Chong Chung-bu (1106-1179) was a general in the Korean kingdom of Kory; after a massacre of civil officials in 1170 he instituted military rule in Kory.

From the beginning of the 12th century, factious nobles struggled for political supremacy, creating a period of unrest and unstability. The fall of the Yi clan of Inju in 1126 was followed by rivalry among the nobility and a revolt at the Western Capital in 1135, led by the monk Myoch'ong. It was suppressed by a capital-based power group headed by the famous historian Kim Pu-sik.

Kim's appointment as a commander of government forces had precedents in early Kory, where a civilian was made a leader of expeditionary forces, symbolizing the supremacy of the civilian branch over the military. However, the military chafed under civilian suppression and abuse. In one instance, simply to abuse a general at a court gathering, a young scholar, Kim Pu-sik's...