Could the Koreans have defeated the Japanese invaders at sea in the 1590s ?

raharris1973

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The Japanese were superior in ground combat and the Koreans were superior at sea combat during the Imjin War.

Could the Koreans with enough foresight, preparedness and luck have sunk the invading Japanese at sea in 1592 and 1598? Or sunk enough that the Japanese landing couldn't storm or successfully besiege any important Korean fortifications.

If so, how would things go different for both Korea and Japan?
 
Korea didn't really think much of the news of a Japanese invasion in 1592, concluding that it was just going to be more similar to a series of pirate raids than a full on invasion.

While Koreans did better at sea than the Japanese, one shouldn't forget that even later in the war the Japanese managed to win victories at sea, so it isn't like Korea's fleet was unbeatable.

Edit: I should add that while the Korean fleet disrupted supply lines, it couldn't stop the Japanese from reinforcing their armies.

Given what I remember of the number of ships the Japanese used, I don't think even a larger Korean fleet could prevent the Japanese from landing a significant number of troops.
 
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