Joseon Navy

Panokseons were sturdy and powerful battleships superior to the Japanese vessels during the Imjin war.

A modern replica of the turtle ship.

The Joseon Navy (Hangul: 조선수군, Hanja: 朝鮮水軍) is the navy of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea.

History

Main articles: Ōei Invasion and Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)

See also: Joseon naval campaigns of 1592

During the Joseon Dynasty, however, the navy and maritime operations fell into disuse, while fishing ships continued to operate and prosper. Because of the relative peace during the Joseon dynasty, the entire military itself weakened and was ignored. Also, with the policy of Korean kings that emphasized agriculture and Confucian ideals, the Korean navy along with the rest of the Korean military weakened steadily.

However, in 1419, King Sejong sent Yi Jong-mu to destroy the Japanese on Tsushima Island in the Oei Invasion as a response to Japanese Wokou raids on Korean coastal cities. Yi took 227 Korean ships and about 17,000 soldiers landed and attacked Japanese settlements on Tsushima Island, destroying crops, killing Japanese islanders and pirates, and plundering ships. The So clan, the ruling family of Tsushima, surrendered and requested to pay tributes. Korea allowed the So clan to be able to trade with Korean coastal harbors under the condition that Japanese pirates be suppressed.

Korea eventually developed strong wooden ships called panokseons that made up the backbone of the Joseon navy. In the 15th century, under the decree of King Sejong, more powerful cannons were developed and tested. Used on battleships, the cannons proved to be a great success during actions against Japanese pirate ships. Panokseons and the Korean navy were most widely used during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598) when Admiral Yi Sun-sin's brilliant strategy defeated Japanese fleets. Admiral Yi also developed the turtle ship upon an older design. The Kobukson, or Turtle Ship, was the world’s first iron-armored warship.^[1]

By the end of 19th century, the Joseon Navy had no significant naval force^[2] other than coast defense fortresses. Although there was an attempt to modernize the navy by establishing a royal naval school, the Joseon Navy was brought to an end in 1895. In 1903, the government of the Korean Empire purchased its first modern war ship, the Yangmu.^[3] Korean naval tradition was disrupted after Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1910 until 1945.

Ships

Besides the turtle ship and the panokseon, the Joseon Navy used many other ships:

• Hyeopseon (Hangul: 협선) was used primarily for reconnaissance.
• Bigeodo (Hangul: 비거도) small and fast. It almost completely disappeared after the Imjin War.
• Geomseon (Hangul: 검선) evolved from the Goryeo-era gwaseon (과선; 戈船). There were iron spikes on the roof like the turtle ship, but the geomseon was smaller, and usually had a complement of about 15 people.

They also used fishing boats for reconnaissance and sometimes in battle.

See also

• Joseon Dynasty
• Joseon naval campaigns of 1592
• List of naval battles during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)
• Yi Sun-sin
• Won Gyun
• Turtle Ship
• Panokseon

References

1. ^ http://www.koreanhero.net/fiftywonders/FiftyWonders2_English.pdf
2. ^ "The First US Naval Attaché to Korea". Central Intelligence Agency Official Website. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
3. ^ "제3장 군사학교의 설립과 사관양성 (PDF Format)". Ministry of National Defense - Institution for Military History Compilation Official Website. Retrieved May 1, 2007.

• Stephen Turnbull, "Samurai Invasion - Japan's Korean War 1592-1598", Cassel & Co, 2002

External links

• Yi Sun-sin - EnCyber (in Korean)