Today I would like to talk about something a little different, since Korean history is very interesting and rich, I think it is right to delve into it as much as possible and give it the right relevance. That’s why in this article I will tell you about one of the most important historical figures in the country: Korean admiral and soldier Yi Sun-sin (이순신)

Who is Yi Sun-sin?

Yi Sun-sin was born on April 28, 1545 in Hanseong (한성) the modern day Seoul. At 22 he began training for a military career and at 28 he attempted for the first time the exam to enter military service as an officer. Unfortunately, however, he failed due to a bad fall from his horse, where he broke his leg. But with a lot of willpower he managed to pass the exam on the second attempt, at the age of 32, making him the oldest of all the new officers.

From the Army to the Navy

Admiral Yi Sun-sin was a very intransigent and determinate person, therefore this character of his brought a lot of antipathy among his superiors and since this moral integrity of his did not go down well with his officers, one of them managed to have him imprisoned and in August of 1587 he also managed to have him demoted to a simple soldier.
But in 1588 he fought a battle against the Jurchen on the Tumen River. The conduct of this battle caused him to partially rehabilitate.
In 1587 there was a Japanese invasion in Goheung County (고흫군), due to this invasion, fear of a possible attack spread. For this reason, the border defense council established the importance of hiring capable officers, which is why Yi Sun-sin was recommended to the King, due to his great military skills.
In 1591, at the age of 47, he became commander of the naval forces of Jeolla Province (전라도) and was tasked with defending the western waters of the south of the country. Despite his little experience, he committed himself to strengthening the marine forces under his command.

The Imji War

In 1592 , Japan invaded Korea landing near the city of Busan and unfortunately the Japanese army was too strong and managed to conquer Seoul and Pyongyang (평양). Despite this, the Korean navy was not completely annihilated, in fact in June 1592 Yi Sun-sin received the order to face the Japanese navy. He therefore managed to defeat all the ships he managed to locate, making the most of the Korean ships (panokseon-판옥선).

In the subsequent clashes the Koreans managed to defeat the enemy ships without suffering any losses. Yi Sun-sin therefore managed to destroy the Japanese ships without too many consequences and bring one victory after another.

With China’s entry into the conflict in 1594, there was a truce between the 3 countries, and negotiations began. But in 1597, the war resumed with a new Japanese landing, but in this case the Korean defense was weak, because Yi Sun-sin was arrested for refusing to attack the Japanese fleets in the Busan area, as he did not consider it suitable.

Yi Sun-sin was imprisoned by Gwon Yul (권율) and the command of the fleet passed to Won Gyun (원균) who, however, not being able to manage the Korean ships, led the mission to disaster, causing almost all the ships to be destroyed, in fact after his death, only 12 remained. King Seonjo eventually returned command to Yi Sun-sin.

The Battle of Noryang (노량)

In December 1598, together with the Chinese admiral Chen Lien, Yi Sun-sin fought his last battle.
The two fleets (Chinese and Korean) attacked the Japanese one, which was withdrawing its troops.
Unfortunately Yi Sun-sin died hit by an enemy dart, but despite this, he died with pride, becoming one of the heroes of national history.

Kobukson (거북선)

Yi Sun-sin was also the ”inventor” of the turtle ship (kobukson) – if you want to see a replica of the ship, you can find it at the War Memorial museum. You can also find more information in my article ”Visit the best museums in South Korea” –

Coming back to us: I put quotation marks on inventor because the kobuksons already existed before, but Yi Sun-sin renewed and perfected them, also being so robust this type of ship accommodated around 150 sailors.

Museum

You can see the Yi Sun-sin statue in Gwanghwamun Square (광화문) in central Seoul. Also, under the statue it is possible to visit a small museum, dedicated to the story of Admiral Yi Sun-sin (충무공 이야기) and King Sejong (세종 이야기).

If you want more information, you can visit the museum’s website: 세종충무공이야기

Entry: free

Address: 175, Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul – 서울특별시 종로구 세종대로 지하 175

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Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Storia della Corea by Maurizio Riotti