THE KOREAN NELSON
After his death, Yi was named Lord of Loyalty and Chivalry and celebrated for his continuous display of “the three essentials of the warrior: humility, discernment and courage”. Undefeated in battle, his remarkable naval accomplishments changed the face of East Asia forever. He has since been immortalised as a rare symbol of integrity and sacrifice at a time of widespread corruption, scheming and selfishness, typical of Joseon-era politics.
Yi has also been revered outside of the Korean Peninsula. Following his stunning, historic victory against the Russian Baltic Fleet in Tsushima in 1905, the Japanese Admiral Togo Heihachiro remarked: “You may wish to compare me with Lord Nelson, but do not compare me with Korea’s Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Next to him, I am only a petty officer.”
Meanwhile, in 1921 British Admiral George Alexander Ballard did compare Yi to Lord Nelson, remarking that while “it is always difficult for Englishmen to admit that Nelson ever had an equal in his profession”, Yi was the only one in the running. “His whole career might be summarised by Yi Sun-sin’s remark that, although he had no lessons from history to serve as a guide, he waged war on the sea as it should be waged if it is to produce definite results, and [he] ended by making the supreme sacrifice of a defender of his country.”