As in the battle of Thermopylae, where a handful of Spartans challenged the Persian army, in the Yellow Sea, a dozen Korean ships faced 330 ships of the Japanese fleet. It was in 1597, in the Myeongnyang Strait, south of the Korean Peninsula. The Korean admiral Yu Sun-sin had harangued his men with these words: “He who seeks death will live and he who seeks life will die. If a defender stands firm in a fortified pass, he will be able to strike terror into the heart of the attacking enemy, even if he comes in thousands.”
This is one of the most famous speeches attributed to the invincible commander. The bronze statue of him, one hand on his belt and the other holding his sheathed sword, dominates Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. It is almost impossible to cross the square that leads to the Gyeongbokgung Palace without noticing it.
At the feet of the figure is a reproduction of one of the admiral’s famous turtle ships. And right in front of the pedestal, a fountain remembers his achievements. It is called 12.23 for the 23 battles he fought with his 12 ships. The most powerful jets of water reach 18 m in height. There are 300 smaller ones that symbolize his victories at sea.
In the basement, a free museum tells its story. Yi Sun-sin is undoubtedly one of the most admired national heroes by the Korean people.
He was born on April 28, 1545 in Hanseong (today within Seoul), in the bosom of a noble clan come to less. His father, disappointed with the court, moved the family to Asan, the hometown of Yi-Sun-sin’s mother. It was there that the boy grew up, already demonstrating his leadership skills and his interest in weapons in games with his teammates.
Against his parents’ desire to pursue a career as a literary scholar, the young man wished to become a military officer. So, in 1562, he took the entrance exams. He surpassed the theory and even dazzled the examiners with the archery exercise. However, an accident in the riding test left him out of the process. He would take four years to resubmit. He then he approved. It wouldn’t be the last time he would have to start from scratch.
At 32 years old, Yi Sun-sin was much older than the other rank and file soldiers. Posted to the northern border of the kingdom of Joseon, he faced off against the Jurchen (a people later known as the Manchus) and soon became known for his skill as a tactician. But his rising star put some superiors on their guard and, in a fairly common practice at the time, they falsely accused him of deserting in the middle of battle. That treason should have carried the death penalty, but thanks to his impeccable record, he was commuted to prison with torture and demoted to private. Start again.
Yi Sun-sin managed to chain four promotions in a meteoric progression. Until finally, in 1591, his big break came: he was appointed commander of a naval district, which was equivalent to the rank of admiral. In his new position, he assumed the responsibility of preparing the Korean army for a confrontation with feudal Japan, whose expansionist desires raised fears of an early invasion.
Indeed, in 1592 the Injin war broke out: an army of 160,000 samurai set out to conquer the kingdom of Joseon. After winning his first three battles, Yi Sun-sin was appointed commander-in-chief of the entire Korean army. The key to his success lay in obsessive preparation. He had a wide network of informants among the peasants and fishermen that allowed him to anticipate the movements of the enemy. He also had a deep knowledge of geography, currents and underwater rocks.
Thus he accumulated victory after victory… until he fell into disgrace again. This time he was the victim of a Japanese ruse. Under the influence of a spy infiltrated in the Joseon court, the admiral received the order to go to a point on the coast where the enemy was supposed to be. Yi Sun-sin knew that this was impossible, since the underwater rocks did not allow the passage of a fleet. And aware of the extreme danger in which he could put his squad, he refused to obey.
He was convicted of cowardice, a crime that was punishable by death. However, his influences and his worth in naval battles saved his life again. In return, he again suffered imprisonment with torture and demotion to a private sailor. He back to the starting box.
But after a painful defeat of the Korean fleet, the authorities decided to reinstate Yi Sun-sin ipso facto. At that time the monarch was ready to capitulate. Even so, the admiral wrote to him: “Your Majesty, I still have 12 ships. As long as I live, the enemy will never win.” And this brings us to the Myeongnyang Strait that we talked about at the beginning, the scene of the “miraculous battle”.
The admiral’s last victory was posthumous. On December 16, 1598, when he was trying to cut off the retreat of the Japanese forces, an arquebus bullet struck him near the left armpit. Aware that she was fatally wounded, Yi Sun-sin ordered her condition to be hidden to maintain the morale of the troops: “The combat is at its peak, take my armor, beat the drums of war and do not announce my death.” It was his nephew Yi Wan who posed as him.
That famous battle, in the Noryang Strait, marked the end of the invasion.
Hallyuwood, the powerful Korean audiovisual industry, has made Yi Sun-sin the protagonist of a series, Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin, and of a film triptych, Yi Sun-sin trilogy. In Spanish you can read the novel El canto de la espada, by Kim Hoon, which narrates the last days of the naval hero.
