Siege of Ulsan

First Siege of Ulsan
Part of the Imjin War
Korean and Chinese soldiers assault the Japanese-built fortress at Ulsan.
Date December 23, 1597 to January 4, 1598 (Chinese Calendar) Location Ulsan Japanese Castle, Ulsan, Southern Korean Peninsula Result Decisive Japanese Victory, Withdrawal of Korean and Ming Forces
Belligerents
Korea and China	Japanese army
Commanders and leaders
Korea: Gwon Yul Jeong Ki-ryong Kim Gwi-hoe Jang Un-ik China: Yang Hao Ma Gui Qian Wanli	Ulsan castle Katō Kiyomasa Asano Yoshinaga Reinforcements Mōri Hidemoto Nabeshima Naoshige Hachisuka Iemasa Kuroda Nagamasa
Strength
Korea: 11,500 China: 44,000	Ulsan castle: 10,000 Reinforcements: 13,000
Casualties and losses
20,000 killed	over 1,120 dead

Second Siege of Ulsan
Part of the Imjin War
Date September 22 to October 6, 1598 (Chinese Calendar) Location Ulsan Japanese Castle, Ulsan, Southern Korean Peninsula Result Decisive Japanese victory; Withdrawal of Ming and Korean forces
Belligerents
Korea and China	Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Japanese army
Commanders and leaders
Kim Eung-seo Ma Gui	Katō Kiyomasa
Strength
5,500 Koreans and 24,000 Chinese army	10,000
Casualties and losses
heavy	Unknown

Ulsan castle
Katō Kiyomasa
Asano Yoshinaga
Reinforcements

Korea: 11,500

Ulsan castle: 10,000

The Siege of Ulsan (Hangul: 울산성 전투; Hanja: ; RR: Ulsanseong Jeontu) was an unsuccessful Korean and Ming Chinese attempt to capture Ulsan Castle from the Japanese late during the Japanese Invasion of Korea (Imjin War). Korean and Chinese allied forces suffered heavy losses during the siege, and the allied forces were ultimately withdrawn when the garrison sallied forth with the arrival of a relief force.

In 1597, the second phase of the Japanese invasion of Korea was launched. After limited progress on land and several naval defeats, Japanese troops withdrew to the southern Gyeongsang province, in which they had set up a defensive perimetre. Without provisions and reinforcements, the Japanese forces had to remain in safety and security of the coastal fortresses (known as wajō) that they controlled. The Japanese commander Katō Kiyomasa had his army stationed in Ulsan, where he had his troops construct a castle. Commanders Yang Hao and Ma Gui led an army of 44,000 Ming troops, and Commander Gwon Yul led an army of 11,500 Korean tropps in a first assault on January 29, 1598. They caught the Japanese army unawared and still encamped, for the large part, outside of Ulsan's unfinished castle walls. The Japanese managed to drive off the attack and withdrew into the castle, but lost 500 men in the process.

A total of around 55,000 troops with the help of singijeons and hwachas then besieged the fortress. The allied force made several assaults on the castle, but all attempts were repulsed by concentrated gun fire. However, the Japanese suffered heavily as well, with more than 600 men being killed and numerous more wounded.

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