The story of Choong-Moo
Choong-Moo, the man, is better known as Admiral Yi Soon-sin, arguably Korea’s greatest military hero. A master naval tactician, Admiral Yi inflicted heavy defeats on the Japanese invaders during the Im-jin Wae-ran wars of the late sixteenth century, forcing them to withdraw from Korea and demolishing nearly their entire fleet with his unique and deadly turtle boats. His posthumous title, Choong-Moo Kong, means ‘Lord of Loyalty and Chivalry’ and is used in one of South Korea's most esteemed military honours, the Order of Choong-Moo. Loyalty and chivalry, therefore, are two personal characteristics to which all Choong-Moo Taekwon-Do students are encouraged and expected to aspire.
In 1592, Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered 150,000 armed troops to invade Korea, angered by its refusal to help him conquer China. After landing at Pusan, the Japanese marched north and reached Seoul easily – the Korean resistance had been hastily organised and was hardly a match for the heavily armed and well-trained soldiers. King Sonjo was forced to flee the capital, seeking refuge at the Amnok River on Korea’s northernmost border. Even with the help of China, the Koreans appeared doomed to succumb to Japanese occupation. Indeed, their combined forces soon suffered another heavy defeat at Pyongyang.
But even as the Japanese forged north towards China, small bands of Korean resistance fighters were staunchly defending their country in the south. One of them, Admiral Yi, repeatedly destroyed reinforcement fleets from Japan at Hansan Island, off the southern coast of Korea near Pusan. Although his turtle boats were much smaller than the Japanese warships, they were protected from the arrows and other missiles fired upon them - and therefore were able to get within close range and destroy their targets at will. With their supplies and reinforcements cut off by Admiral Yi and his navy, the Japanese generals far away in the north were forced to retreat and eventually chose to abandon their quest.
His overwhelming success against the Japanese had made Admiral Yi a national hero but it also made his rivals extremely jealous. One of these, a fellow officer named Won Kyun, conspired with a Japanese spy to get rid of Yi. Together, they hatched a plot to convince the Korean military leaders that Admiral Yi should be sent to intercept some Japanese ships on their way to destroy Korea – a complete lie. Realising that he was being set up, Admiral Yi refused to undertake the mission and was sacked by the king. Won Kyun was made naval commander in his place.
Yi was taken to Seoul where he was put in prison, beaten and tortured – and even sentenced to death. But the people pleaded with King Sonjo to set him free, begging for their hero’s life. King Sonjo released Yi but relegated him to the rank of an ordinary foot soldier – a duty which he performed honourably and without complaint, remaining loyal to his country even in the face of humiliation and deceit.
Hideyoshi launched a second invasion in 1597, destroying the Korean fleet with ease and beheading the traitorous Won Kyun. However, the Chinese and Korean resistance was better prepared this time and managed to turn the Japanese back before they reached Seoul. Restored to his rightful post, Admiral Yi was able to lead what was left of his fleet to victory. Hideyoshi died and Japan lost interest in trying to conquer Korea or China. But Admiral Yi set upon the retreating Japanese, determined to destroy every ship in the fleet. He nearly succeeded, sinking over 200 ships and handing Japan its worst military defeat for the next 350 years.
During that final battle against the retreating Japanese in December 1598, Admiral Yi was felled by a chance bullet. His nephew recalled what happened:”At dawn, Choong-Moo Kong plunged his entire fleet into a final battle with the enemy, thundering ‘Charge!’. Suddenly a stray bullet from the enemy vessel struck him. ‘The battle is at its height; do not announce my death!’ With these words, he died.”
Choong-Moo, the man, is better known as Admiral Yi Soon-sin, arguably Korea’s greatest military hero. A master naval tactician, Admiral Yi inflicted heavy defeats on the Japanese invaders during the Im-jin Wae-ran wars of the late sixteenth century, forcing them to withdraw from Korea and demolishing nearly their entire fleet with his unique and deadly turtle boats. His posthumous title, Choong-Moo Kong, means ‘Lord of Loyalty and Chivalry’ and is used in one of South Korea's most esteemed military honours, the Order of Choong-Moo. Loyalty and chivalry, therefore, are two personal characteristics to which all Choong-Moo Taekwon-Do students are encouraged and expected to aspire.
In 1592, Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered 150,000 armed troops to invade Korea, angered by its refusal to help him conquer China. After landing at Pusan, the Japanese marched north and reached Seoul easily – the Korean resistance had been hastily organised and was hardly a match for the heavily armed and well-trained soldiers. King Sonjo was forced to flee the capital, seeking refuge at the Amnok River on Korea’s northernmost border. Even with the help of China, the Koreans appeared doomed to succumb to Japanese occupation. Indeed, their combined forces soon suffered another heavy defeat at Pyongyang.
But even as the Japanese forged north towards China, small bands of Korean resistance fighters were staunchly defending their country in the south. One of them, Admiral Yi, repeatedly destroyed reinforcement fleets from Japan at Hansan Island, off the southern coast of Korea near Pusan. Although his turtle boats were much smaller than the Japanese warships, they were protected from the arrows and other missiles fired upon them - and therefore were able to get within close range and destroy their targets at will. With their supplies and reinforcements cut off by Admiral Yi and his navy, the Japanese generals far away in the north were forced to retreat and eventually chose to abandon their quest.
His overwhelming success against the Japanese had made Admiral Yi a national hero but it also made his rivals extremely jealous. One of these, a fellow officer named Won Kyun, conspired with a Japanese spy to get rid of Yi. Together, they hatched a plot to convince the Korean military leaders that Admiral Yi should be sent to intercept some Japanese ships on their way to destroy Korea – a complete lie. Realising that he was being set up, Admiral Yi refused to undertake the mission and was sacked by the king. Won Kyun was made naval commander in his place.
Yi was taken to Seoul where he was put in prison, beaten and tortured – and even sentenced to death. But the people pleaded with King Sonjo to set him free, begging for their hero’s life. King Sonjo released Yi but relegated him to the rank of an ordinary foot soldier – a duty which he performed honourably and without complaint, remaining loyal to his country even in the face of humiliation and deceit.
Hideyoshi launched a second invasion in 1597, destroying the Korean fleet with ease and beheading the traitorous Won Kyun. However, the Chinese and Korean resistance was better prepared this time and managed to turn the Japanese back before they reached Seoul. Restored to his rightful post, Admiral Yi was able to lead what was left of his fleet to victory. Hideyoshi died and Japan lost interest in trying to conquer Korea or China. But Admiral Yi set upon the retreating Japanese, determined to destroy every ship in the fleet. He nearly succeeded, sinking over 200 ships and handing Japan its worst military defeat for the next 350 years.
During that final battle against the retreating Japanese in December 1598, Admiral Yi was felled by a chance bullet. His nephew recalled what happened:”At dawn, Choong-Moo Kong plunged his entire fleet into a final battle with the enemy, thundering ‘Charge!’. Suddenly a stray bullet from the enemy vessel struck him. ‘The battle is at its height; do not announce my death!’ With these words, he died.”