HSK ipnida!: Lee Soon Shin Museum information

Hello to everyone that is here in Korea now.

This is HSK and we would like to give you some information on a tourist site in Seoul. If you would like to learn about the history of the Great Admiral Lee Soon Shin a.k.a. Invincible Lee Soon Shin you should visit this museum dedicated to him. The admission is free when I went Nov. of 2010. You can find the entrance of the museum at the base of the statue. There are interactive games and videos for you to watch. You can also choose the option to hear the videos in English.

Lee Soon-shin is admired as a Korean hero for saving the country from the brink of collapse during the Japanese invasions of the Imjin War (1592-1598). Lee, who invented the ironclad warship known as the geobukseon, or turtle ship, defeated the Japanese at sea when Toyotomi Hideyoshi's troops invaded Joseon. He was unique among Joseon civil and military officers for his honesty and incorruptibility, and continues to be respected for his leadership, tactics, loyalty and courage. Of Admiral Lee's 23 sea battles, the most crucial were the Battle of Hansan and the Battle of Myeongnyang. In the former, which is considered one of the greatest naval engagements in history, Lee used his famous "Crane Wing" formation to sink or capture most of the Japanese ships he was fighting. The Battle of Myeongnyang, in which he defeated 130 enemy ships with only 13 of his own, is regarded among maritime historians as nothing less than a miracle.

In 1598, at the age of 54, he was killed in action in his final battle at Noryang, at the end of the Imjin War. He was posthumously titled Chungmugong, or Duke of Loyalty and Art of Chivalry. Lee is one of many historical figures admired by Koreans.

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