The Battle of Sangju was one of the first battles in the First phase of the Japanese Invasions of Korea (Imjin War). The Koreans attempted to stop the Japanese invasion and prevent the siege of Fort Ch'ungju. However, the superior technology of the Japanese forces, particularly the arquebuses, proved decisive. Similar to most Korean generals at the start of the war, Yi Il performed poorly. The Japanese were victorious and pushed on to Chungju.