HWARANG: A group of Korean nobles 
from the kingdom of SILLA, sent by Queen 
Songduk to CHINA in the sixth century 
A.D. There they absorbed a combination of
Confucianist loyalty to the monarch, 
Buddhist control of  both mind and 
body, and various Chinese fighting 
techniques, including archery, 
horsemanship, and unarmed combat. By 
the early seventh century the principles of 
their philosophy, also called hwarang, was 
studied by all Korean nobles. A Buddhist priest 
named Wong Wang later developed a 
moral code for the hwarang fighters and 
transformed the science into a DO, or way 
of life. In many ways, HWARANG-DO 
resembled BUSHIDO of JAPAN; members 
of the hwarang corps are often compared 
with the SAMURAI. Just as the SAMURAI 
developed JUJUTSU as a form of unarmed 
combat, the hwarang developed their own 
open-handed fighting style called 
kwonpup. For many years the hwarang 
nobles formed a dreaded army of 
remarkable prowess and legendary exploits. 
By the late eighth century, however, the 
hwarang became overly confident in their 
martial abilities. Many abandoned the strict 
code of HWARANG-DO for a life of 
luxury. In turn, the Kingdom in SILLA 
itself was weakened, and in 935 A.D. it was 
overrun by the KORYO DYNASTY. Under 
the succeeding Koryo Dynasty of KOREA, 
HWARANG-DO was studied by all men in 
KOREA, regardless of rank. For a time, 
kwonpup was a compulsory subject in 
KOREA for all males over the age of six. A 
modified form of HWARANG-DO is also 
practiced today, both in KOREA and in 
North America. (See also Korea article).