Yi Sun-sin (Korean: 이순신; Hanja: 李舜臣; Korean pronunciation: [i.sʰun.ɕin]; April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해), and he was posthumously honored with the title Lord of Loyal Valor (충무공; 忠武公).
The exact number of naval engagements conducted by Admiral Yi against the Japanese is a subject of historical debate. However, it is generally accepted that he fought in at least 23 naval battles, achieving victory in all. In many of these engagements, he commanded forces that were outnumbered and poorly supplied. His most dramatic success occurred in the Battle of Myeongnyang, where he led a Korean fleet of 13 ships to victory against a Japanese fleet of at least 133. Yi died from a gunshot wound in the Battle of Noryang, the last major battle of the Imjin War, on December 16, 1598.
Yi is considered one of history's greatest naval commanders, known for his strategic vision, intelligence, innovations, and personality (see military evaluation). He is a prominent figure in Korean history, with landmarks, awards, and towns named after him, as well as numerous films and documentaries about his achievements. His wartime journals, known as the Nanjung Ilgi, are part of UNESCO's Memory of the World initiative.
Yi Sun-sin was born in Geoncheon-dong (건천동; 乾川洞), Hanseong (present-day Inhyeon-dong, Jung District, Seoul) to Yi Chŏng (이정; 李貞) and a lady of the Ch'ogye Pyŏn clan. His family belonged to the Deoksu Yi clan. His grandfather, Yi Paengnok (이백록; 李百祿), had entered government service but was later impeached during the Gimyo literati purge. Yi's father, Yi Chŏng, did not pursue a government career, despite the expectations placed on a yangban family.
As a child, Yi enjoyed playing war games and was always chosen as the leader. He carried a bow and arrows and would pretend to shoot at anyone, even adults, if he thought they acted unfairly. This made the villagers fear him, and they avoided passing by his house. According to Chungmugonghaengjang (충무공행장; 忠武公行狀), a biography believed to have been published during King Sunjo's reign, Yi moved to Asan before the age of eight, where his future wife's family resided.
Despite Yi's prominent family background, Yi was largely left to navigate his own career path, because both his grandfather and father had failed to establish themselves in government. Instead of familial support, Yi relied on Yu Sŏngnyong – a prominent scholar-official who later served as Chief State Councilor and oversaw military affairs during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) – to endorse and propel him to high military posts within the royal court. Yi and Yu were neighbors in Geoncheon-dong and acquainted with one another. One record suggests that Yi and Yu met for the first time when Yi was 22 and Yu was 25, indicating Yi had returned from Asan to Seoul by then.
In 1576, Yi passed the military examination (무과; 武科). He is said to have impressed the judges with his archery, but failed to pass the test when he broke a leg during the cavalry section. After he re-entered and passed the examination, he was posted to the Bukbyeong (Northern Frontier Army) military district in Hamgyeong province. However, he was the oldest junior officer at the age of thirty-two. There, Yi experienced battles defending the border settlements against the Jurchen marauders and quickly became known for his strategic skills and leadership.
In 1583, he lured the Jurchen into battle, defeated the marauders, and captured their chief, Mu Pai Nai. According to a contemporary tradition, Yi then spent three years out of the army upon hearing of his father's death. After his return to the front line, Yi led a string of successful campaigns against the Jurchen.
However, his brilliance and accomplishments so soon in his career made his superiors jealous, and they falsely accused him of desertion during battle. The conspiracy was led by General Yi Il, who would later fail to repel the Japanese invasion at the Battle of Sangju. This tendency to sabotage and frame professional adversaries was very common in the later years of the Joseon military and government. Yi was stripped of his rank, imprisoned, and tortured. After his release, Yi was allowed to fight as an enlisted soldier. After a short period of time, however, he was appointed as the commander of the Seoul Hunryeonwon (a military training center) and was later transferred to a small county, to be its military magistrate.
Yi's efforts in northern Korea were rewarded when he was assigned as Commander of the Jeolla Province (전라 좌도; 全羅左道) Left Naval District. Within the span of a few months in late 1590, he received four military appointments, in rapid succession, with each subsequent post carrying greater responsibility than the last: Commander of the Kosarijin Garrison in Pyongan Province, Commander of the Manpo Garrison, also in Pyongan Province, and the Commander of the Wando Garrison, in Jeolla province, before finally receiving the appointment as Commander of the Left Jeolla Naval District.
The royal court was in a state of confusion over the possibility of a war with Japan, now unified under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the unstable situation in Manchuria where a young Jurchen chieftain named Nurhaci was gathering strength. Nurhaci's descendants would become masters of China as founders of the Qing dynasty in a few decades, after invading Korea in 1627 and 1637.
Yi assumed his new post at Yeosu on the 13th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1591 (March 13, 1591). From there, he was able to undertake a buildup of the regional navy, which was later used to confront the Japanese invasion force. He subsequently began to strengthen the province's navy with a series of reforms, including the construction of the turtle ship.
Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)
Yi is remembered for his numerous victories fighting the Japanese during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), also referred to as the Imjin War. Among his twenty-three victories, the Battle of Myeongnyang and the Battle of Hansan Island are the most famous battles.
In 1592, Toyotomi Hideyoshi gave the order to invade Korea and use it as a forward base to conquer Ming China. After the Japanese attacked Busan, Yi began his naval operations from his headquarters at Yeosu. Despite never having commanded a naval battle in his life, he won the Battle of Okpo, Battle of Sacheon, and several others in quick succession. His string of victories made the Japanese generals suddenly wary of the threat at sea. Yi never lost a battle during the Imjin War.
A Japanese invasion force landed at Busan and Dadaejin, port cities on the southern tip of Joseon. The Japanese, without meeting any naval resistance, quickly captured these ports and began a lightning march north. They reached Seoul in just nineteen days, on May 2, 1592, due to the military inefficiency of the Joseon army, especially at the Battle of Sangju and the failure to defend Joryeong Pass.
After capturing Hanseong and Pyongyang, the Japanese planned to cross the Yalu River into Chinese territory, and use the waters west of the Korean peninsula to supply the invasion. However, Yi Sun-sin was able to stay informed on all his enemy's activities.
On the June 13, 1592, Admiral Yi and Admiral Yi Eok-gi (이억기; 李億祺; 1561–1597), the commander of the Right Jeolla navy, set sail with 24 panokseons, 15 small warships, and 46 boats (i.e. fishing boats), and arrived at the waters of Gyeongsang Province by sunset. The next day, the Jeolla fleet sailed to an arranged location where Admiral Wŏn Kyun (원균; 元均; 1540–1597) was supposed to meet them, and met the admiral on June 15. The augmented flotilla of 91 ships then began circumnavigating the Geoje Island, bound for the Gadeok Island, but scouting vessels detected 50 Japanese vessels at the harbor of Okpo. Upon sighting the approaching Korean fleet, some of the Japanese who had been busying themselves with plundering returned to their ships and began to flee. The Korean fleet encircled the Japanese ships and finished them off with artillery bombardments. The Koreans spotted five more Japanese vessels that night, and managed to destroy four of them. The next day, the Koreans approached 13 Japanese ships at Jeokjinpo, as reported by their intelligence. In the same manner as the previous success at Okpo, the Korean fleet destroyed 11 Japanese ships – completing the Battle of Okpo without the loss of a single ship.