On the basis of detailed analysis of several classic topographic correction methods, the authors proposed a new semi-empirical method according to the theories of SCS, C and Minnaert correction, which accounts for diffuse irradiance from C correction and the non-Lambertian reflectance behavior of a surface from Minnaert correction. In addition, it has the advantages of SCS method which preserves the geotropic nature of trees (vertical growth) regardless of terrain, view, and illumination angles. The new method was tested by ETM imagery acquired on April 30th, 2000 of Miyun county of Beijing, China. We analyzed comparatively the correction results through visual analysis of corrected images, statistical analysis of mean and standard deviation, and the correlation analysis between radiance and the illumination angle. The results show that the correlation between the illumination angle and radiance corrected by the new method decreases obviously and its spectral characteristics are preserved perfectly. It was concluded that the new method could be considered as a good method for topographic correction of optical remote sensing imagery in rugged terrain.