Chung-mu

Perhaps one of Yi Sun-Sin's greatest qualities was his drive to serve his king and Korea in any way he could. When almost everyone in Korean politics and military service was forced to side with one of the two powerful Korean political parties of the time to survive the ruthless atmosphere, Yi chose neither and was only loyal to his king and country. Moreover, at a time in Korean history when position and rank meant everything, Yi Sun-Sin demonstrated a remarkable ability to maintain his pride in the face of an unwarranted demotion. Any other officer of his time would have been driven to suicide or revenge in an attempt to erase such a terrible disgrace. Yi, however, merely went about his work as a common foot soldier without a thought for these courses of action. Not only a naval innovator and tactician hundreds of years ahead of his time, Yi was also a man with bravery and loyalty matched by few in the history of the world.

The hyung ends with left hand attack to symbolize Admiral Yi's regrettable death and not having a chance to show his loyalty to the king. In Buddhist mudras (sacred symbolic hand gestures), the left hand may be interpreted to symbolize heaven, meditation, or the state of enlightenment. The left hand is generally considered to represent a person's passive rather than vital nature and would be more spiritual than physical.

Koreans, like many cultures, have strong taboos about the use of the left hand in social situations, but culturally it does not mean death, it is just rude.