from The Ki Process (Korean Secrets for Cultivating Dynamic Energy) by Scott Shaw
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Formal Chinese contact with the Korean peninsula began in approximately 200 B.C., during the Qui Dynasty (221-206 B.C.). This contact was intensified by the placement of Chinese military colonies on the northern Korean peninsula during the Han Dynasty (220-202 B.C.). From these contacts, the Korean peninsula was led into a period of rapid advancement in agriculture, health science, and formalized governmental statesmanship. Confucianism, Taoism, and, later, Buddhism were all introduced to Korea from China.
Due to the advancements in civilization and growing individual tribal unities, three Korean tribal kingdoms were formed: Paekche (18 B.C.), Koguryo (37 B.C.) and Silla (57 B.C.). This was the beginning of what became known as the "Three Kingdom Period" of Korean history.
The Three Kingdoms of Korea entered into a period of continued war against each other and the expansionist Tang Dynasty of China (A.D. 618-907) during the sixth century A.D. This warring period in Korean history instigated the formation of the first group of formally trained and organized soldiers who utilized Ki for other than medical purposes. They were known as the Hwa Rang (Flowering Youth) warriors.
The Hwa Rang warriors were first organized by King Chin-hung of the Korean Kingdom of Silla in A.D. 576. Though his kingdom had its army, his soldiers were believed to be of an unexceptional nature, accounting for his inability, through continued conflicts, to defeat his geographical neighbors, the Koguryo, the Paekche, and the invading Tang Chinese. So King Chin-hung set about organizing a group of talented young noblemen who were exceedingly loyal to the throne, who could be extensively trained in all forms of warfare and then successfully go into battle.
The Kingdom of Silla was based on a Confucian doctrine of society. King Chin-hung believed, however, that the Buddhist canon led to a more calm and pure mind than did Confucianism. To this end, young, handsome males of Noble birth, some as young as 12 years old, were gathered together. They were dressed in the finest clothing and their faces were attractively painted with elaborate makeup. They were instructed extensively in Buddhism, medicine, and the theory of Ki according to the Nei Ching [the Huang Ti Nei Ching Su Wen (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine), the first written text ever to discuss Ki and its interrelationship with the human body], and in poetry and song. It was believed that those who fared well in these activities had the divine grace to become superior warriors. A certain number of these young men who excelled were thus recommended to enter the ranks of the Hwa Rang.