Yun Pyeong-Gyu

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. This template should be removed from the article 21 February 2024.

"Here, I can give free rein to my imagination! What greater pleasure could there be for an engineer?!"

―Yun talking about his freedom working for the Zhang Wei Union, 1725.

Yun Pyeong-Gyu was a Korean Confucian scholar, engineer and official who served in the Office of Military Armaments in the Joseon dynasty during the reign of King Yeongjo. He was also an ancestor of Noa Kim.

After being rescued by the Assassin Edward Kenway from pirates who had taken him prisoner, Yun agreed to join the Assassin's organization, the Zhang Wei Union, while looking for a way to return to Korea. Subsequently, Yun became the Union's engineer, operating out of their headquarters in the A-Ma Cultural Village near Macau, where he built various weapons and tools to aid them during their missions.

Biography

Meeting Edward Kenway

Yun: "I was hoping for a chance to properly express my gratitude, good sir! Why, I owe you my life!"

Edward: "Aye, it was no trouble... But, say, you seem to have an exceptional grasp of the English tongue."

Yun: "But of course! Speaking multiple tongues is but elementary for an aide to an envoy of the Great Qing Empire!"

—Yun introducing himself to Edward, 1725.

Yun meeting Edward

In 1725, Yun travelled to the Manchu Qing Empire as an aide to the Joseon envoy. At one point however, he was held captive alongside a number of slaves aboard a pirate ship in the South China Sea near the Philippines. He and the slaves were rescued when the ship was boarded by the British Assassin Edward Kenway. After the rest of slaves were rescued, Yun and Edward were the last to jump overboard when the ship exploded due to its gunpowder kegs catching fire.

Later on, Yun offered his services to repair the wheel of a Dutch East India Company ship that Edward had rescued from the pirates earlier. After Edward's ship escorted the Dutch vessel back to Macau, the Assassin invited Yun to work for his organization, the Zhang Wei Union, as an engineer due to his knowledge and abilities, while helping him to find a way back to his home country. Yun accepted the offer and went off to drink with Edward and his mate John Young later on.

Joining the Zhang Wei Union

"As much as I desperately yearn for the land of morning calm... I have a feeling that working with you will keep me much better entertained! Not only that, I would be remiss in my duties as a Confucian if I didn't repay the debt to my life's savior! Lacking though my skills may be, I gladly offer them at your service."

―Yun offering his services to the Zhang Wei Union, 1725.

Yun accepting Edward's request to develop weaponry

Upon joining the Zhang Wei Union, Yun set up shop at the organization's headquarters in the A-Ma Cultural Village, where he began working on a number of weapons he had developed back in Korea. When Edward visited Yun at his workshop to request his aid for an upcoming job, he was impressed by his designs and provided him with the resources and manpower needed to craft his inventions, which Edward believed could prove crucial to the job's success.

During their mission, Edward and his crew managed to capture several Chinese junks from pirates, including a large vessel they later named the Fenghuang, which became the flagship of the Union. Subsequently, Yun repaired the ship and installed a number of new armaments such as European-style cannons used in Korea modified by Yun himself, swivel guns that had increased caliber, and several volley guns. When Edward came to check on his progress, Yun informed him about the modifications to the ship's artillery and thanked the Assassin for allowing him to express his creativity in such a way, something he had never been able to do while serving in the Office of Military Armaments.

Yun then revealed that he had also modified Edward's right Hidden Blade, adding a crossbow-like mechanism to allow him to eliminate targets from a distance. After trying out the weapon, the Assassin thanked Yun for the gift and told him that his timing could not have been more perfect, as he had just been hired to assassinate Shimazu Saito, meaning an opportunity to use his new Hidden Blade would soon present itself.

Personality and traits

"I'm rather confident in my skills, if I do say so myself!"

―Yun to Edward, 1725.

As a scholar, Yun was a well-cultured man who possessed a great deal of knowledge about various subjects. He also took great pride in his work as an engineer and would enthusiastically talk about his inventions at any given opportunity. Yun was frustrated by his workload at the Office of Military Armaments, where he could never build the inventions he desired due to budgetary restrictions, and as such was grateful to Edward for providing him with the opportunity to give free rein to his imagination.

Equipment and skills

A skilled engineer, Yun was capable of designing and building a variety of weapons, including hwachas, swivel guns, and volley guns. He was also shown to have some experience repairing ships, as he easily fixed the broken wheel of a Dutch East India Company ship, and later oversaw repairs to the Fenghuang. However, perhaps his most notable feat was his invention of a prototype Phantom Blade for Edward, several decades before the weapon's implementation by the French Brotherhood of Assassins.

Aside from his engineering talents, Yun's other notable skills included his multilingualism; in addition to his native Korean, he was able to perfectly understand and communicate in English, as well as presumably other languages.

Gallery

• 
  Yun and Edward in the water after escaping from the pirate ship
• 
  Edward and John celebrating Yun's recruitment to the Zhang Wei Union
• 
  Edward checking on Yun's progress repairing the Fenghuang
• 
  Yun presenting Edward with his modified Hidden Blade

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple