Subak is either a specific or generic ancient Korean martial art. Historically this term may have specified the old Korean martial art of taekkyeon, but it is unsure.
Originally, Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Shinla in the southeastern part of the country, Goguryeo (Koguryo) in the northern part, and Baekje located west of Shinla.
In the 18th century, even the king practiced Subak, as the text Dongsa-gangmok (동사강목) from this time suggests:
It was a style that utilizes hand strikes, kicks, jointlocks, and throws. The mountainous terrain of Goguryeo may have made its people's legs strong.
The word Seonbae (also romanized as sonbae, literally: "elders" - 先輩/선배) is sometimes translated to mean "a man of virtue who never retreats from a fight" because it was the term used to signify a member of Koguryo's warrior corps. Members of the Seonbae lived in groups and learned archery, Gakju (ancestor of ssireum) and Subak (ancestor of taekkyon), history, literature, and other liberal arts. Although they were constantly training in combat, during peace time they helped construct roads and fortresses, assisted after natural disasters and so on.
There's a house down on the corner
That we always used to talk about
Never had the guts to go inside
Not even on a dare
Boarded up and creepy
Scary eyes looked out upon a sleepy town
Fascination kept us guessin'
Why the sign read to beware?
We always knew just
What would hit the fan
If we got an up close look
At the boogie man
Shadows on the wall
Voices in the hall, oh, yeah
There's more than just a mouse
In the Zavelow House
Zavelow, Zavelow, Zavelow, yo
I could look inside the window
If I jumped upon my trampoline
Could've sworn I saw Hannibal Lichter
With a hatchet and a head
Not the kind of place you'd see
In Better Homes and Gardens magazine
Unless they did an expose
On the night of the living dead
But with a pretty girl
To hold my hand
Could've got an up close look
At the boogie man
Yeah, shadows on the wall
Voices in the hall, oh, yeah
There's more than just a mouse
In the Zavelow House
Oh, Zavelow, woah
But with a pretty girl
To hold my hand
Could've got an up close look
At the boogie man
Yeah, shadows on the wall
Voices in the hall, oh, yeah
There's more than just a mouse
In the Zavelow House
Yeah, shadows on the wall
Voices in the hall, oh, yeah
There's more than just a mouse
In the Zavelow House
(Zavelow, Zavelow, Zavelow)