Yi Ŏkki (; 3 September 1561 – 27 August 1597) was the commander of the Korean Eastern

Jeolla Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju Metropolitan City as wel ...

Fleet and later came to be the commander of the Western Jeolla Fleet. At age 32, despite being 15 years younger than Supreme Naval Commander

Yi Sun-sin Yi Sun-sin (; ; April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해), and he was po ...

, Yi Ŏkki became his most trusted commander and companion during the Seven Year War. Yi Ŏkki was eventually killed in the devastating Battle of Chilcheollyang Strait while assisting

Wŏn Kyun Wŏn Kyun (; 12 February 1540 – 27 August 1597) was a Korean general and admiral during the Joseon period. He is best known for his campaigns against the Japanese during Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea. Wŏn was a member of Wonju Wŏn clan, ...

, the Naval Commander of the entire Korean navy at that time while Yi Sun-sin was imprisoned as a result of a plot.

Early life

Yi Ŏkki was born in Hansong, which is nowadays Seoul. He was a great warrior from his youth. Yi fought against the barbarians from the North where he made a great contribution.

Early campaigns

Yi led a flotilla of 40 ships alongside Yi Sun Sin and Wŏn Kyun during the Battle of Tanghangpo, Battle of Hansan-do, Battle of Angolpo, the First Battle of Busan Harbor (1592), and the Battle of Unchong. He received a promotion and special recognition for having a major role in the destruction of a Japanese flotilla during the Battle of Hansan-do.

Battle of Chilcheollyang Strait and death

The order to attack the Japanese near

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

originated from King Seonjo himself. The attack on an entrenched Japanese force was viewed by the Korean navy and even some within the government as a suicide mission—in fact, Yi Sun Sin was removed largely for defying this attack order. Factionalism in Seonjo's court pushed Yi Sun Sin's replacement, an equally unenthusiastic

, to go forward with the order. On August 20, 1597, an inept Wŏn Kyun led the 200 ship flotilla on an extended row and into a Japanese ambush of 1,000 ships laying off the coast of Cholyong-do. It was now nighttime and Wŏn Kyun and Yi Ŏkki, both unaccustomed to fighting at night, were forced to retreat their exhausted crews multiple times as the Japanese tried to close their trap shut. The commanders fled to the Chilcheollyang Strait where they were later crushed by the advancing Japanese navy. As the Japanese destroyed the Korean fleet, Wŏn Kyun fled, but Yi Ŏkki refused to leave, fighting on until he finally jumped into the waters to his death.

Legacy

The

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ), also known as the ROK Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and Amphibious warfare, amphibious operations. The South ...

's ''Chang Bogo''-class attack submarine ROKS ''Yi Eokgi'' (SS-071) is named in his honor.

Popular culture

* Portrayed by Choi Dong-joon in the 2004–2005

KBS1 KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials. Hi ...

TV series ''

Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin ''Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin'' (; lit. "The Immortal Yi Sun-sin") is a South Korean television series based on the life of Yi Sun-sin, a Korean admiral famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon period ...

''. * Portrayed by

Gong Myung Kim Dong-hyun (; born on May 26, 1994), known professionally as Gong Myung (), is a South Korean actor. He is a member of 5urprise. He is known for his roles in the television series ''The Bride of Habaek'' (2017), '' Revolutionary Love'' (2017) ...

in the 2022 film '' Hansan: Rising Dragon''.

References