Three years after the Japanese invasions ended, in 1601 (the 34th year of King Seonjo's reign), Yi Hang-bok — who would later become Chief State Councillor — received a royal order and directed Naval Commander Yi Si-eon to build a shrine honoring Yi Sun-sin. Once the shrine was completed, Kim Sang-yong, who was serving as Second State Councillor at the time, petitioned King Seonjo to bestow a name upon it. The king personally named it "Chungminsa" and had the name carved onto a wooden plaque. This marked the first time the Joseon state formally honored Yi Sun-sin by bestowing a royal name on a shrine dedicated to him.
What makes Chungminsa significant goes beyond simply being "first." Chungminsa (1601) predates the Chungnyeolsa shrine in Tongyeong (founded 1606) and stands more than a century ahead of Hyeonchungsa in Asan (founded 1706). In other words, the tradition of venerating Yi Sun-sin as a national hero began not in Tongyeong, where he commanded until his final battle, nor in Asan, near his hometown, but here in Yeosu — the very first base where he prepared for war. At Chungminsa, Yi Sun-sin is enshrined at the center, flanked by Yi Eok-gi and An Heung-guk, two commanders who died alongside him at the Battle of Noryang. Shrines and monuments to Yi Sun-sin exist across the country today, but the entire tradition of honoring him as a national hero traces back to this one spot in Yeosu's Ungcheon-dong.