Korea(1950s) through American eyes

The first half of the 1900s was a very difficult era for Koreans. After 35 years under Japanese rule, Korea was plunged into a civil war with hardly any break in between. However, during these relatively peaceful years, the US sent many troops to Korea with the intentions of protecting the country. One such soldier video-taped what was going on at the time he was deported to Korea. Through this video, we are able to see what Korea was like during the brief years of restarting from the eyes of a foreigner.

The children in the video are orphans from an orphanage that US troops helped to rebuild. Although a few scenes from Japan at the time are mixed in, the video gives quite a clear view of Korea in the early 1950s. Enjoy.

Admiral Yi Sun-shin

Who was Yi Sun-shin?

To put it simply, Yi Sun-shin was the greatest naval commander that Korea and the world have ever seen. He was most famous for creating and successfully using the turtle ship (Gobukseon), an elite battle ship,

and designing the crane wing formation. But General Yi wasn’t just a superb naval general. In addition to his career in military, he was a brilliant writer who excelled at poetry, and was a very loyal, courageous, clever, and caring man. Even the enemies that he fought with, the Japanese could do nothing but praise him, having found no quality to criticize him by. Now let’s take a look at the background during which Yi Sun-shin became the figure in history we revere today.

During the late 1500s, the Japanese launched an attack on Korea, hoping to use it as a bridge to reach China. Their main goal was to conquer China, and they thought that defeating the Korean army was going to be a piece of cake. They couldn’t have been any farther from the truth.

In 1592, with the help of creative naval strategies, and several of the new turtle ships, General Yi Sun-shin and his troops defeated the Japanese in an amazing victory at the battle of Hansan Island. Facing 73 Japanese battle ships with only 56 of their own ships, the Korean navy managed to sink 47 battleships, and capture 12 more without damaging anyone of their own ships. How could this have come to be?

The main reason for this victory was thanks to some very serious thinking completed by General Yi. Understanding that the Japanese had already begun to realize and even copy Korean naval tactics, he decided that the navy needed a completely new strategy that would throw the Japanese completely off the hook. This is where the crane wing formation comes into play.

By positioning his ships in a boomerang-like shape, with the mouth of the boomerang open towards the enemy, Yi Sun-shin guided his navy to close in on the invaders, raining down cannons, bullets, and flaming arrows at them from all sides. Steam and smoke also poured out from the dragon head at the front of the ships, disorienting and confusing the enemy.

The turtle ships were also a very major part of the successful defense. Designed for rough battles, the turtle ship was the only ship of the time with a roof, and this was made up of heavy iron plates. Along the roof were sharp nails and spears to discourage enemies from climbing onto the ship. At the front of the ship was a dragon head (as mentioned above) that shot cannons out of its mouth in addition to a thick smoke that easily hid the approach of Korean battleships.

 One of the most important features of the vessel was the row of small holes in the side of the ship that were just big enough to fit the mouths of cannons. Being the only ship of its time to be able to hold many cannons at once, turtle ships usually fought by turning its cannon side to the enemies so they could rain down all of their firepower on unsuspecting invaders.

The turtle ships’ superb qualities were proved to be very important in another battle, the battle which General Yi is most famous for: the battle at Myeongnyang.

The only reason that the battle of Myeong-nyang truly became so important was because of a shocking event that occurred inside of Korea only a few months before. The king’s advisors were very jealous of Yi Sun-shin, and they told the king lies about him that began to make him doubt Sun-shin’s loyalty. Finally unable to bear his suspicions any longer, the king lowered General Yi’s rank to a common soldier, and was prepared to execute him.

While this drama was going on, the new general the king had appointed in Yi Sun-shin’s place was quickly proving that he was a terrible replacement. After a disastrous defeat in which nearly the entire Korean navy was destroyed, the king realized that Korea would lose the war without General Yi, and he hastily reappointed him as commander of the navy.

Because of this, when he stepped once again into battle, General Yi found himself with an army of 13 ships, preparing to fight against the 330 ships in the Japanese army. However, not giving up hope, Yi Sun-shin used the geography around him to his advantage, and after another miracle battle, 31 Japanese battleships were destroyed, 91 were damaged to the point where they could not be reused, and all 13 of General Yi’s ships were in good condition. He had saved Korea again.

Time and time again, General Yi Sun-shin would prove himself a very difficult commander to beat, and the most strategic general the world of navies had ever seen.

Finally, in the final battle of the seven year war against Japan at Noryang, General Yi was hit by a stray bullet in the armpit, and he passed away. Even with his dying breath, he said, “The battle is at its height. Let none know of my death.” Needless to say, the Korean navy would go on to win that war.

For more information on Admiral Yi, visit http://www.koreanhero.net/en/NationalHeroOfKorea.htm