Yi Sun-sin Fell from His Horse, Then Returned to the Exam
At 28, Yi Sun-sin fell from his horse and was disqualified from his first military examination. Hear the story of how he returned four years later, as told by the jumak hostess.
Did you know, dear guest, that the general's first recorded attempt ended in failure?
It was 1572. Yi Sun-sin, then 28, was taking the special military service examination at the Training Command. While riding, his horse suddenly collapsed and he fell, injuring his left foot. He tried to recover, but his first attempt ended in disqualification.
One fall did not define his future
If the jumak hostess had been there, she might have offered him a warm bowl of rice soup to ease his disappointment. But Yi Sun-sin did not use failure as an excuse. He recovered and continued training in martial arts. Four years later, in 1576, he returned to the military examination at age 32 and passed, placing fourth in the third grade.
Before the hero, there was a man who kept a diary
Open the War Diary (Nanjung Ilgi), written from 1592 to 1598, and you will find more than accounts of battles. It records weather, military preparations, worries about family, illness, and moments of emotional turmoil. In its seven surviving volumes, we see not only a commander who defended his country but also a person who endured each day and put it into words.
That is why the jumak hostess would rather remember Yi Sun-sin not as someone who never fell, but as someone who climbed back into the saddle. Have you ever quietly started again after a failure? Perhaps that day was only the first page of a story still unfolding.
Comment