Wooden ships

The so-called turtle ship, a unique turtle-shaped naval vessel invented by Korean Admiral Yi Sun-shin over the course of the Imjin War of 1592-1598, is known as the world`s first armored battleship. Skeptics, however, say it was a wooden ship, citing the absence of proof that it was used as an armored battleship and based on a document that it was as fast as a bird. They say a non-powered vessel made of iron cannot be as fast as a wooden vessel. Another argument is that technology back then could not protect iron from corrosion in ocean water. The deck of the turtle ship was covered with a round cover and hammered with iron to enhance its defensive power. The vessel was smaller than the "panokseon," an oar- and sail-propelled ship used as the main class of warship by the Joseon Dynasty, but faster. Even if it was a wooden ship, the turtle ship remained the dominant military vessel of the period.

Wooden ships are rarely found today. Wood is easily broken and vulnerable to fire, and thus has little appeal as material for making military and fishing ships. Small fishing ships are made of new materials like fiberglass-reinforced plastics that are corrosion-resistant and compactible. Wooden ships are made with just basic woodworking tools and thus used in small fishing areas in coastal waters or in fish farms.

A recent photo showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting a military camp that led the 2010 shelling of South Korea`s Yeonpyeong Island on a non-military wooden ship. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korean ruling Worker`s Party, said the picture described Kim`s love for soldiers. This must have meant that Kim was trying to console North Korean soldiers who have to use wooden ships due to lack of fuel. A source from the South Korean Navy said, "The ship looks like it was made from a used fishing ship intended for short-distance troop transport," adding, "It`s nonsense to use a wooden ship, which is vulnerable to even rifle shots, for military purposes." The ship used by the South Korean military as a submarine for passenger transport is made of fiberglass-reinforced plastics.

In May 2007, four North Koreans escaped from the port of Chongjin on a wooden ship 7.8 meters long and 1.8 meters wide. They reached Japanese waters after a seven-day struggle. A toxic substance was found in the ship, which was apparently was intended to be used for suicide if the four were caught by North Korean soldiers. Since then, numerous North Koreans have fled the Stalinist country on wooden ships. Last year, 46 North Koreans came to South Korea in wooden ships in traveling the East Sea to the Yellow Sea and on to Japan. Not only starving low-income people, but also the grandson of the former chief of the North Korean parliament escaped the North on a wooden ship. An old wooden ship has become a necessary tool for escape from a military that willingly protects a family-run kingdom.

Editorial Writer Lee Hyeong-sam (hans@donga.com)