⑩ Closing Words — Admiral Yi, the Lighthouse of My Life

Why I Focused on the Admiral's "Last Two Years"

When people speak of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, they tend to think first of the legend of twenty-three battles and twenty-three victories. But I chose to focus on his last two years instead.

Of the seven years of the Imjin War, the first two were a time of brilliant victory — the Admiral had his turtle ships ready, and well-trained men behind him. But his last two years were a different kind of time altogether: a trial of character, in which he had to endure every form of injustice and loneliness as a single human being.

Imprisonment, the road of a disgraced soldier, his mother's death, and then his son's — I came to believe that the way the Admiral carried himself through that brutal fate is the real substance of what I needed to learn from him.

Why We Study History

I think people often mistake the study of history for the memorization of historical facts — probably because school taught us to memorize facts only for exams.

There is some value in knowing historical facts, of course. But if we fail to understand the feelings and thoughts of the people who actually lived through history, it is no different from claiming to know a person by the clothes he wore.

Studying history means meeting many people along the way — and among them, you may find a character that becomes a lighthouse for your own life.

I first encountered Admiral Yi's character through the poem "Hansando-ga," and from there I began studying him more deeply, wanting to understand his character further. The more deeply I came to understand Admiral Yi's character, the faster I was able to overcome my own hardships and sense of injustice, and rise again. In this way, studying Admiral Yi became a study for my own life.

Walk the Baekuijonggun Road, Not Just the Camino de Santiago

Many people walk Spain's Camino de Santiago to look inward or search for meaning in their lives. I don't deny the value of that path. But I believe we have a path far more meaningful than that one: the road Admiral Yi walked as a disgraced soldier, the Baekuijonggun-ro — literally, "the road of serving in the ranks in plain white clothes."

Bearing an unjust accusation, carrying the grief of his mother's death, the Admiral silently walked that painful road toward Kwon Yul's camp. If the Camino de Santiago is a journey to find yourself, I think of the Baekuijonggun-ro as a journey to pick yourself back up.

I hope the day comes soon when more of Korea's young people walk the Baekuijonggun-ro, rather than the Camino de Santiago, to think about themselves and their society, and to find the strength to rise.

The Baekuijonggun Road and the Navy Rebuilding Route in Korea's southern provinces

Walking with Admiral Yi Until the Day My Own Life Ends

"The Last Two Years of Admiral Yi Sun-sin" ends here. But my study of him, and my record of it, will not stop here. There is still so much more of his life — so many more moments of struggle and character — that I have yet to share. Until the day my own life ends, I intend to walk alongside Admiral Yi, and to keep recording that journey here.

To everyone who has read my imperfect writing this far, and shared in the Admiral's heart with me — thank you, truly. And on the nights when you carry your own sense of injustice or loneliness, I sincerely hope the Admiral's unshakable character stands beside you as a source of strength.

— Momcheolhak