A Hero for a Thousand Years, Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Sea Battles: Imjin War, The Big War of Three Far East Asia Countries (Korea, China, Japan) fo (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798263105938)

This book is the story of Korea's Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Like the hunters from K-pop Demon Hunters who drive away evil spirits with songs, he stood against three hundred thousand Japanese soldiers upon the sea. With forty-three battles and forty-three victories, he saved his nation.

There are countless tales of imaginary heroes in myths and legends. Yet among real people, a hero who stood against an invading enemy and saved his country in the face of the most extreme circumstances is rare. Even if you search through all of world history, it is hard to find someone like Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

In the early 2000s, U.S. media outlets named Genghis Khan the "Man of the Millennium," recognizing his role as the founder who established and expanded an empire that shaped a thousand years of world history. At the time, I thought: If Genghis Khan is regarded as a millennium figure for founding and conquest, then surely Admiral Yi Sun-sin-who repelled 300,000 Japanese troops at sea, defended his country for seven years, and ultimately preserved peace not only in Korea but also in China and even as far as India, where Hideyoshi's ambitions extended-must be considered a millennium figure in the realm of defense.

That thought, planted twenty-five years ago, has now borne fruit in the form of this book, A Hero for a Thousand Years: Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Sea Battles, published on Amazon. As the author, my hope is that readers around the world will come to know the life and spirit of Admiral Yi, and draw inspiration from his character to live fuller and more meaningful lives.

I introduce Admiral Yi Sun-sin to readers who wonder about Korea, the land of BTS, BLACKPINK, and countless other K-pop idols. What history does this country hold, and what kind of figures live within it?

On the back cover of the book is an excerpt from Admiral Yi Sun-sin's war diary, written on the very day of the Battle of Myeongnyang. But here, in this introduction, I close with an excerpt written the day before that battle.

Excerpt form Nanjung War Diary (Sep 15, 1597)
"It was clear. I rode the tide and led several Generals to move my camp to the sea in front of Right Naval Camp. There was a gully behind Byeokpajin, so with a small number of Naval Forces, I could not set up camp with the submarine valley behind me. I called all the Generals together and made a promise, saying, 'In the art of war, it is said that if you want to die, you will live, and if you want to live, you will die. It is also said that if one man guards the gully, he can make 1,000 men fear. This is what is said about us now. If any of you Generals disobey the order even a little, I will immediately punish you according to military law and will not forgive you at all.' I made a strict promise again and again. That night, a transcendent being appeared in my dream and told me, 'If you do this, you will win, and if you do that, you will lose.'"

Contact the Author:
kumchung57@gmail.com
kumchung57@daum.net

Contact the Translator & Editor
Translator: familykum2@gmail.com
Editor: ykeum002@gmail.com

Author: Byung Dal Kum,Byung Chan Keum
ISBN-13: 9798263105938
Publisher: Independently Published
Language: English
Published: 08/31/2025
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.67d