Yi Sun-sin, the Turtle Ship, and the Imjin War이순신, 거북선, 그리고 임진왜란

In 1592 Japan, newly unified under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, invaded Korea, opening the six-year Imjin War. On land Joseon reeled, but at sea one commander changed everything: Admiral Yi Sun-sin. He is credited with deploying the geobukseon, or turtle ship — a warship with a covered deck studded with iron spikes to stop boarding parties, and a dragon-head prow that could belch smoke. By winning battle after battle, Yi severed Japan's supply lines along the coast. His most astonishing moment came in 1597. Stripped of command through court intrigue and reinstated only after the navy he built was destroyed, Yi met a Japanese fleet of roughly 130 ships in the narrow Myeongnyang Strait with just 13 ships, using its violent tidal currents to win; about 31 enemy ships were destroyed and the rest retreated. He died in December 1598 at Noryang, the war's final naval battle, struck by a bullet at the moment of victory. Koreans revere him not only for genius but for character — his handwritten war diary, the Nanjung Ilgi, is a National Treasure inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World register. His statue has watched over Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul since 1968, and his story still fills Korea's biggest blockbuster films.