Goryeo Military Administration and the 'Exalt Letters, Despise Arms' System (1140s)

Timeline

1. 1140–1145Kaesong · GoryeoGoryeo's Ministry of War (Pyŏngbu) was subordinate to the Secretariat, handling defense planning, weapons production management, military personnel, and military logistics such as postal relay stations and beacon fires. The Dobyeongmasa (Office of the Commander of the Capital Garrison), established under King Hyunjong, was composed of senior civil officials discussing military and border affairs. Actual command was held by generals of civil origin, while military officers mostly held low-ranking posts.
2. 1142Kaesong · GoryeoIn 1142 Kim Busik, who had served as chief civil official since 1136, formally retired. As a Confucian scholar-official he had led the suppression of Myocheong's Rebellion, consolidating the civil group's dominance in military decision-making. After retiring he was commissioned to oversee compilation of the Samguk Sagi, reflecting civil historiographical dominance of Goryeo's national narrative.
3. 1146–1149Kaesong · GoryeoAfter King Uijong's accession, the court continued the state policy of 'exalt letters, despise arms': military officers were excluded from decision-making bodies like the Privy Council, the king's retinue was attended by civil officials rather than guarded by military officers, and soldiers were even conscripted to build temples and gardens. Military officers' political status and economic treatment kept declining, deepening resentment and creating social conditions for the military coup half a century later (1170).