Kings, royal families and government officials had private
armies and bodyguards who practiced a type of martial art known as Koong
Joong Mu Sool.
These royal court martial arts gave rise to esoteric techniques of easily portable
weapons such as short swords and folding fans. Also developed were unique
weaponless
techniques of joint-locking and pressure point striking. Existing records in
Japan suggest that many Koong Joong Mu Sool techniques found their way there
and
gave birth to the Japanese art of Jujitsu.
King Jin Hung of the Kingdom of Silla encouraged the Hwa Rang warriors to practice
Koong Joong Mu Sool in addition to their other martial arts training. But
later
during the Koryo Dynasty and Chosun Dynasty, Korean kings enforced policies
to discourage the practice of martial arts and to forbid the possession of
weapons,
in order to protect themselves from military rebellion or any other political
uprising.
However, Korean martial arts have continued to develop both within and without
the royal courts, thanks to the efforts of many dedicated Korean martial artists
to practice, record, and compile these precious martial art techniques.