Korean Heroes

Korean History, Life & Culture

Author: Malleusjl (Page 2 of 2)

Yi Sun-sin Episode 3: Rebel with a Cause

April 13, 2016 /

Time to talk about Yi Sun-sin’s army career in a little more detail.  What did he accomplish up in the hinterlands of Hamgyeong-do?  Well pretty much everything.  In less than a decade he travels the entire length of the peninsula, gets thrown in jail, promoted, demoted, re-promoted, scatters raiders, saves captives and captures a barbarian chieftain.  Tune in to hear about this little known, but very compelling part of the roller coaster that is Yi Sun-sin’s military career.

  Also, great news!  I have two more primary sources in the mail, the collection of Yi Sun-sin’s letters to the court and a biography written by his nephew. This should make for some great story-telling.  Thank you for visiting the site and for supporting the show.

Korean heroes - yi sun painting armor

Episode 3 has been divided and sub-divided into smaller parts as Google sets their maximum streaming file size at 25MB.  So just click on Part 1 A and then move on to Part 1 B!  Enjoy!

Episode 3 – Yi Sun-sin – Rebel With a Cause – Part 1 Side A

Episode 3 – Yi Sun-sin – Rebel With a Cause – Part 1 Side B

 

An Update on the tale of Yi Sun-sin Episode 3

April 12, 2016 /

I have completed recording and editing episode 3 and it has turned out to be long enough to split into two parts, as I am trying to keep each episode under 25 minutes and under 25 Megabytes so that you can choose to stream it rather than download it. I have been searching desperately for more sources that will give me more insight into Yi Sun-sin’s early military career in the army, but I came up empty-handed. Of course as soon as I finished my recording I discovered this possible treasure of information: An English translation of “Imjin Changch’o, Admiral Yi Sun Shin’s Memorials to the Court” which includes “The Biography of Yi Sun Shin by Yi Pun,” Admiral Yi’s nephew. My heart lept and broke at the same time. I was very pleased with the recording as I thought it was an improvement in almost every way from the first two episodes, so I think I am going to release them anyways. Hopefully in 5-10 business weeks my primary sources will arrive and I will be able to edit, fill-in, verify or disprove my speculations with the words of the Admiral or his nephew. Until then, enjoy the story-telling and take the battlefield scenario for what it is, a reconstruction based on general details. I’ll be uploading episode 3 Part I tomorrow night, Tuesday, April 12th 2016 after going over it one more time. Thank you for dropping by, supporting the show and for continuing to listen to the podcast as it evolves and improves.

Korean Heroes - Imjin Changch'o.jpg

Imjin Changch’o, Admiral Yi Sun Shin’s Memorials to the Court: Korean National Treasure No. 74

Yi Sun-sin: Episode 2 – To the Frontier!

April 3, 2016 /

I still have not set up the podcast feed, and there are still kinks to work out, but I want to stick as closely to my 1 episode per week goal as I can. Those of you who are married to itunes, the time draws nigh! For now though I just went for it without any notes or a script and minimal editing, which cut down dramatically on the time I needed to get it ready. Hopefully the quality of the recording and the show improves with every new release. Every episode from the first to the latest will be on a podcast feed for your convenience soon. In this episode I will talk about the first decade of Yi Sun-sin’s military career, the part that no one knows, but which is essential to his future as a Naval Commander. Remember those nomadic horse tribes (Mongolians et al.), well they are still lurking in the steppes to the north. Find out what Yi Sun-sin plans to do about their habit of raiding and pillaging indiscriminately! Here they come:

Korean Heroes - Nomadic peoples drawing

Just click on the link below to listen to Episode Two:

Yi Sun-sin: Episode 2 – To the Frontier

Thank you for visiting the site, your interest in Korean culture and for listening to the story of Yi Sun-sin!

The 과거 National Examinations: The Joseon 무과 Military Examination

March 30, 2016 /

In the first installment of the Yi Sun-sin series, I mentioned the 과거 -more specifically known as the 신녕무과 military examination, that Yi Sun-sin had to take twice because of a mishap during the third portion of the test, in which he had to demonstrate his horsemanship. I imagine the actual examination was a little less colourful and theatrical than what you will see in the video below, but you get the idea. For those of you unfamiliar with the challenges Yi Sun-sin faced both before and after he broke his leg, here is a short sample of a re-enactment from a present day traditional village:

Korean Horsemanship – Third Stage

 

Yi Sun-sin: Episode 1 – Born to Be Brave

March 27, 2016 /

Yi Sun-sin was born the fourth son of a little known nobleman in Hanyang (Seoul), Joseon (Korea) in 1545. When he was a child in the mid 16th century it was relatively calm on the peninsula, but it did not begin or end that way. Soon the future of Korea would be hanging by a thread and it would be desperate for heroes. Little did he know that his determination to pursue a life in the military would put him in position to alter the course of history for his people and for Asia. This first episode in the Yi Sun-sin series of the Korean Heroes podcast is the story of this great man’s humble beginnings as we set the stage for the Japanese invasion of 1592: The Imjin War.

korean heroes mounted archer

 

The file is available to stream or download through the link below and the podcast feed will be available soon! Thank you for your patience and support.

Yi Sun-sin: Episode 1 – Born to Be Brave

In the Works: Yi Sun-sin

March 21, 2016 /

Just a little update for those of you waiting for the first episode; it’s a lot harder to polish up a podcast than I anticipated! I had said I would have it out this weekend, but it is not quite ready yet.  I also did not realise that I had to approve comments before they would become visible on the website, so that should be fixed now and everyone who made a comment should be able to see it by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.  Bear with me as I try and work out the production process!  Stay tuned for the story of Yi Sun-sin:

Korean Heroes - Yi Sun Shin statue in Seoul

 

Korean Heroes: Pilot Episode

March 13, 2016 /

Late Joseon Korea:

 

Piloting the way into the Yi Sun-shin series: A little self-introduction and some context before we delve into the Imjin War and our first hero’s dominance on the sea lanes of Korea.  If you’ve already heard the sample then just start from 6 minutes in.  Click on the link below to have a listen:

Korean Heroes Pilot

 

 

 

 

Pilot Teaser

March 9, 2016 /

Nanjung Ilgi (Yi Sun-Shin’s War Diary):

Korean Heroes - Nanjung Ilgi

Finally, a recording for my small audience to preview before I start the podcast feed. This is a short 6 minute sample of the pilot episode, which itself is a preview of what is to come. Any and all feedback is welcome. The full pilot will be published and available as soon as I get over this cold! Just click on the highlighted link below to listen and/or download:

Korean Heroes Pilot Sample

Under Construction!

February 18, 2016 /

This is the website for a new podcast called Korean Heroes. It is a work in progress and a project I’ve been looking forward to launching for several years now.  The first podcast descriptions and website content will be uploaded by March 1st, 2016 and the feeds should start rolling out shortly after that.  The site will be up and running just in time for the National Holiday (Bank Holiday for those of you who call it that), in South Korea that celebrates the Korean Independence movement during the Japanes occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910-1945.  More on that in a future podcast series!  Happy 삼일절 (sam-il-jeol: literally 3-1 Day translated directly from Korean).

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