Righteous Army definition
Righteous Army. (Yibyeong 義兵), which means a volunteer corps, and its regard for the righteous spirit is worth mentioning. The emergence of the “Righteous Army”, led mainly by Joseon Dohak literati (Seonbi), first emerged during the Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjinwaeran 1592–1598)29. The word of Changyi (昌義 or 倡義) – which means “let righteousness prosper”– is a syn- onym of the verb “to organize the Righteous Army” in the Korean language. These volunteer corps were organized in the cause of justice to resist Japanese invaders and to preserve the Joseon dynasty with loyalty and righteousness30. It is easy to estimate the righteous spirit, considering that most of the “Righ- teous Army” corps was Seonbi. Among the 102 leaders, 81 people were Neo- Confucian literati (including the former government officials)31.