The Story of Admiral Yi Sun Sin

Pick up in the morning from your hotel, and the guide will start the tour with The Statue of Admiral Yi Sun Sin at the front of Gwanghwamun Square, in honor of the brave spirit and leadership of the Admiral. It is considered one of Seoul’s major landmarks and has been called ‘one of the most important instances of Korean public art’. If you walk around, you will meet the Story of Yi Sun Sin Museum building, a living history and culture space dedicated to Admiral Yi Sun Sin, for his great achievement during the Japanese Invasion of Korea. We will continue to The War Memorial of Korea, which exhibits and preserves material related to the Korean War and serves as a national moral educational venue. There is a scaled-down Yi Sun Sin’s turtle ship replica, a type of large Korean warship that was used intermittently by the Royal Korean Navy during the Joseon dynasty. And after that we will move to Ansan, to visit Tomb of Yi Sun Sin. At first, the tomb was made in Geumseongsan mountain of Asan-gun, but was moved 16 years later to its present location during the sixth year of the reign of King Gwanghaegun. Here also, a monument stands at the entrance of the tomb in commemoration of him. From the Tomb of Yi Sun Sin, we will drive to Hyeonchungsa Shrine, displaying many relics of Yi, including Nanjung Ilgi (Yi’s war diary) and Imjin Jangcho (Yi’s war report). The old house where Yi spent his childhood and youth is preserved within this shrine. After lunch, we will drive to Tongyeong, ( around 3h15 drive) to reach a single-hanok house, Inner Stay, for check-in. Rest and dinner at the hanok.

After breakfast, we start the day with Chungnyeolsa Shrine, which possesses the monument of Yi and twenty nine gravestones of later naval commanders. It is also known as the depository of the eight presents to Yi from the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (National Treasure). The shrine was designated as Historical Site in 1973. We continue to Yi Sun Sin Park, where a bronze statue of Great Admiral Yi Sun Sin stands facing the sea of Hansando. The view of the sea is magnificent from the small trail that lies along the coastline between the beach and a beautiful forest. This park displays also some parts of Admiral Yi Sun Sin’s famous ‘turtle ship’. We continue to Jeseungdang Shrine and Archery Ground in Hansando (30mn by ferry). Jeseungdang Shrine was the site of the head office where Yi Sun Sin discussed naval tactics and strategies with his generals. And the archery field in Hansanjeong Pavillion is the only archery field in Korea with water between the archer and the target. The design shows how creative Admiral Yi Sun Sin was. He reckoned that it was much harder to hit a target over water than on land due to the difficulty in judging distance.
After lunch, we will move to neighbor city, Geoje, to visit Okpo Great Victory Commemorative Park. The so-called Battle of Okpo was the first victory of the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1952, and it served as an opportunity to develop the war situation in an advantageous way. In order to commemorate the Battle of Okpo, a 30-meter high memorial monument and exhibition was built here.
We end the day in Namhae and check in for the night in a hanok, where dinner will be served.

After breakfast, we start the day with Yi Sun Sin Memorial Park, a memorial built on the site where Admiral Yi Sun Sin’s coffin was first brought to the mainland. There are 3 main exhibition halls within the Exhibit Building, each dedicated to a different historical aspect of Yi Sun Sin. After the visit, we move to Iraksa Shrine, where a monument and pavilion to cherish the memory of Admiral Yi were erected. Iraksa Shrine and the sea in front of Gwaneumpo are the actual places where the disaster of war was overcome as well as the place that commemorates the merit and loyal spirit of Yi Sun Sin. Next, we move to Namhae Chungnyeolsa Shrine, an ancestral shrine built to honor the loyalty and spirit of Admiral Yi Sun Sin who died for this country in the naval battle at Noryang in the last year of the Japanese Invasion in 1592. It used the same tablet reading “Chungyeol” as the Chungnyeolsa of Tongyeong had from the beginning. The admiral’s body was honored here temporarily after he died in the battle.
After lunch, we will move to another city, Yeosu. On the way we stop at Jinnamgwan, a place where Admiral Yi Sun Sin commanded his forces during Imjin War. The original building burned down near the end of the war, and Admiral Yi Sun Sin’s successor, Yi Si Eon, constructed Jinnamgwan Hall. From Jinnamgwan, we finish the day with a visit of Yeochon Seonso - the remains of the shipbuilding site from the Goryeo Dynasty to Joseon Dynasty. This ship building site is known as the shipyard where Admiral Yi Sun Sin built Geobukson (turtle-shaped battleships). We reach Haenam and check-in at another beautiful hanok for the night and dinner.

After breakfast, we start with the Myeongnyang Battle Park and Monument, built to commemorate the triumph at the battle of Myeongnyang. The Korean naval under Yi Sun Sin won a great victory in the Myeongnyang Strait over hundreds of Japanese ships with only thirteen Korean battleships. This monument was designated as National Treasure in 1969. Next, we move to visit Myeongnyang Battle Park - built to commemorate the great victory of Yi Sun Sin as one of the three major naval battles. We continue to Jindo bridge and monument, a popular tourist attraction since its completion on Oct 18, 1984. Visitors can observe breathtaking sunsets and evening views while enjoying the fantastic nearby sceneries. Last, we stop at the Chungmusa Shrine - Admiral Yi was laid here for about 80 days after his death at the battle of Noryang and services have been held every year on Admiral Yi Sun Sin’s Anniversary on April 28 and his patriotic death on November 19.
We drive back to Seoul and drop you in town/airport to continue your trip.