Joseon Military Reform (1610s)

Timeline

1. 1611–1612Hanseong · Joseon dynastyJoseon's inadequate armaments and neglected training during the Imjin War were widely known. In the early 1610s, Gwanghae and the Ministry of War reviewed the old system and concluded that firearms units and border forces must be strengthened to compensate for the shortcomings of traditional cavalry and archery in modern warfare.
2. 1613–1618Hanseong and provincial garrisons · Joseon dynastyThe court expanded the Shingiho, responsible for operating muskets and cannons, with regular drills. Ming-style firearms were imported and copied, deployed first in northern border areas like Pyeongan and Hamgyeong. Training emphasized formation and firing discipline but remained limited by the quantity of firearms and ammunition supply.
3. 1616–1620Joseon dynasty · Joseon dynastyThe Ministry of War reorganized the Five Guards in Hanseong and provincial garrisons, removing phantom posts and merging weak units. After implementation of the equal-labor law, military provisions were levied more systematically, but yangban evasion of military service and inadequate local supply persisted. By 1620, military strength had partially recovered from the early Imjin War period, though still insufficient to face the Later Jin army alone.