General Isabu

Isabu was a military general and politician of Silla who acquired Silla’s first maritime territory in 512 by subjugating the Usan Kingdom, today’s Ulleungdo in the East Sea. Isabu was a bona-fide military man, who rose to a general’s rank in his teens and fought on the battlefield until his late 70s. As the head of the military for 22 years, he contributed to Silla’s unification of the three kingdoms and its millennial prosperity, which made a permanent mark in world history. An old Korean history book series titled Samguksagi includes a heroic story about Isabu conquering the Usan Kingdom without a fight. The Usan Kingdom ruled today’s Ulleungdo, Dokdo,
and the East Sea that surrounds these islands. Isabu carried many wooden lion sculptures on deck to Usan. Upon arrival, he shouted, “Surrender now! If not, we will release these beasts and kill you all.” Frightened by the sight of the strange beasts, the Usan people lost their fighting spirit and surrendered.

Thanks to Isabu’s wisdom, Silla effortlessly annexed the Usan Kingdom and strengthened its naval defense against Japan by taking control of the sea. Today’s Koreans call Isabu “the king of the East Sea” for his pioneering venture into the ocean and opening boundless new possibilities