From the top of his pedestal, Admiral Yi Sun-sin gazes south, towards the sea the invaders came from. He is Korea's great military hero, and the statue has stood here since 27 April 1968.

1The Imjin War

In 1592 the armies of Toyotomi Hideyoshi landed on the peninsula and within weeks had taken Hanyang. On land, the Joseon kingdom was collapsing; at sea, Yi Sun-sin cut the Japanese supply lines again and again. His victory off Hansan Island that same summer ranks among the great naval battles of Asian history.

Among other vessels he used geobukseon, "turtle ships", covered by a protective roof. The replica in front of the statue reproduces one, though no original survives and their exact appearance is still debated.

2Twelve ships

After falling from favour through court intrigue, Yi was reinstated in 1597, when the Korean fleet had been all but wiped out. With barely thirteen ships he defeated a far larger fleet in the Myeongnyang Strait. He died in December 1598 at the Battle of Noryang, the last of the war, struck by a bullet.

According to traditional accounts, his last words were that his death should not be announced until the battle was over.

3What to look for

  • The sword, held in his right hand.
  • The turtle ship at the foot of the pedestal.
  • The 12·23 Fountain, named after the twelve ships he had left in 1597 and the battles attributed to him.

Documented

Yi Sun-sin defeated the Japanese fleet at Hansan (1592) and Myeongnyang (1597) and died at the Battle of Noryang in 1598; the statue was unveiled in 1968.

Oral tradition

His famous last words come from later accounts and are passed down as tradition.

Sources and credits

Yi Sun-sin, «Nanjung ilgi» (war diary, UNESCO Memory of the World since 2013); Samuel Hawley, «The Imjin War» (2005); Seoul Metropolitan Government, information on Gwanghwamun Square.

Photos:

  • Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin on a tall column in Gwanghwamun Square, with gardens in front and mountains behind: Tristan Surtel, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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