Kim Si-min
| Kim Si-min | |
| Hangul | 김시민 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 金時敏 |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Si-min |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Si-min |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | 면오 |
| Hanja | 勉吾 |
| Revised Romanization | Myeon-o |
| McCune–Reischauer | Myŏn-o |
| Posthumous name | |
| Hangul | 충무 |
| Hanja | 忠武 |
| Revised Romanization | Chung-mu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'ung-mu |
Kim Si-min (Pronounced Kim Shi-Min in Korean 1554–1592) was a prominent Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty. He is most famous for having defended Jinju Castle against the Japanese invaders during the Seven Years' War.
Kim Si-min was born in Chungcheong Province in 1554, the son of Kim Chung-gap. Historically, he is the 12th generation descendant of the Goryeo Dynasty general Kim Bang-gyeong.
In 1578, Kim passed the government military examination and was appointed as a training official. When he inspected the available weaponry and soldiers, he found that none were satisfactory for proper training. Thus he went to see the Minister of War concerning the fact that the nation would be under peril if a sudden crisis occurred and the national soldiers were not ready. However, the Minister replied that no such crisis can occur in such a peaceful time and that a strong military could frighten the peasants and therefore rejected Kim’s proposition of a well prepared military.
Kim continued to plead to the Minister but as he was constantly rejected, he removed his military clothing in front of the minister, stepped on them and left the room. In 1583, when Nitangjie (니탕개, 尼湯介), the Jurchen defect rebelled against the Joseon government in Hoeryeong, Kim rejoined the armed forces under General Jeong Eon-sin. As the second-in-command, he earned great merit in defeating the Jurchens.
Kim was made an official in Jinju Castle in 1591, and with the sudden death of the castle’s guardian Yi Gyeong, and the beginning of the Imjin Wars he came to be the commander of the fortress. From there, he acted decisively to fortify the castle.
During the Wars, he defeated Japanese forces at Sacheon and Goseong and captured the Japanese commander Pyeongsotae at Jinhae. With this merit he was appointed Right Gyeongsang provincial army district Commander (경상우도병마절도사) and once again defeated the Japanese at Geumsan.
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