Siege of Busanjin
battle fought at Busan on 24 May 1592 between Japanese and Korean forces
The siege of Busanjin (Korean: 부산진 전투; Hanja: 釜山鎭戰鬪) was a battle fought at Busan on 24 May 1592, between Japanese and Korean forces. The attacks on Busan and the neighboring fort of Dadaejin were the first battles of the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98).
Background
The Japanese invasion force consisting of 400 transports bearing 18,700 men under the command of Konishi Yukinaga departed from Tsushima Island on 23 May and arrived at Busan harbor without any incident. The commander of Busan, Chŏng Pal, spotted the invasion fleet while hunting on Yeong Island off Busan Harbor and rushed back to Busan to prepare defenses. A single vessel bearing the daimyō of Tsushima Sō Yoshitoshi (who had been a member of the Japanese mission to Korea in 1589) detached from the Japanese fleet with a letter to the commander of Busan, Chŏng Pal, demanding that the Korean forces stand down to allow the Japanese armies to proceed on towards China. The letter went unanswered, and the Japanese commenced landing operations from 0400 the following morning.
The Joseon fleet of 150 ships did nothing and sat idle at port while Gyeongsang Left Navy Commander Pak Hong reported to Gyeongsang Right Navy Commander Wŏn Kyun, who thought the invasion might have been a really large trade mission.
The commanders of the Japanese forces were Konishi, Sō, Matsura Shigenobu, Arima Harunobu, Ōmura Yoshiaki and Gotō Mototsugu, all of whom (with the exception of Matsura) were Kirishitans, as were many of their men. A portion of this force led by Konishi attacked a nearby fort called Dadaejin, while Sō led the main contingent against Busan.
Battle
Early in the morning of May 24, 1592, Sō Yoshitoshi once again called up Joeng Bal to stand down, assuring that he and his men would be safe if they would stand aside and allow the Japanese to pass.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Siege of Busanjin” is battle fought at Busan on 24 May 1592 between Japanese and Korean forces. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Siege, Busanjin and battle, not as a finished interpretation.
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Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q497046. Authority coordinates are 35.163, 129.053. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1592 and 1589.
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