Haenam Yi Yu-gil Memorial Stele

Haenam Yi Yu-gil Memorial Stele, a stele pavilion honoring the Battle of Myeongnyang and the expedition to Jianzhou

Chung-ri, Samsan-myeon, is the hometown of Yi Yu-gil (1576–1619), a figure of the mid-Joseon period, and this stele was erected to honor his service in the Battle of Myeongnyang and the 1619 expedition to Jianzhou. The stele pavilion over it is a gabled-roof building 1 bay wide at the front and 1 bay deep, with a three-door gate. It is Haenam Local Cultural Heritage Site No. 1.

Haenam Yi Yu-gil Memorial Stele, a 250 cm granite stele and the people behind its inscription

The stele is made of granite and is 250 cm high and 84 cm wide. It was erected in 1893 (the 30th year of King Gojong). The calligraphy is by Yi Jeong-gyu, Jeolla Provincial Army Commander, and the text was composed by Song Byeong-seon, a 9th-generation descendant of Song Si-yeol. The front is carved with an inscription ending in '忠毅公李先生遺墟碑.'

Haenam Yi Yu-gil Memorial Stele, Yi Yu-gil, who joined Yi Sunsin's forces at 17

Yi Yu-gil was 17 when the Imjin War broke out. When his father Seon-gyeong was killed by enemy soldiers, he vowed revenge, joined the command of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and played an active part in the Battle of Myeongnyang. King Seonjo prized his spirit and granted him a 9th-rank post along with two characters meaning 'loyalty and filial piety'. Later, when Ming China asked Joseon to send troops for its attack on the Later Jin, he joined the expedition to Jianzhou with Gang Hong-rip.

Source: Haenam County Culture and Tourism