Admiral Yi Sun-sin, known posthumously as Chungmugong, is celebrated as a national hero who saved Korea from the brink of collapse during the Japanese invasions of the Imjin War. This conflict was an international war in which Joseon and Ming China allied to repel Japan’s invasions. Beginning in the 25th year of King Seonjo’s reign (1592), Japan launched two major invasions of Joseon, the first breaking out in the year of Imjin, hence the name Imjin War. Admiral Yi personally commanded every battle he fought, achieving an unprecedented record of consecutive victories unmatched in world naval history. His strategies are so renowned that they continue to be studied in naval academies in the United States, Britain, Japan, and beyond.
So closely linked are Admiral Yi and the turtle ship (geobukseon) that one is often invoked in reference to the other. Even today, a turtle ship is displayed near the statue of Admiral Yi at Gwanghwamun in Seoul. Japanese soldiers once called it mekura bune, meaning “blind ship,” because no matter how hard they looked, they could not find what resembled “eyes” on the vessel. As the first ironclad warship in Joseon, the turtle ship stands as a powerful symbol of the valor of the Korean navy and a landmark achievement in naval engineering.
