Yi Sun-sin

Yi Sun-sin (March 8, 1545 ? November 19,1598), was a famous Korean naval leader. As the Lord High Admiral of the Korean fleet under the Joseon Dynasty, Yi Sun-Sin led the fight against the Japanese during their first invasion of Korea during April 1592 in the Seven-Year War. He turned back the enemy fleet of Japanese invaders with his innovative turtle ships, and became to many Koreans a national hero.

Early Life

Yi Sun-sin was born in Geoncheon Do (Korean: ???; ???) in Seoul, and is posthumously known as Chungmu or Chung Mu (??; ??). His ancestral seat (??; ??) was Deoksu (??; ??). In 1552, after his father had been falsely accused of a crime, and tortured by the government, the family moved from Seoul to Ahsan. In 1576, Yi Sun-sin passed the military civil service examination and was posted to the northern border region for the next 10 years. In 1583, he lured the Manchurian chief Mu Pai-Nai to battle, defeated his army, and captured him. According to a contemporary tradition, however, Yi Sun-sin then had to spend three years out of the army after hearing of his father?s death. After his return to the front line, Yi Sun-sin led a string of successful campaigns against Jurchen nomads. However, his brilliance, despite his short career, made his superiors jealous, and they falsely accused him of desertion. Yi Sun-sin was demoted to the rank of a common soldier and imprisoned. On his release he had to climb through the ranks again. After a short period of time, he was appointed as the Magistrate of a small county, and his efforts there were rewarded in 1591 when the Korean Court assigned Yi Sun-sin to command the naval forces in Jeolla (??? (???)). Here he was able to undertake a massive buildup of the regional navy, which was later used to confront a Japanese invasion force. He subsequently began to strengthen the nation?s navy with a series of unprecedented reforms, including the construction of the now-famous turtle ship, which was the first Ironclad warship in history.

Related Topics:
Seoul - Ahsan - Manchurian - Jurchen nomads - Desertion - Jeolla - Turtle ship - Ironclad warship

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