Law is a standard intended to guide the perceptions of social life and maintain the social order. Whether the law is applied justly or unjustly can result in great changes in the individual's perceptions as well as in the order of a nation.
Imjinwaeran was a historical event which altered the course of Korean history and agitated the spirit of the people. This was due in part to the failure of the king and the leading officials to demonstrate the wisdom or the resolve to overcome the national crisis, and also to their incompetence in responding properly to the military commanders who made and unmade victories.
This paper studies the reasons for the Nokhun(Posthumous Honor) of both Lee Sun-shin and Won Kyun, who represent respectively the successful and the inept commander of that war, in connection with the state of law application and partisan conflict. The purpose is to show that the law, which ought to be fair, can easily become unjust when involved in partisan conflict, and that the national spirit can fall into chaos as a result.