Siege of Busanjin
Siege of Busanjin, (24 May 1592). In Japan’s Age of Warring States, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had reunited Japan by 1591, but in 1592 he ordered an invasion of Ming China to be carried out through Korea. The Koreans resisted, and a fierce war began. Busan, Korea’s most important port, was the first gain by the Japanese invaders.
The taking of Busan, the most important port on the southern coast of Korea, was the engagement by which the first invasion of Korea began. The first group of invaders to land were the advance party commanded by So Yoshitomo, who was the daimyo of Tsushima—the island of Japan that is closest to Korea—and personally acquainted with the local area. In command of the garrison was the Korean general, Chong Bal. He sank all his ships in the harbor and withdrew all his forces within the gates of Busan. Refusing to surrender, he ordered his men to fight to the death but was shot dead during the assault. Korean casualties numbered 8,000, with 200 being taken prisoner.
While So Yoshitomo attacked the main fortress of Busan, Konishi Yukinaga launched a simultaneous assault on a naval fort near the harbor, which was defended by some 6,000 Koreans. Yukinaga led the attack with his troops scaling ladders while musket fire prevented the Koreans from counterattacking. The governor of the fort stated that he would take orders to surrender only from the king of Korea. Yukinaga pretended to withdraw while the required orders were obtained, but instead launched a surprise attack at 4:00 AM the following morning. The moat was filled in quickly with rocks and earth, and the Japanese climbed over the walls. The fort surrendered after two hours, and the harbor and city of Busan were secured immediately.
Losses: Busan, almost the complete garrison; Japanese, very light.