Yeosu Turtle Ship Festival

About the Festival

The Yeosu Turtle Ship Festival is a festival to comfort the souls of the soldiers and residents of the five districts (Suncheon-dohobu, Nagan-gun, Boseong-gun, Gwangyang-hyeon, Heungyang-hyeon) and five naval bases (Bangdapjin, Sadojin, Yeodojin, Okpojin, Balpojin) under the jurisdiction of the Jeolla Jwasuyeong (Left Naval Headquarters) during the Imjin War, and to reflect on their patriotism and the value of national defense. The festival is held annually around May 4th to remember the day in 1592 when Admiral Yi Sun-sin, who was appointed as the Jeolla Left Naval Commander in 1591, gathered soldiers from the five districts and five bases at Jeolla Jwasuyeong to form a fleet and set out for the first time with solemn determination to defeat the Japanese invaders. The Jeolla Jwasuyeong Yi Sun-sin fleet, composed of local magistrates, soldiers, commoners, and anonymous sailors from the current eastern Jeollanam-do region, deployed superior naval tactics with 85 warships and set a record of never losing a single battle against the Japanese. In 1593, Jeolla Jwasuyeong was elevated to Joseon's first Samdo Sugun Tongjeyeong (Naval Headquarters of Three Provinces), overseeing the naval forces of Chungcheong, Jeolla, and Gyeongsang. Admiral Yi Sun-sin was appointed as the Samdo Sugun Tongjesa and led the Joseon navy to finally end the seven-year war. Yeosu is a city of national salvation with clear historical evidence, where the Jeolla Jwasuyeong was first established as the main headquarters of the Samdo Sugun Tongjeyeong and lasted for nine years. The area around Jinnamgwan in Yeosu is the former site of the Samdo Sugun Tongjeyeong and Jeolla Jwasuyeong. Chungminsa Shrine in Deokchung-dong is the first tablet-bestowed shrine in Joseon, named by King Seonjo in 1601 after the death of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. The festival begins on the morning of the first day with a Goyu-je (memorial service) at Chungminsa to announce the start of the festival. This is followed by the "Tongjeyeong Gilnori" performance at sunset, and various traditional cultural arts performances, exhibitions, and hands-on programs continue for four days at Yi Sun-sin Square and the Seonso area. The Yeosu Turtle Ship Festival is a representative festival of Jeollanam-do created by Yeosu citizens and a top national defense cultural festival in Korea, aiming to promote the achievements and spirit of the people, anonymous sailors, and monk soldiers of eastern Jeollanam-do who died defending the country.