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.

Legacy

Yi Sun-Sin was considered a master naval tactician and was largely responsible for the defeat of the Japanese in 1592 and 1598. He has often been compared to Lord Nelson of England. During the war, Admiral Yi won every one of at least 22 naval battles. Reputedly, he never lost a single ship under his command yet he destroyed around a thousand ships of the enemy, a remarkable testment to his tactical skills and knowledge of when to retreat.

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Admiral Ballard considered Yi Sun-sin a great naval commander, and compared him to Lord Nelson of England:

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It is always difficult for Englishmen to admit that Nelson ever had an equal in his profession, but if any man is entitled to be so regarded, it should be this great naval commander of Asiatic race who never knew defeat and died in the presence of the enemy; of whose movements a track-chart might be compiled from the wrecks of hundreds of Japanese ships lying with their valiant crews at the bottom of the sea, off the coasts of the Korean peninsula? and it seems, in truth, no exaggeration to assert that from first to last he never made a mistake, for his work was so complete under each variety of circumstances as to defy criticism? His whole career might be summarized by saying that, although he had no lessons from past history to serve as a guide, he waged war on the sea as it should be waged if it is to produce definite results, and ended by making the supreme sacrifice of a defender of his country. (The Influence of the Sea on The Political History of Japan, pp. 66?67.)

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In order to fully understand Admiral Yi?s legacy, one must first understand how the navy operated in Korea at the time. During the time of the invasion, it was up to the admiral to find the supply for his fleet. Admiral Yi?s navy was cut off from any helping hand from the king?s court and had to fend for itself. Admiral Yi often wrote in his war diary how concerned he was about the food supply during winters. His enemy was fully supplied, and always outnumbered him, yet Admiral Yi never lost a battle.

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Admiral Yi himself had never been trained as an admiral. Korea, called Joseon at the time, did not have any naval training facility. Admiral Yi used to be a general, fighting foreign Jurchen tribes invading from Manchuria. In fact, Okpo Battle, his first victory against the Japanese fleet, was also his first sea battle ever. None of his subordinates, including his own staff, had ever fought at sea before.

Related Topics:
Joseon - Jurchen - Okpo Battle

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One of the biggest factors in Admiral Yi?s success was his foresight to develop new weapons, even before the war. His cannons and guns had longer range than the enemy. His turtle ship, which actually had first set sail the day before the invasion, was very effective in leading the attack and breaking the enemy?s formation.

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However, Admiral Yi?s real legacy lies in the fact that he was a brilliant strategist. The more advanced weapons might have given him the edge, but it was his strategy that made him invincible. He used many different formations according to the situation, and capitalized on tides and ocean currents. Many times he lured the enemy to a place where his fleet would have advantage. And through these manipulations, he instilled a fear in the Japanese commanders whenever they patrolled their seas. At the Battle of Hansando, Admiral Yi had instilled so much fear in the Japanese that their commander broke ranks and routed his fleet - the first and only time any Japanese commander lost courage to a foreign opponent. Admiral Yi?s expertise on naval strategy is apparent in the fact that his successor Won Kyun, even with all of Admiral Yi?s ships and trained crew, could not defeat the enemy fleet of similar might. In fact, Won lost all but 12 of 300 ships that Admiral Yi left him, and was killed himself in the battle.

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One of the greatest legacies of the Admiral was the utter destruction of the Japanese fleet. Through his calculated attacks, he successfully burdened the Japanese navy and the supplies trying to reach their lines near the Chinese border. If Admiral Yi had not commanded the Korean fleet, it is safe to assume that Japan might have continued her conquest into Ming China, and the overall history of Asian history might be completely different. Although perhaps minor to the new Tokugawa leaders, seeing their shameful defeat against Korea encouraged the new leadership to abandon Hideyoshi's dreams of a continental empire. For more than 300 years, Japan never attempted to invade Korea or China. Through the rest of the years until the Meiji Restoration, Japan favored peaceful communications with Korea, and both nations relatively prospered from this mutual association.

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Unfortunately for Admiral Yi and perhaps the Yi Dynasty Joseon, his reformations on the navy didn't persist and soon disappeared after his death, due court swindling and corruption. The Gobukson, the world's first ironclad warship, faded in the annals of Korean history as a great thing of the past. Despite their experiences in the Seven Years War, the Joseon court decided on a reduced military, especially after the Manchu invasions in the 1630's. Had Korea maintained her fleet and her army, modern Korea might have a different story to tell.

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Yi Sun-Sin kept a careful record of daily events in a diary, and it is from these entries, along with the reports he sent to the throne during the war, that much about the man has been learned. These works have been published in English as Nanjung Ilgi: War Diary of Admiral Yi Soon Shin, and Imjin Jangcho: Admiral Yi Soon Shin?s Memorials to Court.

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Yi's posthumous title, Lord of Loyalty and Chivalry (Chungmu-gong, ???; ???) is used in Korea?s third highest military honor, the Cordon of Chungmu of the Order of Military Merit and Valour. He was posthumously granted the title of Prince of Deokpoong. Chungmuro (???; ???)—a street in downtown Seoul—is also named after him. The city Chungmu, later renamed to Tongyeong, on the southern coast of Korea is named in honour of his posthumous title and the site of his headquarters respectively. There is a prominent statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin in the middle of Sejongno in central Seoul.

Related Topics:
Posthumous title - Chungmu - Tongyeong - Statue - Seoul

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Choi Hong Hi of the International Taekwondo Federation named an advanced form ?Choong-Moo? in his honor; the pattern ends with a left-hand punch to symbolize his unfortunate early death. Two motion pictures have been made based on his life, both entitled Seong-ung Yi Soon Shin (?The Saintly Hero Yi Soon Shin?), the first a 1962 black & white movie, and the second, based upon his war diaries, in color in 1971. There is also a drama series airing on Korean television called ?Bulmyui Yi Soon Shin? (?The Immortal Yi Soon Shin?), which shows the events of his life. It premiered on September 4, 2004 in Korea and has become popular in China and the USA as well.

Related Topics:
Choi Hong Hi - International Taekwondo Federation

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