Imdin War

a war of the Korean people against Japanese invaders fought in 1592–98. The name of the war comes from the designation of the year 1592 (imdin) in the 60-year cycle of the Chinese and Korean calendar.

After landing in the southern Korean port of Pusan in May 1592, the Japanese invaders quickly seized the capital city of Seoul and advanced far into the north. But a people’s war against the invaders foiled the plans of conquest of the Japanese feudal lords. The victories of the Korean Navy under the command of Yi Sun-sin were exceptionally important in sustaining resistance against the invaders. In the autumn of 1592 partisans opened an offensive in all the provinces occupied by the enemy, and regular troops moved in from the north. Pyongyang was liberated from the aggressors in February 1593 and Seoul in May. Repulsed to the Pusan region, the aggressors initiated peace negotiations, hoping to gain time for a new attack. But the offensive begun in 1597 ended in a complete defeat of the Japanese troops. By the end of 1598 the Japanese invaders were driven out of Korea.