we remove the myth of Yi Sun-shin (April 28, 1545-December 16, 1598) and illustrate his life story and his inner world
as a human being on the oil painting canvas. When we deeply penetrate Yi’s life more closely, in his inner world we meet a human being who is overclouded with deeply meditative melancholy and struggling in solitude and wrath.
The great Korean commander of the late sixteen century, Admiral Yi Sun-shin, belongs with the best military leaders in any part of the world.
Yi is remembered for his numerous victories fighting against Japan during the Japanese invasion of Korea (the War of Imjin , 1592-1598)
He fought 23 battles, and he never lost.
One cannot speak of Admiral Yi without mentioning the Kobukson, or the Turtle Ship which he designed which was the first ironclad covered warship.
He was famous not only as the unique and extraordinary war hero but also as an unparalleled patriot and a filial son. He also was known as a poet and for his philosophical thought and inward contemplation.
He suffered two major arrests, accused falsely by the king and members of the royal court who were jealous and insecure due to his popularity in the people,s hearts.
During his last battle, the Norayng Battle, sensing that his wound by an enemy’s bullet would be fatal, the Admiral uttered this statement and died moments later:
“ The battle is at its height;
Do not announce my death”.
Admiral Tetsu Sato of the imperial Japanese navy mentioned Korean Admiral Yi Sun-shin in his book published in 1908,
A Military History of the Empire:
“ Throughout history there have been a few generals accomplished at the
tactics of frontal attacks, sudden attacks, concentration and dilation.
Napoleon, who mastered the art of conquering, can be held to have been
such a general, and among admirals, two further tactical geniuses may be
named:
in the East, Yi Sun-shin of Korea and in the West, Horato Nelson of England.
Undoubtedly, Yi is a supreme naval commander even on the basis of the
limited literature of the Seven-year war, and despite the fact that his bravery
and brilliance are not known to the West since he had the misfortune
to be born in Chosun (Korea) Dynasty.
Anyone who can be compared to Yi should be better than Michael de Ruyter
from Netherlands.
Nelson is far behind Yi in terms of personal character and integrity.
Yi was the inventor of the covered warship known as the turtle ship.
He was a truly great commander and a master of the naval tactics of
three hundred years ago.”
The comments of the officer of the Royal Navy and historian Admiral Ballad: “It is very difficult for me as an Englishman to admit there is a person compared to Admiral Nelson, but if there is a person admitted he is the only and the great Eastern Admiral Yi Sun-shin, who was never defeated in battle.” ( Korean Naval Academy Website )
Yi Sun-shin and Horatio Nelson share more differences than similarities.
While Yi struggled with adverse circumstances, relatively speaking, Nelson fought in favorable situations.
Yi had to fight against the enemies in difficult conditions with a loose, poorly trained navy, always being absurdly outnumbered, combined with dissension and disunion among the naval leaders. The king and the royal ministers felt threatened by Yi Sun-shin’s popularity. Additionally, Korea’s material and manpower resources were greatly limited.
Therefore, it was up to Admiral Yi to supply his fleet, including basic provisions, and it had to fend for itself without any helping hand from the king’s court.
On the other hand, Nelson fought battles in which the odds were in his favor, winnable by anyone who was a competent commander and had a mind for tactics, with the strongest crack troops in the world, great armaments and army expenditure, national unity and support, public confidence and popularity, a command system being in perfect order, and negligent and incompetent enemies.
Their posthumous awards were also quite dissimilar.
Yi’s monumental achievements and reputation were barely recognized through refutation and adverse criticisms. The royal court eventually bestowed various honors to him including a Seonmu Ildeung Gongsin(First Class Military order of merit during the reign of King Seonjo), but they were not necessarily honorable titles, judging from the other celebrities ranked to the comparable titles.
By comparison, Nelson’s posthumous fame was on the spot and frantic.
Moreover, he become a hero not only in his own country but also internationally.
Even the recognition of a hero may be proportionate to the national power and strength.
To briefly summarize, Yi Sun-shin was a tragic hero who had lived during an unfortunate time in an underprivileged country.
