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{{Short description|1592 Japan–Korea battle in Korea}}
{{redirect|Siege of Pusan|other sieges|Battle of Pusan (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = The Siege of Busan Castle
| image             = [[Image:Siege-of-Busanjin-1592.jpg|250px|The Siege of Busan Castle.]]
| caption           = The Siege of Busan Castle
| partof            = [[Imjin War]]
| date              = 24 May 1592
| place             = [[Busanjin-gu]], [[Busan]]
| result            = Japanese victory
*Sack of Busan
| combatant1        = Toyotomi Japan
| combatant2        = Kingdom of [[Joseon]]
| commander1        = {{Plainlist|
*'''[[Sō Yoshitoshi]]'''}}
| commander2        = {{Plainlist|
* '''[[Jeong Bal]]'''{{KIA}}}}
| strength1         = 16,700<ref name="auto">[[Luís Fróis]]《historia de japam》</ref>
| strength2         = 600 Soldiers<ref>[http://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kka_11003021_001 조선왕조실록 (Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty) 명종실록 (Annals of King Myeongjong) 12권(volume 12), 명종 6년 10월 24일 무인 1번째기사]| A record of the size and number of troops in the Busanjin garrison.</ref> <br /> 8,000 Civilians.<ref name="auto"/>
| casualties1       = ?
| casualties2       = 1,200–8,500 killed{{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=145}}{{sfn|Swope|2009|p=89}}<br>200 captured{{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=145}}|
}}
{{Campaignbox Seven-Year War}}

[[file:Dongnaebusunjeoldo.jpg|thumb|Japanese army sacks the city of Busan.]]

The '''siege of Busanjin''' ({{Korean|hangul=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 [[Battle of Dadaejin|Dadaejin]] were the first battles of the [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98)]].{{sfn|Turnbull|2008|p=23-24}}

==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, [[Jeong Bal]], spotted the invasion fleet while hunting on Yeong Island off Busan Harbor and rushed back to Busan to prepare defenses.{{sfn|Turnbull|2008|p=23}} A single vessel bearing the ''[[daimyō]]'' of [[Tsushima Domain|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, Jeong Bal, 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. {{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=235-245}}

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.{{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=142}}

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 [[Kirishitan]]s, as were many of their men.{{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=241}} A portion of this force led by Konishi attacked a nearby fort called [[Battle of Dadaejin|Dadaejin]], while Sō led the main contingent against Busan. {{sfn|Turnbull|2008|p=23}}

==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. Jeong refused, stating that he was duty bound to oppose the Japanese advance unless he received orders from Seoul to do otherwise, and the Japanese attack then commenced. {{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=142}} The Japanese tried to take the south gate of Busan Castle first but took heavy casualties and were forced to switch to the north gate. The Japanese took high ground positions on the mountain behind Busan and shot at Korean defenders within the city with their [[arquebus|arquebuse]]s until they created a breach in their northern defenses.{{sfn|Swope|2009|p=89}} The Koreans, armed primarily with bows and spears, were outranged by Japanese firepower, and soon ran out of arrows. Commander Jeong Bal was struck by a bullet and died at around 0900, causing morale to collapse and the swift fall of the city.{{sfn|Turnbull|2008|p=23-24}}

==Aftermath==
Once within the walls of the fortification, the Japanese massacred thousands. "Both men, women, and even dogs and cats were beheaded."{{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=145}} According to Japanese records, 8500 Koreans were killed in at Busan and 200 were taken prisoner. {{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=142}}

Gyeongsang Left Navy Commander Pak Hong watched the fall of Busan from a distance. He then scuttled his fleet of 100 ships, which included more than 50 warships armed with cannon, and destroyed his weapons and provisions, so that they would not fall into Japanese hands. Abandoning his men, he fled to [[Hanseong]].{{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=145}}

The following day, Konishi recombined his forces, and then advanced towards the fortress of [[Dongnae]] located ten kilometers northeast on the main road to Seoul.{{sfn|Turnbull|2008|p=24}}

==Legacy==
With the port in Japanese hands, the area became the primary landing ground for subsequent Japanese deployments to Korea during the Japanese invasion, notably the large army led by [[Kato Kiyomasa]] and the slightly smaller army led by [[Kuroda Nagamasa]]. It was also the primary Japanese supply base throughout the conflict.

To commemorate the battle, there is a statue of Jeong Bal next to the Japanese Consulate in Busan.{{sfn|Turnbull|2008|p=23}}

== See also ==
* [[List of fortresses in Korea]]

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

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{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/pusan/311 Chungnyeolsa Shrine]

{{coord missing|South Korea}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Busanjin 1592}}
[[Category:Sieges of the Imjin War]]
[[Category:Attacks on castles in Korea]]
[[Category:Massacres committed by Japan]]
[[Category:Massacres in Korea]]
[[Category:Japanese war crimes in Korea]]
[[Category:History of Busan]]
[[Category:Looting in Korea]]
[[Category:1592 in Asia]]
[[Category:1592 in Japan]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1592]]
[[Category:16th-century massacres]]