Naval history of Korea

The naval history of Korea dates back thousands of years since the prehistoric times[1] when simple fishing ships were used.

Military naval history dates back to the Three Kingdoms period and Unified Silla dynasties of Korea in the 7th century.

Because of the constant coastal attacks by the Wa Japanese and barbarian tribes, Korean shipbuilding excelled to counter these threats as a result.

During the Unified Silla period, Jang Bogo, a merchant, rose as an admiral and created the first maritime trading within East Asian countries.

During this time, Korean culture and philosophy reached its height, and Unified Silla maintained a large trading network with both China and Japan.

From 828 to 846, however, a Silla merchant named Jang Bogo, rose to prominence and gathered a navy to repel pirates and control Korean trade routes.

[6] In the Battle of Chinpo (1380), 80 Goryeo warships, equipped with firearms invented by Choi Mu-son, sank 500 Japanese wokou ships.

In 1389 a total of 300 waegu ships were destroyed and over a hundred Korean prisoners liberated in a raid on Tsushima ordered by Yi Seonggye.

Because of the relative peace of the Joseon period, alongside the prioritization of agriculture and Confucian ideals, the Korean military, including the navy, fell into disuse and decay, while fishing ships continued to operate and prosper.

Korea eventually developed strong wooden ships called panokseons that came to make up the backbone of the Joseon navy.

In 1903, the government of the Korean Empire purchased its first modern war ship, the KIS Yangmu, from the Japanese Mitsui Corporation for 1,100,000 won, about 30% of Korea's military budget at the time.