Step one: serve your country. Step two: die serving your country. Step three: have almost an entire island dedicated to your memorial. While that's not an option for most of us, Jeseungdang on Hansan-do (Hansan island) is a chance to see how the Koreans have memorialized Yi Sun Shin, arguably one of Korea's most famous admirals.



In case you missed the history lesson, Admiral Yi was the Joseon Dynasty admiral commanding the 거북선 (geobukseon), or ironclad 'turtle' ships with spikes on top. During the Japanese invasion in 1592, Japan was victorious on land but failed miserably in sea thanks to the commander and aforementioned boats. As a result, supply lines were disrupted and reinforcements never made it, making the invasion fail. After his victory, Yi built Unjudang Hall, the headquarters of the Joseon Dynasty's southern provinces, on this island. Japan eventually succeeded with their invasions in 1598 but of course no mention of that is made. Yi died during a battle in 1598, leaving behind three sons and one daughter. There is a brief mention of his posthumous title of Chungmugong, given by King Injo, and Yeonguijeong (High State Councillor) by King Jeonjo. Some restoration work was started by Commander-in-Chief Jo Gyeong in 1739, but was enlarged and fully restored under President Park Chung Hee from 1975-1976.



This is not the sort of place you'll get to without a bit of work. Find your way to Tongyeong on the southern coast of Korea, then take a ferry to this island somewhat removed from the mainland. It's possible without any sort of planning ahead, but it'll take some time either way. Once arriving, however, you'll have ample time to enjoy the scenery and history.



Along the paved sidewalk and natural tourist path, you'll learn a bit more about the battles themselves - during one battle, for example, Yi lured dozens of ships into the shallow waters in front of the island, then destroyed or captured most of them. Knowing the local geography, along with having unsinkable and unboardable ironclad ships certainly helped his cause a bit.

There are a surprising number of sub-tropical plants to be found. An interesting one is the Japanese Fatsia tree (also named 'palsoni' for its eight-forked leaves), which is ironically native to the island. A number of palm trees are around as well.



One highlight is Jaeseungdang Hall itself - originally the place where the admiral drew up battle plans, produced and distributed weapons, and so on. A number of his personal diary entries were also written here, although none could be found to read. These days, you'll find a number of large paintings of the battles, complete with English explanations.



The next main building is the shrine itself - Chungmusa. It's here where you'll find an official portrait of the man and a big drum. There are supposedly some epistolary notes, which are considered a National Treasure, but I didn't see them.



The last building of note is Hansanjeong Pavilion - or just call it an archery shooting ground. Admiral Yi trained his soldiers here, placing an archery target some 145 meters away - it's supposedly the only Korean archery range that spans the ocean. In the admiral's diary, he wrote about contests between the soldiers - much like in today's culture, the losing team would buy rice cakes and wine for the winning team.

If interested in Korea's naval tradition, or if you want to see a far-flung piece of history, this is definitely the place. Tongyeong also serves as the gateway to Geoje-do, Korea's second-largest island, the Hallyeo Waterway Maritime Park, and the hundreds of islands off Korea's southern coast.
Directions: Take a bus to Tongyeong in Gyeongsangnam-do (from Seoul's Express Bus Terminal, buses leave 11 times a day, about 4 hours traveling time). From Tongyeong's Bus Terminal, look for local buses to the Passenger Ferry Terminal (여객선터므널) or take a taxi. Once at the terminal, take a ferry to Hansan-do or Jeseungdang. (4,700 won, once an hour, 30 minutes traveling time). Turn right to walk along the shore; walk a few minutes to get to the main gate. 1,000 won admission, open until 7am-6pm from March to September (5pm October to February). For more information, check out www.gohansan.com (Korean only) or call 055-645-3329.

Ratings (out of 5 taeguks):

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Worth the visit:

© Chris Backe - 2010

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