Siege of Busan

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The Siege of Busan Castle

Date	April 13th-14th, 1592(according to Lunar calendar)
Location	Busanjin-gu,Busan
Result	Japanese victory

Combatants

Japanese Army

Korean Garrison

Commanders

So Yoshitoshi

Chŏng Pal† Hangul: 정발, Hanja :鄭撥)

Lee Jung Hun (Hangul: 이정헌, Hanja :李庭憲)]] Pak Hong

Strength

at least 15,000 men

at least 8,000 soldiers

Casualties

Unknown

between 8,500 - 30,000 (depending on various accounts)

The Siege of Busan was a battle fought at Busan on April 13th-14th, 1592, between Japanese and Korean forces. Along with Tadaejin, Busan was the site of the first battle in the Imjin War. This battle marked the beginning of a long, terrible war on the Korean peninsula.

1 Prelude
2 Aftermath
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Prelude

To establish a bridgehead and control Busan shores, a strategy was planned because of So Yoshitoshi's local knowledge. It consisted in dividing their forces and leading simultaneous attacks against the main castle, and subsidiary harbour forts of Tadaejin and Seopyungpo.

Early on the morning of April 13th (according to Lunar Calendar) May 24, 1592 (Gregorian Calendar), So Yoshitoshi attacked within the main city walls of Busan, while Konishi Yukinaga led the assault on the harbour fort of Tadaejin.

The Japanese overwhelmed the Korean defences by scaling the walls under cover of the arquebuses. Sadly, this new technology of guns utterly destroyed the Koreans on the walls. Again and again would the Japanese win later battles due to the arquebuses (Korea would not begin to train with these new muskets until Korean General Kim Shi-min would forge them at a Korean armory).

Although the Koreans retreated to the second line of defence after the surprise attack of So Yoshitoshi, the brave General Chŏng Pal regrouped the archers and counterattacked by returning heavy volleys of arrows at the Japanese. By now, the Koreans retreated to the third defences. After hours of fighting, the Koreans ran out of arrows. The Japanese were taking quite some damage and regrouped to attack again. The Koreans had to wait.

Suddenly, General Chŏng Pal was shot and killed. The Korean soldiers morale fell and the main castle was overrun at around 9:00 in the morning and nearly all of Busan's fighting force was killed. Now that the Japanese were inside, the real massacre began. The Japanese ran around killing women, children, and even animals. So Yoshitoshi had his soldiers loot and burn valuable items.

The Japanese army now occupied Busan. For the next several years Busan would be a supply depot and the Japanese would continuesly supply troops and food across the sea to Busan until Admiral Yi Sun-sin attacked Busan later with his navy.

[edit] Aftermath

With the fall of Busan Castle, the First Division of the Japanese Army completed its first objective, but there was one more thing to do to secure their bridgehead, because a few miles to the north of Busan lay the fortress of Dongnae. Early next morning, So Yoshitoshi led his wearied troops to attack the mountain fortress of Dongnae. These series of lightning-like attacks marked the beginning of the Seven Year War.