concepts
Three periods of research, with 2017 left in place
Sports history, the essay says, is a microscopic study of how physical practice has changed over time, alongside the macroscopic looking at important events year by year. Korean research in the field is here divided into three periods, so that the present state can be seen and a way forward noted.
Period 1 (1953–1993) is headed by Na Hyun-seong, and it is in this period that Korean sports-history research got properly under way. In 1953, at the start of the period, the Korean Society of Physical Education was founded, a related journal was started, and a sports-history subcommittee was set up, laying a base for the work. Na published History of Korean Sports in 1958, asking how one could expect practice in physical education without a theoretical foundation. Research in this period centred on the history of sport and cultural exchange, of research method, and of sport education.
Period 2 (1994–2004) begins with the founding, in 1994, of the Korean Society of Sport History; on the basis of that founding and of early work, scholars took part in various international research seminars, and research got properly under way. In this period, the notes say, the history of sport thought matured, and papers in that line were the third most numerous, after cultural-exchange history and the history of traditional sport and martial arts. Period 3 runs “from 2005 to 2017 at present,” a cut made, with the society’s twentieth anniversary as a turning point, because research was judged to have entered a stable phase and a new direction was being sought. In this period, work on traditional sport and martial arts, and on competitive sport and the history of particular events, was active; in every period, work on sport culture and exchange remained active. Those years stay as 2005 to 2017, and are not treated here as a later official span.
From survival to the hwarang
In prehistory, physical education as a field of study seems not to have existed. Tools were limited, so body activity in order to survive would have been the main thing. After time had passed, through the bronze and iron ages, and once states had arisen, activity was done not only for survival but for war and for play, and an early, more systematic physical practice — an early physical education — was formed.
In the Three Kingdoms, when war was frequent, horsemanship, archery, fighting, the spear and the sword — skills useful in battle — were taught and practised. As can be seen in a famous Goguryeo hunting mural, horsemanship and archery were used in this period to train the body and fighting skill. Goguryeo murals also show pictures of an early form of fighting. This was not only a trait of a warlike Goguryeo: all three kingdoms, the notes say, taught the horsemanship and swordsmanship useful in war to the young men of the time.
In King Jinheung’s reign a group called the hwarang arose, mainly of aristocratic boys. In this period they trained the body through physical activity and at the same time received an education in thought; they learned Confucianism and Buddhism, and music and dance, and so also raised a cultural accomplishment. The group was not simply a recruitment of boy soldiers, but a group for the cultivation of character among aristocratic sons; physical training, even so, was still held important, and skills such as the spear, horsemanship and the sword were also thought important.
Goryeo’s Gukhak, and a manual of 1790
Once Goryeo had begun, martial arts could be taught and studied in Gangyejae, one of the seven colleges of the Gukhak, the largest national educational institution of Goryeo. Many historical records of the period have been lost, so the matter cannot be known in detail, but given how fiercely Goryeo fought the Jurchens and the Liao, it can be guessed that this was an institution for training generals who could fight in the field. Official posts were divided into civil and military; for military men the important fighting art was subak, a form of fighting with the hands, and a horseback game, gyeokgu, played with a ball somewhat as golf is played today, also flourished. When military men rose in revolt and a hundred years of military rule followed, civil officials, unlike before, were slighted and military officials honoured.
Joseon, like Goryeo, divided posts into civil and military, but unlike Goryeo had a separate military examination, the mugwa, and separate institutions for training military men. Yet, as in the early military period of Goryeo, a strong tendency to honour letters and slight arms, under a reverence for Neo-Confucianism, is also named. The unique body notes as well that a military school, muhak, did not fully serve as a practical educational institution.
The largest part of Joseon sports history, the notes say, is the Muyedobotongji of King Jeongjo’s reign, a martial training book compiled in 1790 by his order, by Park Je-ga, Lee Deok-mu, and the then well-known martial artist Baek Dong-su. It combined and supplemented an earlier Muye jebo and the Muye sinbo compiled in King Yeongjo’s reign. Unlike martial books of the time that leaned on the theory of strategy and tactics, it explained combat techniques and weapons usable in real fighting, and so had a practical character; each movement of the techniques was drawn so that it could be understood easily, and the book was used as a manual for the martial training of soldiers. In late Joseon, after the opening of the ports and the taking-in of new Western things, Korean sports history, the notes say, took on a different look. The same Korean report, at fuller length, is on CampusDown.
Sources
- A student survey of three periods of Korean sports-history research, from 1953 to 1993, 1994 to 2004, and “2005 to 2017 at present,” with that last span left in 2005–2017.
- Physical practice from prehistory through the Three Kingdoms, a Goguryeo hunting mural, and the hwarang of King Jinheung’s reign, left as the notes give them.
- Gangyejae in Goryeo’s Gukhak, subak and gyeokgu, Joseon’s mugwa, and the Muyedobotongji compiled in 1790 by Jeongjo’s order, with that year left in 1790.
Last updated: 14 November 2026
Frequently asked questions
How are the three periods of research dated, and how should period 3 be read?
Period 1 runs from 1953 to 1993, beginning with the founding of the Korean Society of Physical Education in 1953 and Na Hyun-seong’s History of Korean Sports in 1958. Period 2 runs from 1994 to 2004, beginning with the founding of the Korean Society of Sport History in 1994. Period 3 runs “from 2005 to 2017 at present,” a cut made after the society’s twentieth anniversary because research was judged to have entered a stable phase. Those years stay as 2005 to 2017, and are not treated here as a later official span.
What physical practice do the notes record from prehistory through the Three Kingdoms?
In prehistory, physical education as a field of study seems not to have existed; body activity for survival would have been the main thing. After bronze and iron, and once states had arisen, activity was done for war and for play. In the Three Kingdoms, horsemanship, archery, fighting, the spear and the sword were taught. A Goguryeo hunting mural, and murals of an early form of fighting, are named; all three kingdoms trained their young men in skills useful in war. The hwarang, in King Jinheung’s reign, trained aristocratic boys in body, thought, music and dance, not simply as boy soldiers.
What Goryeo and Joseon institutions and books do the notes actually name?
In Goryeo, martial arts could be taught in Gangyejae, one of seven colleges of the Gukhak; subak and the horseback game gyeokgu flourished, and a hundred years of military rule followed a revolt. Joseon had a separate military examination, the mugwa, and training institutions, yet also a tendency to honour letters and slight arms. The Muyedobotongji was compiled in 1790 by Jeongjo’s order, by Park Je-ga, Lee Deok-mu and Baek Dong-su, as a practical illustrated manual. That year stays in 1790.
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