The Battle of Myeongnyang and Yi Sun-sin

In 1592, the Japanese invaded Joseon in what came to be called the Imjin War (with imjin referring to the year 1592 in the sexagenary cycle). Japanese forces captured a strategic fortress in Busan and controlled the sea only in two days. However, battleships commanded by Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) defeated the Japanese navy by destroying 26 warships out of 30 in a battle near Okpo. In the first use of ironclad turtle ships, his troops exterminated Japanese forces in a battle near Noryang Strait, and he won sweeping victories in several other battles consecutively, including the one near Hansando Island. After completely sweeping the enemy from the country's southern coast in 1593, Admiral Yi was appointed as chief commander of the navy for three southern provinces.

Yi had passed the national examination for military service in 1577 at the age of 32 and was appointed as a military officer. 15 years later, he was promoted to a navy admiral in command of Jeolla-do Province. Upon becoming admiral, he prepared for the anticipated invasion by Japanese troops by building innovative ironclad battleships called "turtle ships" and reserving military provisions. Most warships in the Joseon dynasty then were double-decked with a command tower on the upper deck. But turtle ships designed by Yi Sun-sin were additionally clad in iron and then stuck with pointed knives and awls on their top. During the Imjin War these turtle ships greatly contributed to winning sweeping victories by fatally destroying many of the invaders' warships.

Though Yi was able to push out the Japanese invaders in 1593, Japan invaded Joseon again in 1597. However, at the time of the second invasion, Yi Sun-sin was imprisoned due to the plot of Won Gyun, the naval commander for the southeastern region. Yi was fortunately released from jail, but he was deployed as an enlisted man. As Won Gyun’s forces were almost annihilated in a battle, the king had to re-appoint Yi as chief commander of navy for the three southern provinces. With only 120 naval soldiers and 12 battle ships surviving, Yi fought victoriously against 133 Japanese warships in the Battle of Myeongnyang off of Jindo Island, destroying 31 ships. While commanding a final winning battle in the Noryang Strait, Gyeongsangnam-do area, he lost his life by getting shot by the enemy on November 19, 1598. His war diary, Nanjung Ilgi, written during the Imjin War is an important historical record for studying that important turning-point in East Asian history.

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  Statue of General Yi Sun-sin (Jongno-gu, Seoull) / Courtesy of the Korea Tourism Organization

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  Drawing of Yi Sun-sin

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  Imjin War (Southern Coast)

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  Imjin War

Related Articles

• The Country of the Eastern Noblemen - Joseon
• A Weapon of War - The History of Gunpowder in Korea
• Yi Sun-sin
• Won Gyun
• Imjin War
• Battle of Myeongnyang
• War Diary of Yi Sun-sin
• Joseon
• Japan
• Busan
• Okpo, Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do
• Noryang Strait, Gyeongsangnam-do
• Hansando Island, Gyeongsangnam-do
• Jindo Island, Jeollanam-do
• state examination
• turtle ships