The king of Goguryeo was present at these contests, in which participants throw stones and shouted in an attempt to drive the opposing team into the Daedong River.
[4] Sejong the Great sponsored stone battles between military units, and volunteers for these events were granted numerous perks and privileges - it was even possible for commoners who signed up for such games to gain government posts as a result.
[2] Whilst still somewhat formalised, these fights were nevertheless a form of military training, as evidenced by the fact that Sejong deployed his stone battle teams against barbarian incursions in the north of Joseon.
[2] As a result of royal patronage and military appropriation, the stone battle game became increasingly popular in the capital Seoul, where it was a common pastime during the festival of Dano.
A minor scandal was caused when three royal princes staged such an illicit stone battle in 1438, which led to numerous injuries and several deaths; as a result, King Sejong was obliged to banish them and tighten the ban on stone-fighting.
Such events often came close to civil unrest, with seokjeon players in Pyeong-yang targeting the yangban who owned the land, stoning their houses and holdings.
"[8] The Japanese eventually suppressed the game during the early part of the twentieth century, blaming it for causing social instability.