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Admiral Yi Sun-sin, also transliterated Yi Sun-sin, was born in Geoncheon-dong, Seoul, on March 8, 1545. Due to the poverty of his family, he moved to and grew up in his mother’s hometown, Asan, in the Chungcheongnam-do province. In August of 1572 at the age of 28, he applied for a military officer examination, but failed the examination after falling off his horse. Four years later, in February of 1576, he finally passed the examination. At the late age of 32, he began his career as a defense solider at the bottom rank in the northern frontier region. Yi Sun-sin would face many challenges during his military career. Since he lacked political and economic power, and was rigidly stuck to principles, he often had tensions with and thus faced false accusations by his superiors. Nevertheless, in February of 1591, he was promoted to naval commander of the western part of Jeolla-do province, as recommended by Yu Seong-ryong, a high-profile official and renowned scholar during the Joseon Dynasty.
Upon his arrival, he set out to build up the fighting strength of the navy because he foresaw the inevitability of war against Japan. He tightened discipline among the troops, expanded armaments, and produced powerful defensive weapons, including the Geobukseon and Panokseon battleships as well as the Jija and Hyeonja Chongtong firearms. The Geobukseon battleship was especially important as the spearhead of the Korean Navy. It was a mighty warship able to fire cannons in any direction with a rounded roof covered with spikes to effectively prevent Japanese soldiers from boarding. Yi wrote in his war diary (Nanjung Ilgi in Korean) that his Lieutenant Na Dae-yong completed the construction of the Geobukseon battleship and test-fired the Jija and Hyeonja Chongtong firearms on April 12, 1592, one day prior to the outbreak of the Imjin War (1592-1598). |
