Admiral Yi was known by the international community for his outstanding, notable achievements as a military genius of his time. This is a compilation of quotes and statements regarding what the international community thought of him as a military commander.
There are praises from naval commanders in history. The first is from a naval commander of the Royal Navy, which was the world’s undisputed strongest navy. Getting praise from a vice-admiral from the strongest navy at the time would suggest Admiral Yi was indeed a remarkable and extraordinary commander of his time.
“It is always difficult for Englishmen to admit that Nelson ever had an equal in his profession, but if any man is entitled to be so regarded, it should be this great naval commander of Asiatic race who never knew defeat and died in the presence of the enemy; of whose movements a track-chart might be compiled from the wrecks of hundreds of Japanese ships lying with their valiant crews at the bottom of the sea, off the coasts of the Korean peninsula…and it seems, in truth, no exaggeration to assert that from first to last he never made a mistake, for his work was so complete under each variety of circumstances as to defy criticism… His whole career might be summarized by saying that, although he had no lessons from past 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 ended by making the supreme sacrifice of a defender of his country.”
– George Alexander Ballard (1962-1948), vice-admiral of the British Royal Navy
Another great naval power during the 20th century was the Empire of Japan. During the industrial growth of the Meiji Era, the Japanese delegation sent students to study in England’s naval academies to create a powerful, modern Japanese Navy. Admiral Yi was still remembered by the Japanese and praised even if he defeated the Japanese soldiers plenty of times. He even influenced Japan’s most famous admiral Togo, who defeated the Russian Navy at the Battle of Tsushima opening the age of Japanese naval domination in the Pacific. To Togo, he did not see himself an equal to Yi, instead, he saw Yi as his master.
“Togo returned from the victorious Battle of Tsushima(1905) in which he had defeated the Russian Baltic Fleet, at that time the world’s most powerful naval force. He had been instated as Admiral of the Japanese Navy, and at a celebratory gathering, a member of the company exclaimed, ‘Your great victory is so remarkable that it deserves an everlasting place in history. You can be regarded the equal of Admiral Nelson, who defeated Napoleon in the Battle of Trafalgar; you are indeed a god of war.’ To this Admiral Togo replied ‘I appreciate your compliment. But,…if there ever were an Admiral worthy of the name of ‘god of war’, that one is Yi Sun-sin. Next to him, I am little more than a petty officer.’”
– Kotaro Andohi (1964), History and Theory of Relations of Japan, Korea, and China
“Throughout history there have been few generals accomplished at the tactics of frontal attack, sudden attack, concentration and dilation. Napoleon, who mastered the art of conquering the part with the whole, can be held to have been such a general, and among admirals, two further tactical geniuses may be named: in the East, Yi Sun-sin of Korea, and in the West, Horatio Nelson of England. Undoubtedly, Yi is a supreme naval commander even on the basis of the limited literature of the Seven Years War, and despite the fact that his bravery and brilliance are not known to the West, since he had the misfortune to be born in Choson. Anyone who can be compared to Yi should be better than Michiel de Ruyter from Netherlands. Nelson is behind Yi in terms of character and integrity. Yi was the inventor of the iron-clad warship known as the Turtle Ship (Kobukson). He was a truly great commander and a master of the naval tactics of three hundred years ago.”
– Sato Destaro (1866-1942), vice-admiral of the Japanese Navy
During the seven years conflict, Admiral Yi went through tragic events in his life, including burying his youngest son who was killed in battle. Yi wrote in his diary,
“How could the Heavens be so merciless. It is as if my heart is being burned and torn to pieces. Proper, by Nature, it is I who should have died and it is you who should have lived. Yet since you are dead and I alive, how contrary to Nature, how improper is it. The heavens and the earth are dark, and even the sun has lost its color. Ah, how sad! My son, where are you now, having deserted me? Is it because you are such an outstanding figure that the heavens are unwilling to leave you in this world, or is it because of my sin, that this great misfortune has befallen you. Even if I hold out in this world, now on whom can I lean my heart? I wish to follow you to the grave, to stay and weep with you together under the ground, but if I do, your brothers, sisters and your mother will have no one to lean their hearts on. Thus I endure, but my mind that wails is already dead, soulless. Passing a night now seems like waiting for a year to go by.”
King Sunjo, who was the monarch of the Korean kingdom during the Imjin Wars said the following address at Admiral Yi’s funeral,
I abandoned you, and yet
You did not once abandon me.
The sufferings you underwent in this world,
And those you take with you to the world after,
How could one convey them in words?
Admiral Yi Sun-Shin, Hero of the Korean People 