As a young graduate student interested in Korean history and the Korean family system, I was working on analyzing jokbo. I wanted to do a study of an ideal "yangban" clan. As I was looking at various jokbo, my adviser, Ed Wagner, suggested I look at the Deoksu Yi-ssi, who he said were an ideal yangban clan. The word "yangban" means "two groups," and refers to the "mun" (civilian) and "mu" (military), the two main branches of officials.

He went on to mention that the most prominent representatives of both the mu-side and the mun-side were found in that clan: Yi Sun-sin and Yi I, the latter well-known by his art name, Yulgok, meaning "chestnut valley."

Graduate school brought me one more twist of fate regarding the Deoksu Yi-ssi. I was studying the jokbo one day, when the head librarian of the Korean collection came to my study carrell with a twinkle in his eye, and said, “Come follow me.” He took me to the sub-basement — the Korean collection was in the basement of the Harvard-Yenching building, and below the basement there was another basement where newly acquired books were being catalogued. He showed me a three-box, 16-volume set of exactly the same jokbo set I had been studying. The librarian said, “We accidentally bought two sets. Here, you take it.”

So, in my study I found Yi Sun-sin (1545-98) and Yulgok (1536-84) were cousins. Although their lifetimes overlapped, they were from widely distant “pa” — lineage segments. They were 19-chon cousins — really uncle and nephew. Yulgok was the nephew, but he was older — a case of the young uncle and the older nephew.

In comparing Yulgok and Toegye Yi Hwang (1501-70) in the mun category, the first thing I want to say is the last thing I recently learned — they were not rivals. They were not against each other in any way. These days, they are often portrayed as intellectual rivals. The story that there were significant differences between them is an idea generated during the 1910-45 Japanese era to create divisions between Koreans — a thing useful for a conquering power. They were not rivals or antagonists is any significant way. The idea we sometimes hear regarding “li” and “gi” — the basic concepts of neo-Confucianism, is that one argued the primacy of “li” and one argued the primacy of “gi,” but when there were both living, there was no rivalry nor significant difference of ideology, I recently learned.

Yulgok met Toegye only once. Yulgok was much younger, seeking to meet the greatest scholar of the time. Toegye was pleased to meet the young Yulgok. At that point Yulgok was already the “gu-do jangwon-gong” — he who had taken first place in all nine of the exams.

Above, I said that Yi Sun-sin was the most important military figure in Korea — not just the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty but all of Korean history. I’m going to go one step further — he was one of the most important military figures in the history of the world. As admirals over the waters, Yi Sun-sin is only rivaled by England’s Lord Horatio Nelson.

There were some striking parallels in their lives — both lost their life in their final battle. Their navies won, but they gave up their lives without seeing the final victory. Both were known for overcoming difficulties. Nelson had suffered several wounds, including having lost an eye and an arm. Yi broke his leg in the military exam and couldn’t retake the exam for four years. He had more difficulties. There was an intelligence report that the Japanese navy was anchored at a certain place where it would be easy to attack. Yi refused, suspecting it was a trap. He was relieved of duty. His successor led the Korean navy into the trap and lost all but 12 ships!

Yi was restored to duty, and soon after engaged the Japanese in the most decisive battle of the war — the Battle of Myeongnyang where Yi with 13 ships (they got one more ready) the Korean navy sunk 133 Japanese ships, and forced Japan to give up trying to round the corner and supply their soldiers along the west coast. The Japanese soon retreated having lost the war. But in the final naval battle Yi Sun-sin was killed.

Yi Sun-sin was upright and honest in all his works in his career. At one point, when his older nephew, Yulgok, held an important government position in Seoul, someone asked Yi Sun-sin if he would like to meet famous nephew. Yi Sun-sin declined, saying people would think he wanted to meet in order to gain some benefits or advantages. He wanted no hint of inappropriate actions on his part.

Source: Korea Times News