Gyeong Daeseung

Gyeong Dae-seung (1154–1183) was a general during Goryeo's era of military rule. He seized power by eliminating Jeong Jung-bu, the reigning military strongman, opening a new phase in the politics of the military regime, and he established the Dobang (都房), a private military corps for his own protection that later became a foundation of power for subsequent military rulers. A native of Cheongju, he is said to have possessed exceptional physical strength and to have harbored great ambitions from an early age.