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Zekachu9117 t1_itg096h wrote

Oh wow, Yi Soon Shin beheading fleeing soldiers and putting their heads up for display is not a part I ever heard about till now. I guess most koreans don't talk about that part since it doesn't fit into the whole "hero" narrative.

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TheFunkyM t1_itgn0te wrote

> I guess most koreans don't talk about that part since it doesn't fit into the whole "hero" narrative.

I mean, it was both far from unusual for the period and achieved what it needed to, in helping to give Yi Sun-sin the army he needed to save his country.

Like if this upsets you don't check out the shit Richard the Lionheart got up to.

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yisoonshin t1_iti9da2 wrote

Yeah, it's not unexpected whatsoever. I'd actually be pretty surprised if he managed to enforce discipline without harsh punishments for those kinds of crimes, particularly in the face of an enemy like the Japanese samurai. I think it's not mentioned more to avoid upsetting modern sensibilities, or perhaps it's just so normal for the time period people don't really pay attention to it. It's said that he would personally fulfill some of his soldiers dying wishes so it's not like he only wielded the stick, he also offered the carrot. Actually, I've read parts of his war diaries and he was a pretty sensitive man for the time period, very upright and disciplined but also soft when it came to his family and whatnot. It's no wonder he's remained an icon for Koreans all this time (including me).

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Zekachu9117 t1_itj95hu wrote

I agree that this would upset modern sensibilities. It's not the kind of thing shown in a lot of dramas, stories, and videos about the Admiral.

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Zekachu9117 t1_itj8xbo wrote

Doesn't upset me at all, I'm just surprised it took me this long to hear about it.

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apocalypse_later_ t1_itgj1gb wrote

Honestly though, from a purely military point of view- it was either that or your culture and society goes extinct.

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