Eulji Mundeok Hansi is the oldest surviving poetry in Korean literature

Korean literature

Korean literature is the body of literature produced in Korea or by Korean writers. For much of its 3,000 years of literature history, it was written both in Hanja and in Korean, first using the transcription systems idu and gugyeol, and finally using the Korean script Hangul. It is commonly...

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In the second Goguryeo-Sui War, Eulji maneuvered the Goguryeo troops so that they engaged the Sui army seven times a day, each time feigning defeat and retreating, leading the Sui army deeper south with the perception of victory. The Sui army eventually advanced to about 20 km from Pyeongyang, the capital of Goguryeo

Goguryeo

Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....

. However, realizing the advanced hunger and exhaustion of his troops, and now perceiving the formidable fortifications of Pyeongyang, Yu Zhongwen realised the looming impossibility of continuing the campaign. To taunt Yu Zhongwen, Eulji wrote the poem in sarcasm and sent it to the enemy general. The Sui army was annilihated at the Battle of Salsu

Battle of Salsu

The Battle of Salsu was an enormous battle that occurred in the year AD 612, during the second Goguryeo-Sui War, between the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo and the Chinese Sui Dynasty. Goguryeo cavalry forces, pursuing the Sui army, attacked and defeated it at the Salsu River.In 612 the Sui Emperor...

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The poem reads,

Hangul Hangul Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...	Hanja Hanja Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...	English
신책구천문	神策究天文	Your divine plans have plumbed the heavens;
묘산궁지리	妙算窮地理	Your subtle reckoning has spanned the earth;
전승공기고	戰勝功旣高	You win every battle, your military merit is great;
지족원운지	知足願云止	Why then not be content and stop the war?

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• Korean poetry
  Korean poetry
  Korean poetry is poetry performed or written in the Korean language or by Korean people. Traditional Korean poetry is often sung in performance. Until the 20th century, much of Korean poetry was written in Hanja and later Hangul.- History :...
  
  
• Korean literature
  Korean literature
  Korean literature is the body of literature produced in Korea or by Korean writers. For much of its 3,000 years of literature history, it was written both in Hanja and in Korean, first using the transcription systems idu and gugyeol, and finally using the Korean script Hangul. It is commonly...
  
  
• Eulji Mundeok
  Eulji Mundeok
  Eulji Mundeok was a noted military leader of early 7th century Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Often numbered among the greatest heroes in Korean military history, he defended Goguryeo against the Sui Chinese...
  
  
• Goguryeo-Sui Wars
  Goguryeo-Sui Wars
  The Goguryeo–Sui Wars were a series of campaigns launched by the Sui Dynasty of China against the Goguryeo of Korea between 598 and 614. It resulted in the defeat of Sui and contributed to the eventual downfall of the dynasty in 618.-Background:...