The reflex bow had been the most important weapon for Koreans in wars with Chinese dynasties and nomadic peoples, recorded from the 1st century BC.
Legend says the first king and founder of the Goguryeo, Go Jumong, was a master of archery, able to catch 5 flies with one arrow.
Bak Hyeokgeose, the first king of the Silla, was also said to be a skilled archer.
The ancient Chinese gave the people of the North-East (eastern Siberia, Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula) the name of Dongyi (東夷) (Eastern part of the Four Barbarians (四夷)), the latter character (夷) being a combination of the two characters for "large" (大) and "bow" (弓).

However, the word 夷 was first used in Chinese history referring to the people South of the Yellow River over 5,000 years ago.
Later, when the Yi (夷) people joined the tribes of Hua Xia [華夏], 夷 meant outsider (foreigner) or exterminate.
By that time, Dongyi refers to Manchurians, Tungusic tribes, Koreans and Japanese as “Outsiders from the East”.

Yi Seonggye, the founding king of Joseon was known to have been a master archer.
 In a battle against Japanese pirates, Seonggye, assisted by Yi Bangsil, killed the young samurai commander "Agibaldo" with two successive arrows, one arrow knocking out his helmet, with the second arrow entering his mouth.
In his letter to General Choi Young, Seonggye lists as one of five reasons not to invade Ming China as during the monsoon season, glue holding together the composite bow weakens, reducing the effectiveness of the bow.

The founding of Joseon dynasty saw the retention of the composite bow as the mainstay of the Joseon military.
Archery was the main martial event tested during the military portion of the national service exam held annually from 1392 to 1894.
 Under Joseon, archery reached its zenith, resulting in the invention of pyeonjeon, which saw great service against the Japanese in 1592 and against the Manchus in early 1600s.

Until the Imjin wars, archery was the main long-range weapon system.
During those wars, the tactical superiority of the matchlock arquebus became apparent, despite its slow rate of fire and susceptibility to wet weather.
However, it was the gakgung, referred to as the "half bow" by the Japanese, that halted the Japanese at the Battle of Haengju as well as at the Battle of Ulsan.
 Although Joseon adopted the arquebus during the Imjin War, the gakgung retained its position of importance in the military until the reforms of 1894.
Under King Hyojong's military reforms, an attempt was made to revive horse archery as a significant element of the military.
 It was also practiced for pleasure and for health, and many young males - including the king - and some females would spend their free time practicing it.
The reflex bow had been the most important weapon for Koreans in wars with Chinese dynasties and nomadic peoples, recorded from the 1st century BC. Legend says the first king and founder of the Goguryeo, Go Jumong, was a master of archery, able to catch 5 flies with one arrow. Bak Hyeokgeose, the first king of the Silla, was also said to be a skilled archer. The ancient Chinese gave the people of the North-East (eastern Siberia, Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula) the name of Dongyi (東夷) (Eastern part of the Four Barbarians (四夷)), the latter character (夷) being a combination of the two characters for "large" (大) and "bow" (弓).
However, the word 夷 was first used in Chinese history referring to the people South of the Yellow River over 5,000 years ago. Later, when the Yi (夷) people joined the tribes of Hua Xia [華夏], 夷 meant outsider (foreigner) or exterminate. By that time, Dongyi refers to Manchurians, Tungusic tribes, Koreans and Japanese as “Outsiders from the East”.
Yi Seonggye, the founding king of Joseon was known to have been a master archer.  In a battle against Japanese pirates, Seonggye, assisted by Yi Bangsil, killed the young samurai commander "Agibaldo" with two successive arrows, one arrow knocking out his helmet, with the second arrow entering his mouth. In his letter to General Choi Young, Seonggye lists as one of five reasons not to invade Ming China as during the monsoon season, glue holding together the composite bow weakens, reducing the effectiveness of the bow.
The founding of Joseon dynasty saw the retention of the composite bow as the mainstay of the Joseon military. Archery was the main martial event tested during the military portion of the national service exam held annually from 1392 to 1894.  Under Joseon, archery reached its zenith, resulting in the invention of pyeonjeon, which saw great service against the Japanese in 1592 and against the Manchus in early 1600s.
Until the Imjin wars, archery was the main long-range weapon system. During those wars, the tactical superiority of the matchlock arquebus became apparent, despite its slow rate of fire and susceptibility to wet weather. However, it was the gakgung, referred to as the "half bow" by the Japanese, that halted the Japanese at the Battle of Haengju as well as at the Battle of Ulsan.  Although Joseon adopted the arquebus during the Imjin War, the gakgung retained its position of importance in the military until the reforms of 1894. Under King Hyojong's military reforms, an attempt was made to revive horse archery as a significant element of the military.  It was also practiced for pleasure and for health, and many young males - including the king - and some females would spend their free time practicing it.
Gakgung