Where Is Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Hometown? ... First Archery Competition Held on His Birthday

Archery Competition to Commemorate Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Birth
to Be Held at Training Center Park, Jung-gu on the 19th

The "1st Admiral Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin Archery Competition" will be held on the 19th at the Training Center Park Sports Complex. Training Center Park is located in Euljiro 5-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, on the site where the Training Center, responsible for martial arts training and instruction during the Joseon Dynasty, once stood.

Jung-gu stated, "Admiral Yi Sun-sin was born and spent his childhood in Geoncheon-dong (currently Inhyeon-dong), Jung-gu, and he passed the military examination at Training Center Park, where this archery competition will be held." They added, "We have prepared this competition to commemorate Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s birthday on April 28 in Jung-gu, which holds such historical significance."

'The 1st Admiral Yi Sun-sin Birth Anniversary Archery Competition' poster. Provided by Jung-gu, Seoul.

For this competition, Jung-gu installed screens in the Training Center Park gymnasium last November to create a comfortable environment for the archery event, and since March, they have established an archery recreational sports class to expand the base of archery enthusiasts. Additionally, the archery revitalization project was selected as a public contest project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, enabling stable competition hosting for the next three years.

The competition will be divided into elementary and general divisions to compete in archery skills. It is an indoor "close-range competition" organized by the Jung-gu Archery Association. Besides the archery competition, various side events are prepared, including an archery experience zone, exhibition booths exploring the historical significance of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and Training Center Park, a photo zone with the admiral, and souvenir booths, allowing anyone to visit and enjoy even without participating in the competition.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "It is meaningful to hold an archery competition at Training Center Park, closely connected to the life of Admiral Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin, to commemorate his birthday." He added, "I hope this will widely promote Jung-gu, the starting point of this great figure, and serve as an opportunity to boost the pride of the district’s residents."