If you walk up Sejongno, one of the most important streets in Seoul, you will see a large figure looming over the street.

What a fierce look this statue has. The statue is of Admiral Yi Sunshin, who is famous for his great victories over the Japanese Navy during the Imjin war. This war took place during the last decade of the 1500’s.

Here we have a better look at the great Admiral. The detail of the statue is amazing and you can easily imagine him as a great leader. The armor makes him look strong and fearless.

At the base of the column that Admiral Yi is standing on, there is a mode of one of the Turtle boats that he used in his battles. This is a formidable looking boat. The Turtle boats had a lot of neat features that helped them out-maneuver the Japanese fleet. Much of Admiral Yi’s strategy took advantage of the unique features of the boats.

Down beneath Sejongno street there is a museum dedicated to telling The Story of Admiral Yi Sunshin. I really enjoyed walking through the museum and learning about the technology of the time and also the strategies that he used. There were also quite a few interactive displays for children that help them learn the history of this great Admiral.

The display that caught my eye was of the war diary that Admiral Yi kept for seven years during the Imjin War. What a fascinating historical artifact.

Admiral Yi is also famous for his last words. During his last battle as the defeated Japanese were starting to retreat, the admiral was struck by a stray bullet. He quickly instructed his nephew to put on his armor as a disguise and to hide his death until the battle was over. At the end of the battle there was great shock and sorrow when the death of this great Korean hero was made known.

Who was the greatest war hero in your countries history?

Steven