Siege of Busanjin

The Siege of Busanjin was a battle fought at Busan on April 13th-14th, 1592, between Japanese and Korean forces. Along with Dadaejin, Busanjin of Dongnae-bu was the site of the first battle in the Imjin War. This battle marked the beginning of a long war on the Korean peninsula.

Battle
To establish a beachhead and control Busan shores, a strategy was planned based on the local knowledge of So Yoshitoshi, lord of Tsushima. The plan consisted of dividing their forces and leading simultaneous attacks against the fort, and subsidiary harbor forts of Dadaejin and Seopyeongpo.

Early on the morning of May 24, 1592 (Tenshō 20, 4th month, 13th day, by the Japanese lunar calendar), So Yoshitoshi attacked within the main city walls of Busan, while Konishi Yukinaga led the assault on the harbor fort of Dadaejin.

The Japanese overwhelmed the defenses by scaling the walls under cover of the arquebuse fire. The Koreans retreated to the second line of defense after the surprise attack of So Yoshitoshi. General Jeong Bal (Hangul: 정발, Hanja :鄭撥) regrouped his archers and counterattacked. By now, the Koreans had retreated to the third line of defence. After hours of fighting, the Koreans ran out of arrows. The Japanese were taking losses and regrouped to attack again.

Jeong Bal was shot and killed. Morale fell amongst the Korean soldiers and the fort was overrun at around 9:00 in the morning--nearly all of Busanjin's fighting force was killed. The Japanese massacred the remaining garrison and noncombatants. Yoshitoshi ordered his soldiers to loot and burn valuable items.

The Japanese army now occupied Busanjin. For the next several years Busanjin would become a supply depot for the Japanese. The Japanese continued to supply troops and food across the sea to Busanjin until Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin attacked Busanjin with his navy.

Aftermath
With the fall of Fort Busan, the First Division of the Japanese Army completed its first objective. However, a few kilometres to the north of Busan lay the fortress of Dongnae; its garrison was a threat to the newly established beachhead. Early next morning, So Yoshitoshi led his wearied troops to attack Fort Dongnae.

These series of lightning-like attacks marked the beginning of the Seven Year War.