was a distinguished Korean general who lived from
1546 to
1592 . He passed the Korean national military examinations at the age of 22. Sin earned prominence by driving out the Nitanggae barbarians from the northern provinces of
Joseon . Sin was a successful general who also gained renown for protecting the borders of Joseon against the
Jurchen . When the fortifications at
Busan fell to the
Japan ese at the outset of the
Japanese Invasions Of Korea (1592-1598) , Sin Rip, the Vice Minister of War, was despatched to
Chungju to stop the advancing invaders. He raised a substantial force, 8,000 strong, consisting primarily of cavalry. He was joined at Chungju by
Gyeongsang Provincial Governor
Gim Su , who had previously collected a large force at
Daegu while waiting for a general to be sent from the capital,
Hanseong (modern day
Seoul ). When no general materialized and it was learned that the Japanese were en route, Gim's force largely evaporated.
Sin Rip was en route to the
Choryeong Stronghold to block the Choryeong Pass which the Japanese would have to use to move north when he learned that
Il 's forces had been routed at
Sangju by
Konishi Yukinaga 's First Division and that General I had fled, he decided to to remain at Chungju and fight the Japanese on level terrain to better employ his cavalry. This, however, left a key choke point undefended and facilitated Konishi's forces' advance northward. Sin selected a large, natural amphitheater at a place called
Tangeumdae with mountains at one side and a curving river at the other to make his stand. The only approaches were two narrow passages at either end where the mountains met the river. Apparently Sin chose this site thinking to best employ his cavalry against a Japanese enemy that was predominantly infantry. Modern analysts have also theorized that Sin, in light of reports of Korean forces fleeing in the heat of battle, may have contrived to lock his troops into a life or death situation where they would be forced to fight for their very survival. In the battle, Sin Rip was up against great odds. The Japanese, moreover, were equipped with a type of musket,
Arquebus , which Sin had not seen in action. The Japanese outnumbered the Korean cavalry by more than 2:1 (18,700 to 8,000)and Sin's cavalry were largely raw recruits plus some scattered remnants of defeated forces from the south.
On June 6, 1592, Konishi's troops advanced to battle Sin's forces at Dangeumdae. The Japanese blocked both the narrow entrances and then sent musketeers and archers to rain down a withering hail of musket balls and arrows on the Korean forces. Suddenly aware of their tactical disdvantage, many of the Korean forces broke ranks and frantically tried to escape through one or the other of the passages, but were either cut down by the Japanese or drowned in the river. A few broke through the Japanese lines and fled, including Sin and two of his officers, who subsequently jumped into the water and drowned rather than face their disgrace.
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- ''Nuneuro Boneun Hanguk Yeoksa, Joseon Junggi'' (눈으로 보는 한국역사, 조선중기), Vol. 7, Jungang Gyoyuk Yeonguweon (중앙교육연구원), Pg. 117.
- Homer B. Hulbert, ''Hulbert's History of Korea'', Vol. I, p. 356.
- James Murdoch, ''A History of Japan'', Vol. I, pp. 322-323.
- William Ellsworth Henthorn, ''A History of Korea'', p. 180.
- Samuel Hawley, ''The Imjin War'', pp. 152-158.
- Stephen Turnbull, ''Samurai Invasion: Japan's Korea War 1592-1598'', pp. 58-63.
- Cho Byonghon, ''The Book of Corrections: Reflections on the National Crisis during the Japanese Invasion of Korea 1592-1598'', pp. 67-70.
