Young General Yi-Sunshin

A children's book written by Hae-ok Lee, published by Sesaem

Translated by June Lee

Yi Sun-sin

“Captain, the enemy is approaching.” Our team’s lookout shouted down to me from the top of a tree.

“Okay everyone, this is it. Get ready!” Crouching even lower down in the brush, my troop and I waited with baited breath, straining our ears to hear the battle cry…

“Attack!” the enemy appeared at the top of the hill, dashing madly towards us with their wooden swords waving in the air.

Winking at my comrades, I thrust my own wooden sword straight above my head, “Now is the moment! Counterattack!”

“Ahhhh!” the two lines of soldiers raced towards each other, coming closer and closer to the moment of impact. Concentrating fiercely, I raised my sword to knock away the first victim, when,

“Boys! Stop this nonsense! Who gave you permission to ravage this path!” a tall scholar stepped between our troops and glowered down at us.

Rather disappointed at the turn of events, I stepped forward to address the nobleman. “But, we were only playing war!”

“Playing war?! I was planning on enjoying the warm day at this spot, so you boys run along and play somewhere else.”

 “Why don’t you find a more vacant bench to rest at, sir?” One of the boys behind me piped up, and everybody in our group became deathly still.

“Young boys are not supposed to address their betters or elders in that manner.” Incredulous and furious, he reached up for a low-hanging branch, as if to whip us for our insolence. My playmates began to slowly back away, not daring to look the man in the eye.

Squeezing my lips together to keep from shuddering, I boldly took another step towards the gentleman, and tried to explain. “With all due respect sir, this place is a battleground. Although this may seem like only child’s play, for us who will serve our country by joining the army someday, this is very serious. We are training for our country.” Without another word, the scholar immediately stood up from his bench, and with a slight nod of approval at my words, turned to clear the area for us. As he walked past, I could have sworn there was the hint of a smile tugging at the edge of his lips. A warm feeling of pride filled my heart as I turned back to my companions. “Okay, let’s do that attack one more time!”

In the end, my team emerged the victors of our mock battle, and we gathered together by the stream to cool off from the day’s excitement. The captain of the opposing side sat beside me as we splashed our feet in the water. Suddenly, turning to me, he said, “You know what, Sunshin? You’re going to be an incredible general. How many times have you knocked us into the dirt with your strategies?” Face turning red, I grinned at him, and was about to clasp his back in thanks, when he uttered a new challenge. “I think it’s time we try a new battle game.”

‘I like this guy’s way of thinking…’ Unhesitatingly, I replied, “Great, what were you thinking of?”

With an almost sinister smirk spreading across his face, he shouted, “To the archery range!”

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

Teacher Seminar on Korean History and Culture

This Saturday, the SVKS Korean school staff put together a wonderful Free Teacher Seminar on Korean history and culture. The many wonderful speakers present were: the Consul General of San Francisco, Mrs. Mary Connor (President of the Korea Academy for Educators), Jung Hae Kim (Principal of the Wilton Place School), and Gi-wook Shin (Director of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center). Their enthralling and informative lectures captivated the audience and were very educational at the same time. Following a delicious Korean lunch and free book raffles, several cultural booths were set up for the teachers to have hands on experiences with Korean culture. Some of the intriguing booths included making Korean pancakes, trying on Korean clothing(hanbok) or posing with Hanbok models, having a professional write participants' names in Korean on beautiful Korean flags, and watching the fan dance team from the Silicon Valley Korean School perform. Out of all of the fascinating lectures, scrumptious meals, and wonderful culture booths, I have to say that the Consul General's speech was the most touching and motivational to me. Hearing the strong and descriptive speech, I myself was motivated to become a diplomat later in my life. The Teacher Seminar was a wonderful experience to me, and I would like to thank everyone who worked hard to make it work. Thank you!

Waving the Korean Flag

Have you ever seen the South Korean flag? Whether it was from a flash on the internet, or a quick glimpse during a ride through a city, seeing the Korean flag is not an experience you are likely to forget very soon. But first of all, what does the flag even mean?

The flag of South Korea, or Taegeukgi, is actually a highly complicated symbol of the country. Simply organized, the flag is divided into three parts: the white background, the four black trigrams, and the red and blue taeguk in the center.

The white background represents the traditional color of the Korean people(which they also like to wear) and the cleanliness of their hearts. The blue and red taeguk in the center is the image of all things in the universe. It represents all of the opposites in the world merging together to form a nation. This symbol is also known as the yin-yang symbol, and it can be shown as unity. The four black trigrams technically also represent opposites: metal, fire, water, and Earth. The similar helping elements are on the same vertical side of the taeguk, while the opposite elements border each other diagonally. Traditionally, the four trigrams refer to the five elements of fire, water, earth, wood, and metal. In Korean, the trigrams are known as geon, ri, gam, and gon.

Inexorably, the South Korean flag is a true representative of the thoughts and minds in its nation, a bold reminder to all Koreans to live up to the courage it bequeaths upon them.

Information courtesy to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_Korea 

The Perfect Summer Meal

Summer, especially in Korea, is to be dreaded, with terribly hot and sticky days, melting into long rainy spells that never end. However, one thing to look forward to in the summer is the food!

Two different meals that are an absolute necessity during summer in Korea consist of naengmyeon, and galbi.

Naengmyeon is a chilled buckwheat noodle soup dish, where buckwheat noodles and starch are served in a chilled beef broth. Additionally added toppings include pickled radish, sliced Korean pear, a hard boiled egg, and vinegar or mustard.

Naengmyeon soup, the superlative conclusion to a hot summer day.

Galbi, on the other hand, is a meal of grilled beef ribs often marinated in a seasoned soy sauce(gan-jang). The juicy sizzling meat is sometimes even cooked right at your table!

Can it get any better than this?

Photo courtesy to my uncle, Eui jong.

Making Kimchi at Home

Today was a very exciting day. After years and years of eating store bought kimchi, we finally had the chance to make it ourselves, right at home! (But what is kimchi? Briefly, it's a Korean style mixture of Napa cabbage, vegetables, and lots of chili powder!)

Kimchi is actually a lot simpler to make than I first imagined. Here's a quick description of the procedure we used to make it.

The first thing we did was to clean the Napa cabbage and place it in a bowl of salty water. We put pressure on it, then left it to soak overnight.

In the morning, we poured out the salty water and carefully cleaned the cabbage in fresh water. After straining as much water as we could, we put it aside.

Then it was time to get to work on the filling. First, we peeled and finely minced some garlic. In a separate bowl, we grounded radishes. In another bowl, we sliced up some green onions before pouring in a little bit of sugar and salt(if you would like to put in shrimp or anchovy preserves, this would be the time). Next, we mixed the green onion mixture together before pouring it and the garlic into the radish bowl and mixing.

Finally, it was time for the most important step. Being careful not to rip the leaves, we placed small amounts of the mixture in between the leaves of the napa cabbage, and placed it in a seal-able bowl. For the final touch, we poured in a little bit of water and closed the lid.

Now all we have to do is let it sit in a shady spot for a week(letting it ferment) before it's ready to eat!

Tentatively tasting the kimchi a few days later, I felt so proud and happy knowing that Korean food was a new world that we could make ourselves, right at home!

So, why don't you give it a try?

(Every family has its own recipe for making kimchi, and this is just one of billions!)