임진왜란 시기 이순신의 애민 실천과 대민소통

Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s Practice of Communicating and Keeping Involved with the Public Demonstrated his Great Love for the People

본고에서는 임진왜란 시기 이순신의 애민 실천 사례와 대민소통 양상을 시기별로 정리해 보았다. 임진왜란 초기 치열한 격전이 벌어지는 순간에도 이순신은 전과(戰果)보다는 백성의 안위를 우선시했다. 임진왜란 초기부터 시작된 그러한 행태는 안골포해전 때 절정에 달했다. 동시에 해전 결과 적으로부터 구출한 백성들에 대한 구호조치를 철저히 하였다. 한편으로 이순신은 백성들과 소통하면서 주변 상황과 적에 대한 정보를 파악할 수 있었다. 강화교섭 시기를 맞아 이순신은 당시 전라도에 유입된 피란민들에 대한 적극적인 구호활동과 백성들의 군량 확보책을 마련하였다. 그리고 조정의 잘못된 지시로 과중한 징발에 고통 받는 백성들의 고충을 해결하고자 노력하였다. 또한 관하 관료들의 애민실천 여부에 대한 판단으로 상벌 시행을 건의하기도 하였다. 정유재란 시기는 열세한 전력으로 일본군을 상대한 명량해전 때 백성들의 도움으로 해전을 승리로 이끌었다. 명량해전 후 고하도와 고금도에서 수군 재건을 추진할 때는 백성들과 소통하면서 군량과 군수물자를 확보할 수 있었으며 이를 기반으로 수군을 재건할 수 있었다. 한편으로 조선에 참전한 명 수군의 조선 백성에 대한 행패에 단호한 응징 조치를 하여 백성을 고통으로부터 구출하였다. 이러한 시기별 애민 실천 사례를 통해 볼 때 이순신의 수군 활동은 백성을 위함에 있었다는 사실을 확인할 수 있었다. 특히 이순신의 애민 사상은 백성을 단순히 보호의 대상일 뿐만 아니라 전란 극복의 동반자로 인식하여 적극 소통한 점이 뚜렷하다고 할 것이다.

Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s practice of communicating and keeping involved with the public demonstrated his great love for the people. In this paper, the examples are given that demonstrate Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s love and devotion to the people during the Imjin War. 1. Even during the fierce battle in the early days of the Imjin War, Yi Sun-sin prioritized the safety of the people above victory. Such behavior, which began in the early days of the Imjin War, reached its climax during the Battle of Angolpo. It was during this time that he made great efforts to rescue his people who had been captured by the enemy during the naval battle. Because he was able to rescue his people, he was able to obtain valuable information about the enemy from those he had rescued. 2. At the time of the peace negotiations, Admiral Yi Sun-sin worked to rescue the many refugees who had fled to Jeolla-do to seek safety from the war. In addition, there was the issue of whether to hold the officials accountable for their behavior and did they honor the people they were serving. 3. During the period of Jenny Yu-Jae, he led the naval forces to victory with the important help of the people. This was the battle of Myeongryang against an inferior Japanese force. Their navy lacked training and leadership. After the battle of Myeongryang, when rebuilding the naval forces in Goya-do and Gogeum-do, he was able to rely on the people to help him secure military and civilian supplies. Because of these coordinated efforts, he was able to successfully reconstruct his naval forces. He was able to rescue people suffering from Ming naval forces and took decisive measure to punish them. These three examples demonstrates Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s ability to work and care for his people. His motivation was always to protect and care for his people. Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s ideology was rooted in his ability to empathize with the people. He recognized that the people were partners in overcoming adversity.