Admiral Yi Sun Shin Statue

One of the most photographed Seoul attractions is the statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin which is located on Sejongro Boulevard. Admiral Yi Sun Shin is a well known historic figure as he fought the Japanese army and navy during the 1500's. He also designed the first iron clad ships.

The Korean Admiral was born on November 19 1545 and died in 1598. In 1592 the Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his men to invade Korea as part of a master-plan to sweep up the Korean peninsula and conquer China. However, the Korean Admiral Yi Sun-shin defeated Toyotomi Hideyoshi forces and became a national hero.

One of the major factors contributing to Admiral Yi Sun-shin's success was his ingenuity, most notably in his designs for the Kobuksons or Turtle Ships, thought to be the first historical examples of ironclad warships, that played a large role in defeating the Japanese armies.

The fortitude and usefulness of the Kobuksons was demonstrated when, on September 16 1597, just 12 of the turtle ships took on 133 Japanese ships in the Myongnyang Straits and sank 31 enemy ships before the Japanese retreated.

Though the Japanese were eventually defeated, Admiral Yi Sun-shin was shot dead in the war's last battle On November 19, 1598.

His posthumous title, (Lord of Loyalty and Chivalry (Ch'ungmu-kong) is used in Korea's third highest military honor, the Order of Ch'ungmu. If you want to take some pictures of the Admiral Yi Sun Shin statue then we do recommend for you to take some during sunset or during the evening.