The Fall of a Korean Legend
Hideyoshi knew that to regain the military power to restart his campaign in Korea, he would need to eliminate Admiral Yi Sun-shin. Showing the cunning that Hideyoshi was famous for he decided that the best way to eliminate Yi was not through warfare, but Korean court intrigue.
The Japanese sent a soldier named Yoshira to the military camp of the Korean General Kim Eung-su where he convinced General Kim that he would be willing to spy on the Japanese military for him. General Kim fell for the plan and Yoshira supplied Kim with intelligence that led to a few Korean military victories that caused Kim to trust Yoshira even more.
Eventually Yoshira gave Kim information that Japanese General Kato Kiyomasa would be arriving on the Korean peninsula with his naval armada from Japan at a certain date and location. Yoshira suggested that Admiral Yi should be sent to ambush and sink the armada. General Kim sent a request to King Seonjo to have Yi ambush the Japanese armada. The king concurred and General Kim ordered Yi to ambush the Japanese armada. However, Yi refused the order because the area where the armada was to arrive was narrow and studded with underwater rocks. Yi relied on tactics and maneuvers to overcome numerically superior Japanese armadas. He knew that this location would lead to the destruction of his smaller fleet and refused to fight the Japanese there. Plus Yi felt the intelligence was dubious to begin with.
General Kim immediately informed King Seonjo of Yi’s noncompliance and unbelievably the King in 1597 during a time of war, had Korea’s best military commander and hero Admiral Yi arrested, imprisoned, and tortured over his noncompliance. King Seonjo also decided to have Admiral Won Kyun, who Yi had initially saved from the Japanese attack during the opening months of the war replace Yi. Won was another commander that heard served in both North Korea and in Cholla-do with Yi and was jealous of Yi’s success over the years. With General Kim’s help he took over Yi’s naval forces and became the head admiral of the Korean navy while Yi remained in prison.
The King wanted to have Yi executed, but his supporters at the royal court led by his childhood friend Prime Minister Yu Song-nyong were able to convince the king to spare Yi and instead, once again, Yi was demoted to the rank of a common infantry soldier. The ever honorable Yi executed his duties as soldier without complaint or ego. This reaction to such treachery committed against him only emboldened his image in the minds of the Korean populace.
Map depicting locations of major bases and battlefields during the 1592-1598 Japanese Invasion of Korea.
While Yi was executing his duties as an infantry soldier, Hideyoshi saw an opening to begin his second invasion of Korea in 1597 with Yi out of the way. Hideyoshi sent over a thousand ships to Korea filled with over 140,000 Japanese soldiers. The Korean and Chinese soldiers, however, were much better prepared for the second Japanese invasion. The combined Sino-Korean force were able to keep the Japanese bogged down in the southeastern portion of the country, while Admiral Won began his assault on the Japanese naval forces using the intelligence provided by the spy Yoshira. Won to his credit had also doubted the intelligence but felt compelled to obey the orders of the King. Won knowing full well the odds were against his success led the Korean navy into battle. Won would not be able to replicate the successes of his predecessor and lost the battle and most likely if Yi Sun-shin was still in command of the Korean navy, the Japanese ships would have never reached the Korean mainland.
Won had inherited from Yi a Korean navy with over 160 warships and 30,000 experienced crew members. Won, however, replaced all of Yi’s battle tested officers with his own men and showed little regard for common soldiers. In addition the arrogant Won applied little strategy during his assaults and took to many chances. His arrogance would catch up with him on August 28, 1597, when the Japanese conducted a successful night attack on the Korean navy located at Chilchonnyang which is a narrow straight near Goeje-do Island.
Won ordered his ships to close in and attack the Japanese ships. This would end up being the tactical blunder that doomed the Korean navy. The Japanese excelled at close quarters combat due to their samurai training and mentality. The Japanese soldiers quickly boarded the Korean ships and defeated the Korean defenders. Seeing his defeat Won tried to escape from the Japanese. He was chased down, captured, and beheaded by the victorious Japanese. Out of the 133 warships only 13 warships led by an officer named Bae Sol had managed to escape the Japanese attack. Bae was able to lead the remaining ships to the safe harbor at Yoesu. The Japanese had not only effectively destroyed the Korean navy, but they had also captured the Korean naval headquarters on Hansan Island. This was a defeat that most navies could never recover from, however the fact that 13 warships escaped the Japanese would ultimately come back to haunt them.
Prior Posting: Rise of a Korean National Hero
Next Posting: The Return of Yi Sun-shin
