Tongyeong: Yi Sun-sin's Sea and a Harbor of Artists통영: 이순신의 바다, 예술가를 낳은 항구

Tongyeong is a small port city on Korea's south coast, scattered with islands so scenic that Koreans call it 'the Naples of the East.' Its very name is military: it comes from Tongjeyeong, the headquarters of the unified naval command of Joseon's three southern provinces. That command was created in 1593, during the Imjin War, for Admiral Yi Sun-sin — the legendary commander who, in the waters off nearby Hansan Island in 1592, crushed the Japanese fleet in one of the war's decisive battles. Sebyeonggwan, a sweeping wooden hall from the old headquarters, still stands in the city center. Then history took an unexpected turn: the fortress town became an incubator of artists. Composer Isang Yun (1917–1995), who bridged Korean and European music, was born in nearby Sancheong and grew up here from about the age of three; Yu Chi-hwan, one of 20th-century Korea's leading poets, spent his childhood and much of his literary life here; and novelist Park Kyung-ni, author of the 16-volume epic 'Land,' was born here. In 2015 UNESCO named Tongyeong a Creative City of Music, and every spring the Tongyeong International Music Festival fills the harbor with concerts. Between performances, visitors ride a cable car up Mireuksan for a view of the island-studded sea, wander the murals of Dongpirang village, and eat some of Korea's best seafood at Jungang Market.