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Book Review: Admiral Yi Sun-sin

Admiral Yi Sun-shin bookAdmiral Yi Sun-sin: A brief overview of his life and achievements
Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project, 2006
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A quick and easy read setting out the achievements of Admiral Yi in the Imjin war against Japan. As well as telling Yi’s story (sometimes using Yi’s own war diary and memorials to the throne), the book tries to compare his achievements with events which might be familiar to foreign readers — Nelson at Trafalgar; the Japanese victory over the Russian fleet in 1905 — and makes a very convincing case that Yi’s victories were more remarkable. Maybe if the authors get around to a revised version they should also include a comparison with another naval victory often credited with turning the course of history: the Greek victory over the Persian fleet at Salamis. The book quotes from British and Japanese authors who admire the achievements of Yi.

The authors highlight the superiority of the Korean ships (robust construction, manoeuvrable because of twin sails and flat bottom, armed to the teeth with heavy long-range cannon; and, in the case of the few “Turtle ships”, metal armour-plating and sharp spikes to inconvenience enemy boarding parties) over the Japanese (light construction, poor manoeuvrability, armed with a couple of pop-guns and relying on ancient grapple-and-board tactics for victory — if they could ever get close enough to the Korean ships without getting blown out of the water first). With such a naval advantage favouring the Koreans it’s a wonder the Japanese got as far as Busan in the first place, until you realise that Yi was also having to deal with a paralytic and incompetent Korean governance structure; and also that technological superiority does not guarantee victory, as was shown when the Korean fleet was virtually wiped out in a bungled sea battle commanded by another Korean admiral.

Yi reminds me of one of those early Roman heroes you find in the rose-tinted pages of Livy: invincible in battle, displaying levels of traditional moral virtue, nobility, loyalty and endurance verging on sainthood, possessing great intelligence and judgement but also great humanity towards his men, often not fully appreciated by his contemporaries, and blessed with a noble death. Every nation needs a hero, and Yi is Korea’s.

Available free at www.koreanhero.net

My slightly lukewarm rating reflects my uncertainty as to who the book is designed for. It’s not designed as a heavy-duty history book. I think it’s probably best suited as a lightweight introduction for children / teenagers, particularly those of diasporic families who want to get back in touch with their roots.

3 thoughts on “Book Review: Admiral Yi Sun-sin

  1. Hi, I was wondering who this Admiral Yi guy was. I came across this thing that my grandmother has; it’s like for ornamental purposes she said, but it looks really interesting. It’s a tray type thing with three removable pieces in it, it has a turtle ash tray, a compartment for holding cigarettes,and in the middle is a dragon with spikes on it’s back that happens to be the lighter. On the front of the tray thing there’s some writting in a different language which im guessing is Korean; at the bottom of the writing it had the name Admiral Yi on it. I tryed to find out more about this guy but came up with nothing, I figured that you may be able to tell me something about him because it appears to me that you have done research on him before.

  2. Heather, there is a movie titled “The Admiral” (possibly Netflix but I can’t recall) that provides some graphic insight to Admiral Yi’s contagious spirit, loyalty, & tenacity. It’s in the historical novel format but mainly non-fiction. I highly recommend it. As a very young man, I remember exiting the Busan train station for the first time and happening upon his statue … I knew immediately I was in the company of a hero. Passing another more well-known statue of him in Seoul a couple of years back raised the hair on my neck. Yes, even his statues are compelling.

    If you find yourself drawn to Korean history, try “Mr. Sunshine” on Netflix … an awesome perspective on early 1900s Korea and the struggles of the Kingdom as it wrangles with neighbors, westerners, and nobility to retain sovereignty. All done in the historical novel format with trials, tribulation, humor, adventure, and romance–on another level.

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