More often than not, it is during times of crisis that a national hero emerges, and usually, they arise from the most unexpected of places.

This was indeed the case for the 16th century Korean admiral, Yi Sun-Shin whose story still inspires Koreans to this day.

When he was born into a minor noble family in 1545, Korea was experiencing a long era of peace, with military exploits taking the backseat. But this mattered little to Yi, who still chose a military career instead of a comfortable government position like his parents had hoped.

He was a good soldier with excellent archery skills, and when stationed at the northern border, he proved to be a capable commander too.

Over time, his hard work was rewarded with a promotion as naval garrison commander. It must have been an unfamiliar job for him, given his lack of naval experience, but it would actually prove timely.

In 1590, the samurai warlords of neighbouring Japan were unified under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, an ambitious man who eyed the rest of Asia hungrily. Unfortunately, Korea would serve perfectly as a stepping-stone for his planned invasion of China.

As a tributary state to Ming China, Korea refused to aid the planned invasion. This refusal was met with a surprise samurai invasion in 1592, one which resulted in huge swathes of Korea being occupied by the Japanese. Seoul itself was captured in 19 days, with the Korean court forced to flee to Pyongyang.

The complacent Korean army, after years of peace, had been severely outmatched on land by the battle-hardened Japanese samurai. But at sea, it was a different story.

The Korean navy were masters at warding off pirate threats with their combat ships and prowess at anticipating attacks.

While the Japanese preferred to close-in and board enemy vessels, the Koreans were skilled at bombarding and neutralising threats from afar. This, along with Yi’s leadership, proved to be a deadly combination against the Japanese war effort.

On May 7, 1592, Yi and his fleet sailed for the town of Okpo that was being raided by Japanese ships.

In a swift but decisive battle, Yi and his troops sank 26 Japanese vessels, with only one Korean sailor accounted as injured. As ridiculous as it sounds, this ability to inflict maximum damage while incurring minimal loss proved to be Yi’s greatest strength.

For comparison, the famous British admiral Horatio Nelson, widely regarded as one of the greatest seamen ever to live, won eight out of 13 battles; Yi fought and won 23 without losing a single ship throughout his career.

Aware of the looming danger that beckoned upon his fellow Koreans, Yi was determined to not let the Japanese succeed.

Yi also designed a revolutionary vessel called the turtle ship, a warship covered with a protective outer shell. The Japanese called these fearsome vessels “blind ships”, because they maneuvered stealthily like blind warriors.

His campaign soon brought the Japanese invasion to a grinding halt, with the Koreans and Japanese negotiating for peace terms.

It was during this time that the Japanese plot schemed to rid Korea of its most valuable asset, with a double agent causing Korean political infighting against Yi. This led to Yi being thrown into prison by his own king, tortured and nearly executed, being spared only to be demoted to foot soldier.

In his absence, the fleet was destroyed by a Japanese ambush, leaving only 13 ships. However, Yi was quickly reinstalled as admiral because of his past heroics.

In his most famous battle, he led 13 ships against 300 Japanese warships in the narrow Myeongnyang Strait. And won. Decisively, losing only two souls in the battle.

The Japanese retreated after losing half their men, with Yi having used the narrow strait and strong erratic currents against them. Afterwards, it was clear that Japan was losing the war, with Chinese reinforcements pushing the Japanese back to the coast.

Even worse, Toyotomi had died back home in Japan and the war he started was proving to be pointless.

In his last battle against the invaders, Yi led a combined Korean-Chinese fleet of 150 ships against 500 Japanese.

Fought in the dark of night, the Japanese suffered heavy losses and attempted to flee to the open sea.

Having none of it, Yi took to beating the war drums himself to urge his fleet to pursue them. During the fighting though, Yi was struck by a Japanese bullet; a fatal wound.

In his last breath, he told his son and his nephew, “We are at the height of battle. Don’t let anybody know about my death.”

By daybreak, the only Japanese ships left in sight were sunken, sinking or fleeing over the horizon. Only when Yi’s Chinese allied commander sailed up to congratulate him, was the truth revealed.

Today, a statue of the brave and loyal admiral Yi stands in the centre of Seoul, looking over his country just as he did centuries ago.