This Hwarang system continued throughout the Koryo dynasty (935-1392 A.D.). However, during this time the name was changed to Kukson-do (극선도 國仙徒) and P’ungwol-do (풍월도 風月徒)*. Even so, this system existed in the same capacity until one Hwarang general named Sung Gae Yi (or Lee) took over the Koryo kingdom and established the Yi dynasty (1392-1910 A.D.) or Choson Kingdom. His son, King T’aejong, destroyed the Hwarang system when he initiated a policy that ordered all of the independent Hwarang generals to submit their personal soldiers under his control. King T’aejong was afraid of the power that the individual Hwarang generals had. King T’aejong believed that the possibility of another strong general attacking his reign was great. So this policy was created in order to destroy all of the power that these individual generals held. This act eliminated the Hwarang system from the public which was based on the relationship between the general (將軍 – Jang Gun) and his soldiers.
After giving the king their soldiers, some Hwarang Kukson-do (극선도 國仙徒) and P’ungwol-do (풍월도 風月徒) generals left the kingdom. They left society and turned to mountain life or became monks. For almost six hundred years the Hwarang system and Hwarang combat skills vanished from the public society of Korea. The combat skills of the ancient Hwarang were only passed secretly from one monk to his successor. Eventually these skills passed to Suahm Dosa, the 57th generation Hwarang title holder and master of the secret ancient Hwarang combat skills called Um-Yang Kwon (음앙권 陰陽拳). He in turn, passed these secret skills to only two young boys, Joo Bang Lee and his brother, Joo Sang Lee.
***P’ungwol-do (풍월도 風月徒) = A term that refers to moral character and proper observance of customs and protocol. Cf. Peter H. Lee, The Lives of Eminent Korean Monks: The Haedong Kosung Chon (Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1969, pp. 67-68) and Richard Rutt “The Flower Boys of Silla” (Transactions of the Korean Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Vol. 38, October 1961, pp. 11-12).