Yun Ungnyŏl was a member of one of the prominent
yangban families of Korea, the
Haepyeong Yun clan. His family was considered wealthy, which his father had paved the way to prominence by himself. From his early age, Yun and his younger brother were famous for their great physical abilities. At the age of 17, Yun went to Seoul by himself and took the
mugwa (military civil service examination), and passed the exam, making him an official. In 1904, Yun Ungnyŏl was appointed as the Korea's Minister of War. On 30 September 1904, Yun was appointed as the Chief of Staff of Korean Empire but he resigned on 30 January 1905 making him the last incumbent. He died in 1911, aged 71. In modern Korean
historiography, Yun is considered a
Korean collaborator with Imperial Japan. ==Footnotes==