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“If you can’t beat ‘em, join them.” This was pretty much the mentality of both sides of the Mongol-Goryeo War, even though the Mongols technically “won.” Goryeo was one of the very few instances in history where the Mongols could not secure absolute domination and therefore had to sign a peace treaty. Generally this was how it usually went: The Mongols approach a city and sends a messenger with demands that the city surrender. If the city does not surrender, the Mongols swoop in with its massive hordes and pillage, rape, and burn to their hearts content. The Mongols gather the heads of their victims and display it for the next city. Pretty straightforward, albeit gruesome, tactic. It worked…MOST of the time. There was only a few places in the world where this did not work, one of which was Korea. Here’s why: The Mongols approach a Korean city, only to find it deserted. No guards, no people. Where is everyone? They find out the Korean people and army have locked themselves in a fortress far up a nearby mountain, where cavalry and siege weapons are useless. The Mongols march around the Peninsula, raiding and pillaging wherever they can, only to constantly be ambushed at every corner. One ambush even resulted in the death of a general, just one of only two times this has happened to the Mongols. The Mongols look into capturing the king and end the war directly, only to find out the king and his entire court, as well as his commanders, set up their operations on Ganghwa Island. The island itself isn’t far from the mainland at all, but there’s nothing the Mongols hated more than water. Worse still, the entire Goryeo navy, battle hardened from centuries of fighting Japanese pirates, were docked nearby to make sure no Mongol excursion would get anywhere near the island. Fighting lasted for three decades, one of the longest wars the Mongols had ever waged. It even got to the point that the Mongols had to send its most seasoned warriors and leaders to the Korean war effort, men that could’ve been of more use elsewhere. But three decades weren’t easy on the Koreans either. Constant pillaging of the kingdom’s farmlands resulted in a severe food shortage. The people were exhausted, many of their able-bodied men were fighting or dead, and yet the Mongols kept coming. Needless to say, both sides were sick of the war and sought peace. They agreed that Goryeo would mostly retain its autonomy as a vassal state to the Yuan Dynasty, but its princes would have to marry a Mongol princess. This made Goryeo an “in-law state.” With hostilities finally coming to a close, the Mongols finally could focus on a task that was even scarier than war: governing. Unfortunately, they weren’t really great at this, which was why the Yuan Dynasty lasted less than a century. Some people today have lived longer than that time. Either way, the Yuan Dynasty was far too busy dealing with its own provinces for it to even think of attacking Goryeo again.

Hopefully you'll cover the Goguryeo Sui war and the khitan invasions in the future.

Just one thing. The capital city of Goryeo was Kaeseong, not Hanseong. Hanseong was just the third largest city in Korea back then.

Korean here. Thank you so much for uploading this video! I was waiting for it:) I have to say, even for us Won-Jong 원종 recognizing Kublai as the Khan is a great luck/miracle we had after long years of war

Some minor but important details for the Siege of Kuju: Kim Gyeong-Son reckoned that the Mongols were able to do 4D chess levels of coordination because of their intricate use of flag bearers, so he and his 12 men rode out and slew all (or at least most) of the flag bearers before retreating into the city. Mongol resolve was ultimately snapped when after the defenders constantly rebuilt any breaches that were made, they sallied out and broke the attackers. Definitely some cinematic shit. Also Byeolcho units were generally cavalry from military families, don't know why you presented them as infantry

Just a little context: The Mongol invasions of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo occurred over the course of six campaigns between 1231 and 1259 CE (seven if you include the put-down of the anti-Mongol Sambyeolcho Rebellion in 1270-1273). This means that the Mongol attacks against Goryeo actually preceded the official founding of the Yuan Dynasty by a full decade, and thus the relationship between the Mongols and Koreans was already established before the Yuan Dynasty even existed. That said, let’s look at the invasions themselves. The Goryeo-Mongol Wars lasted nearly three full decades - a full generation. Now, as mentioned before, the Mongols had a pretty… decisive way of doing things. All over Eurasia, the Mongols swept through the lands, conquering tribes and empires alike. They did this by, well, destroying all those that stood in their way. They would ride up to a city, surround it, send a messenger demanding it to immediately surrender, and burn the place down while decimating, raping, and/or enslaving the population if it resisted. This intimidation tactic was also applied to the state-level, as well. But none of this would’ve really worked if the Mongols couldn’t follow up on their threats. And they did this thanks to an amazingly skilled, mounted fighting force. In pre-industrial times, horsemen were the tanks of the world - and the Mongols were some of the best horse riders in the world. Thanks to their amazing mounted archery capabilities, the Mongol hordes could route armies many times larger their own with hit-and-run tactics and firing volleys from different directions. Rigid formations would break, making them easy pickings for the mobile horse-warriors. All of this made the Mongols practically an unstoppable force, which explains their success across the Old World. But, the Mongols had two major weaknesses. One you probably already know about: water. Generations on the landlocked Steppe meant the Mongols had virtually no knowledge of shipbuilding, sea-faring, or naval warfare, which explains their disastrous invasions of Japan. The second weakness, however, is less talked about: mountains. On the steep slopes of mountainous terrain, the height and mobility advantages of being on horseback are neutralized, if not reversed. And, even outside of the battlefield, mountains - especially rocky, forested ones - make for poor grazing grounds for large amounts of horses. Unfortunately for the Mongols, Korea featured both water and mountains. Worse, centuries of fighting the mounted hordes of the Jurchens and Khitans, as well as Japanese sea pirates, has given the Koreans valuable lessons on how to use these two terrains to their advantage. Case in point, the Koreans had built hundreds of stone fortresses perched on the top of mountains and hills. In wartime, whole towns and cities would be evacuated into nearby citadels, where they would be greeted by a small permanent garrison. For you Lord of the Rings nerds out there, this defensive strategy is not unlike the one employed by Rohan in the LOTR: the Two Towers. In the film, you can see that Rohan’s capital city Edoras is defended by a basic wall that alone does not seem particularly impressive or practical. The reason for this, we find, is that in emergencies, the city’s residents would be evacuated into a mountain fortress called Helm’s Deep. The Koreans basically did the exact same thing, except on a broader scale. And, unlike Helm’s Deep, which wasn’t really a true a “mountain-fortress” and sat on a flat valley, Korean fortresses were literally built into or on top of mountains. The fortresses themselves may not seem like much alone, but those steep slopes did much of the defending. As you can imagine, you can’t really drag a horse up there and even if you did, what use does it have against sturdy stone walls? The same goes for heavy siege weapons. Siege towers and catapults simply weren’t going to do much for you when you’re faced with such an incline. The only real way to get through was to batter down the gate or over-run the walls, both at massive costs. So that’s one element to Korea’s defense against the Mongols. The other was the sea. Before the Mongols could reach the capital city of Kaegyeong (currently near the border between North and South Korea), the royal court and military command were evacuated to Ganghwa Island. As you can see, it’s barely off the coast of the mainland. But that sliver of water was enough to keep the Korean government out of the Mongols’ reach. And even if they tried, the island was fortified and guarded by the Korean fleet. So, let’s go back to the Mongols’ normal tactics and see how they’d fare in Korea. The Korean army hardly ever faced the Mongols head-on, so the Mongols’ swarm tactics were almost never employed to their fullest degree. The Mongols could threaten to destroy cities and their residents, but much of the population was already evacuated into strongholds in the mountains and hills anyway. And, the Mongols could try to threaten the government directly, but it was safely tucked away on an island. Thus, for much of the three decades of war, the Mongols mostly went around pillaging and burning what they could. Don’t get me wrong, this was devastating and took a heavy toll on the Korean people. But, it wasn’t enough to destroy the kingdom completely. Thus, the Mongols forewent the total conquest of Korea and settled for its vassalization. Korea, for its part, was exhausted by the war and accepted vassal status to the Mongols, as long as the kingdom’s domestic affairs were mostly untouched. Over time, this arrangement was profitable to both sides, considering Korea gained access to the Silk Road and trade with the rest of Eurasia, while the Mongols could focus less on subjugating the Korean people and more on controlling its newly conquered lands and people. The founding of the Yuan Dynasty as the rightful inheritor of the Mandate of Heaven was mostly a propaganda move to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the Chinese population, which outnumbered their Mongol overlords by a wide margin. Beyond this, the Mongol imperial family held onto their Mongol roots the best they could and even discouraged inter-marriages between the Mongols and the Chinese. This balancing act between governing the Chinese people and holding onto their traditional roots was an enormous challenge for Yuan emperors, a challenge that was too much to bear. The ensuing domestic turmoil and nearly fanatical persecution of the Mongols just come to show how precarious Yuan rule over China had always been. Needless to say, then, that the Yuan Dynasty was really in no position to annex Korea. Despite its significantly larger size, the Yuan Dynasty was not as powerful as you’d might expect and could not project much influence beyond its borders for very long. Meanwhile, Korea was not as small and weak as its size suggests. It had fought an impressive defensive war against the Mongols and managed to ensure its partial independence, an arrangement that the Yuan Dynasty honored partly because it couldn’t afford to break it.

As a Korean, I love seeing the histories I learned at school being presented to the larger audience around the globe, just as I learn other countries' history through your channel. If my history teachers were half as fun as this video, we would have had a lot more history enthusiast. Efforts like yours are what keeps me invested in history. Thank you very much. Also, to give an insight of how Koreans learn about this period, the history textbooks focus on 30~40 years of resistance and guerilla warfare conducted by peasants more so than the devastation and the royal courts' neglection of the plight of the people during the war which is quite a nationalistic view.

Thanks for the super well made videos

Great video, as always. Can you do a video on the three kingdoms of korea? There’s a lot of interesting content to be found in that period.

Thanks for the video 👍🏻

Everything about this video is perfect ❤

I am glad we are able to watch these high quality videos for free. Shout out to these creators.

Always interesting to learn about a people that successfully resisted against that scourge that was the Mongols.

we need a goryeo-khitan war series, one of the most famous events ever to impact east asian history! also, Kang Gam Chan (the famous general who defeated the khitans once and for all) is almost as comparable to Yi Soon Shin!

Korean has a history of defensive wars

An English channel that continues to introduce interesting local histories to Western audiences. You guys are the best. Love from 🇰🇷 And yes, the Korean defense against the Mongols is quite a standout case compared to almost all the other regions that the Mongols invaded. It deserves to be more internationally known.

A Suggestion here, can you guys do a video on the Silk Routes (Both over land and maritime routes). Its origin, purpose, what was traded and ultimately what led to its decline.

Mongols: "Well, it's not a stupid island, so this should work out pretty great." Korea: "Well, yes, but actually, _no."_

These guys are underrated

This is my most awaited Video thank you for posting

Interesting. Competent and pragmatic leaders prevented outright defeat. Eventually the leadership was not good enough and ...

As a Korean, i am greatful covering about my country's history. although there are some languege barrier, i keep trying to enjoy your high quality contents.

Some of advanced arms featured in the movie were also used during Mongol invasion of others, which was led by the Korean princes pragmatic policies. K&G was already making a video about Japan

Korean history is awsome. Please do more.

After surrender to Mongols, Mogol had never crushed Korean territory as they did in other conquered countries. Instead Mogols accepted Koryeo's reqest for preserving their customs and appearances utill the Mongol Empire collapsed. This was the same in the period of Ching (of Manchurian)Dynasty in China.

Koreans have always been inventive, creative, and competent fighters throughout history always winning against odds.

Korea is a peninsula and every each sides are surrounded by enemy China and Japan and now north korea too. Evey korea's war history are major in defend tactics so our history is quiet interesting. Im impressed that not only the military, but also slaves, and commons voluntarily join the war to defend their own country.

Excellent Episode 👍

There's an ongoing drama on Viki regarding their battles against the Khitans

The 왕 at 1:46 is not timeline accurate, as the Korean writing system was only made many centuries later. I love your content!

ty for the content! always binge-able. xoxoxo

A video on Burmese Siamese war would be great......people rarely cover this part of the world on any historical videos....overshadowed by India and china

❤️ this channel

You know, sometimes I sit looking to the sunset and a tear streams down my cheek while thinking what Kings and Generals will do to me when they finally catch me on the next one

This was a nice story to listen too.

Nice 👍

Wonderful video! Korea stood up fiercely, much more so than most.

nice video what program did you use to create this i like the animation of movement

kewl video :D

Thank you for doing more Korean history other than the Imjin War! We have so much lost history as well as rich well documented ones that ultimately survived due to constant threat of invasion. I hope one day we maybe able to uncover even more lost artifacts and ancestral grounds in modern northern China!

This video brilliantly highlights Korea's strategic defense tactics against the Mongol invasions during medieval times. Great job!

During and after the decades in which the Mongols invaded Korea nine times, they also invaded Poland three times, 1240-88. The last, unsuccessful invasion of Poland was after the ninth attack on Korea and the two failed attempts on Japan. An amazing, if brief, empire.

Awesome

Oh wow, i didn't think you would cover this.

Sir kings and generals please more videos on mongols please, we need more untold stories or lesser known battle explained in a long video please

As a Korean and a big history nerd I want to thank you Kings and Generals for another great content! I learn so much about other country’s historic battles from you!

you should have included the continued resistance of royal military forces who were still against Mongols in Jeju island even when the whole country fell under Mongol influence.

As usual, rulers started the war while ordinary people took most of the suffering.

I would love to see even more videos on medieval history of Korea (Goryeo, the warring states & unifications periods)!! It’s so fascinating to hear about their complex political history and their conflicts with neighbours, tribes, Chinese kingdoms & Japan over the course of their development.

Korean here, thanks for introducing our history. 🇰🇷

Let it be known that this video came directly above a Mongolian throat singing clip on my recommended. Also, good stuff

Can you do a video about the Goryeo Khitan War

Koreans got lucky with Kublai Khan which got them with autonomous state and able to marry into Mongol imperial family was smart diplomacy allowing Korea to continue with its own culture and court. Btw, there was Yuan Law book found from Korea several years ago, I wonder what happened to that.

All of these videos regarding defense against the Mongols makes me want to see a video about the real-life time period that Mulan is based around.

do an video of Nabucodonosor

Please make a video on Ghurid Dynisty.... لطفا یک ویدیو در مورد سلسله غوریان بسازید.

There is also a great 2012 about Kim Jun called God of War that show how they resisted the Mongols but eventually failed

Hello kings and generals, I enjoy your videos and have been watching for many years. I have a question. Will these patroon videos be available on KZfaq one day?

매우 훌륭한 퀄리티에 놀라울 따름입니다. 깊이있는 역사적 통찰과 분석이 놀랍습니다. 한국의 삼국지에 대해서도 기대됩니다!

There was a French campaign against Korea in 1866. That would be interesting to cover.

You should do a piece on korean warrior monks through the centuries!

Please do a summary of all tactics used against the Mongols

This is an episode from history I knew pretty much nothing about before watching this video. I feel like Korea before the Cold War is quite a blind spot for me. Thank you for teaching me yet more new history. God be with you out there, everybody. ✝️ :)

There was a Vietnamese prince who helped Korea defeat the Mongols in a land south of Korea until he died of old age.

If you were an empire situated on open planes, then you would easily get beaten by the mongols in a short time because that kind of landscape is where they fought best. Mountains, islands and jungles are like super effective against mongols.

Love the Korean content; please do more videos on the history of Korea! Just two quick notes on minor details though. When you mentioned Korean ships a couple of times in the video you showed images of turtle ships, which are very iconically Korean, but they were created by Admiral Yi Suni-Sin and date primarily to the era of the Imjin War in the late 16th century. The other detail is the pronunciation of Choe. Generally speaking Choe (최) is pronounced in a single syllable that rhymes with the English words “tray” or “day”, rather than two syllables. In the modern day 최 is also anglicized as Choi, but that’s aside from the point.

Kublai Khan famously said: "Koryŏ is a country of a myriad miles. Since the time of Emperor Taizong of the Tang, who personally led an expedition against it, it could not be subjugated. Now that its Heir Apparent has come to submit to me, it must be the will of heaven!" Korea was _not_ a weak adversary.

Plz make videos on Hannibal barca🙏

I request you to make a video about qeen seondeok in Silla.(Korea )

I know this has nothing to do with this video, but I just wanted to drop by and send all the love to our Mongolian brothers and sisters. The people of Korea love Mongolia!

If you have held out long enough against an enemy you cannot defeat anyway, surrendering at the optimal time is also an ability.

That is something I'm searching for long, the Korean history before conqueror by Japan. Can you make more videos about the prehistory of Korea?

Koreans really got a knack for strongly resisting invaders, being these Mongolians, Chinese, or Japanese...

Korean prince who is next in line to the throne will eventually surrender to Mongol prince who suppose not to become the next king. This was very smart move. This prince will end up defeating his older brother to become the king. And Korean prince ended up marrying one of princess of Mongol and he kept the title to rule Korea and keep its own custom. However Mongols demanded a lot of goods including women.

Cool

Hi, I really join your videos. Could you please do a video on Polish history like the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth? Thank you.

Anyone else enjoy playing as defensive Korea in Europa universalis 4?

Please do one on the Korean 3 Kingdoms: Proto-Korean states battling it out for dominance is just such a dynamic period imo and would definitely intrigue K&G viewers (it is a very long period of time though but even a gloss of the period would be 🤌🤌🤌)

As someone who has driven back the gawdam Mongorians from my city wall, this video really appealed to me

Can you make a video about the Mongol invasion of Europe in the 1280s?

It's often forgotten in these conflicts the terrible toll it took on the otters.

Koryeo fought for 28 years, and in the end, prince allied himself with Kubelai when he was competing for Khan. Later, he kept bothering him asking if he could send his daughter to marry his son, where khan rejected by saying all his daughters married someone else... but he eventually got the marrage deal by finding one who didnt marry yet lol

Ohh. I know this episode it was from the South Korean Channel called MBCDrama named 무신/Warrior k 19 to 56 episodes. As a South Korean, I just wanted to say that Mooshin Jungeon ended when the final ruler Kim Jun died by the Emperor Wonjongs rebels in the imperial palace in the late 12th century. Also, you forgot to mention that Korean general Choe-Chungmyng was with Kim-Kyongson, the mongol general ordered Choe-Chungmyng, and be executed by a Mongol General Bu-Ta-Wu after the first Mongol-Korean war was over.

Throughout history, Korea has consistently defied adversity, showcasing a resilience that is deeply ingrained in its culture. From repelling the armies of powerful neighboring nations like the Sui and Tang Dynasties, to thwarting the Khitan and Jurchen invasions, Korea has demonstrated an indomitable spirit. Despite periods of division and foreign invasion, such as the Mongol and Japanese incursions, Korea has persevered, evolving into a pro-democracy nation. Even during the tumultuous events of the late Joseon Dynasty, when Japan sought to erase Korean culture, the spirit of resistance prevailed, ensuring Korea's survival. Despite attempts at occupation and cultural erasure, Korea's identity endures, buoyed by the unwavering dedication of its people to maintain their independence and heritage.

I think it should be mentioned that after Wang Chon returned as the new ruler of Korea, he wrote the song, "Everybody Have Fun Tonight." (Or was that Wang Chung? 😉)

Can you cover the Platonic allegory of Altantis?

The capital of Goryeo was Gaegyeong (Kaesong), not Hanseong (Seoul) at the time.

A very messy war for both sides. Would be interesting to know why the Mongols didn't just completely destroy the Korean court? Their usual response to any moderate resistance was to literally burn everything down to the ground. The Song dynasty also resisted for several decades but they got a much harsher treatment, total annihilation of the ruling class, not exchanging kids for marriage. Did the Mongols see the Koreans as related due to having the same language grammar structures?

Korea & Mongolia. Always been brothers. Send all love and respect from Mongolia. 🙆🏻‍♂️

Can we get a video oh Khitan- Goreyo wars? And the internal politics from Goreyo to the transition of Joseon dynasty olease 🙏

After the war with Mongolia, Japan, which had strengthened its military power for 100 years, invades. The background of this Seven Years' War is that the carelessness and arrogance of Joseon (Korea), which enjoyed only peace and culture for 200 years, treated Yamato (Japan) as a barbaric pirate group rather than a country. However, Yamato had a high level of tactics through clan battles for 100 years, and the 170,000 troops of Toyotomi, who unified the whole country, armed with Portuguese matchlocks and attacked Joseon. Historically, Japan has waged a surprise war without a declaration of war.The 16,000 Elite heavy cavalry that Joseon was proud of, which had suppressed the cruel northern peoples, was defeated by the Yamato Matchlock unit, and 70, 000 Joseon Army was pushed back all the way to Pyongyang. Yamato, which was a medieval feudal lord era, gained land and people if it won a war, but in Joseon, which was a centralized country, the king fled to the north, but the people and monks formed a militia and fought to the end , the Japanese army was embarrassed by the existence of the Militia. The basic weapons of the Joseon army were bows, spears, and swords, as well as gunpowder bombs and various cannons of different sizes..The Ming Dynasty (China) sent reinforcements to help Joseon, but instead harassed Joseon by plundering and engaging in internal communication with Japan, but helped Yi Sun sin in the final naval battle.Yamato, who did not have the technology to make pottery, brought in hundreds of Joseon pottery craftsmen to make pottery and exported the pottery to Europe, where it received favorable reviews. Joseon was unable to recover from the aftereffects of this war for 400 years and suffered the humiliation of being annexed by Japan, which it regarded as an uncivilized island, and being ruled for 35 years. This Great War was a symbolic event in which the international status of the Korean Peninsula with 4,800 years of history was reversed by the Japanese archipelago with 1,800 years of history. 300 years later, Joseon became a reclusive country with a policy of isolation, and Japan defeated the Russian Navy with Yi Sun-sin's tactics. and joined the ranks of the great powers. Yi Sun sin's the world's top 3 naval admiral and the turtle ship is an invincible Korean Item in the Age of Empires PC Games.

Can you also do korea against the qing

Sambyeolcho is the name of the unit that carried out the duties of the police and combat during the Goryeo Dynasty, which was specially selected and created instead of the existing weak standing army. It refers to Leftbyulcho, Rightbyulcho, and Sinuigun, which existed as soldiers of the Choi regime during the period of military power. During the period of supreme power, Nightbyulcho, which was engaged in police affairs for the purpose of security, was organized, and when the number increased, it was divided into Leftbyulcho and Rightbyulcho. It was called "Sam (Three) Byeolcho" along with the Sinui-gun, which was composed of those who fled after being captured by Mongolia. In the 40-year Goryeo Mongol War, military activities such as field, siege, guerrilla warfare, and special warfare were remarkable, but when Greater Mongolia was strengthened, they rebelled against this. After establishing an independent government and fighting for three years based on Jindo as the home, they were annihilated in 1273 after being attacked by the Allied Forces of Korea and Mongolia. Ghosts of Goryeo

A couple of things need to be clarified here. The Yuan Dynasty is not “Chinese” in the most traditional sense. The dynasty - which means ruling family - itself was Mongolian, though the realm it controlled is the Middle Kingdom, among other places. Therefore, to ask why Korea isn’t a part of China given it was under the Yuan Dynasty isn’t exactly accurate. Second, Goryeo Korea was not technically a part of the Yuan Dynasty. It was a vassal state, sometimes also called an “in-law state” because Goryeo princes would have to marry Mongolian princesses. But, as far as the Yuan Dynasty was concerned, Korea wasn’t another province that it could rule directly. Goryeo still had its own government and was even ruled by a “king” (wang or 王). So how were things different than from before? First thing is that, before the Mongols conquered Song China, Goryeo internally considered its ruler an emperor, meaning though the king would call himself just a “king” when dealing with China (you couldn’t establish relations with China without recognizing the Chinese emperor your superior), he was considered to not have any equal internally. This is similar to Japan, which also had an “emperor” but when dealing with China, was considered just a “king.” After the war with the Mongols, however, the Goryeo kings had to officially take an inferior role to the Yuan emperor. Second was marriage. Goryeo princes were to marry Mongol princes, which meant that the queen of Goryeo henceforth were Mongol and, indeed, with each generation, the king himself would be progressively more Mongol than Korean. If you think about it, this is an extremely unique arrangement for the Mongols, who completely subjugated all of its others enemies. There are several reasons why the Mongols made an exception for the Koreans, though. For one, the Koreans put up a very, very hard fight, one that lasted nearly three decades, and could’ve lasted longer had a peace treaty not been signed. This was not a unconditional surrender for the Koreans. Second, the Mongols considered the Koreans distant cousins, which they are, in a way. The Koreans and Mongols are Altaic peoples, along with the Turks, Manchus, and even possibly the Native Americans. To them, having the Korean king being married to a Mongol princess was a way of pulling Korea into the fold as kin, rather than through conquest. Now, throughout history, Korea has taken the role as a tributary state of various Chinese dynasties, but that fact is very misleading. Under the Sino-Centric system, any state that formed relations with China were considered a tributary state. Why? Because China believed it was the only legitimate empire in the World. Everyone was inferior. So, as long as foreign rulers recognized this fact, the Chinese considered them tributaries. All those who didn’t were considered barbarians. This didn’t just hold true for Korea, it was a rule for everyone. That included the Japanese, the Vietnamese, the Siamese, and even the West. When Zheng He took his fleet all over the Old World and brought back gifts from kingdoms all over South Asia and Africa, the Chinese emperor called them “tributes.” But none of these kingdoms considered themselves subservient. It’s just what the Chinese called them. Another example of this is when George Macartney met with the Qianglong emperor in the 18th century. Macartney wanted to open trade on behalf of King George III with Qing China, but things got tense with the Qianglong emperor demanded he kowtow before him. What’s more, while Macartney offered what he called “gifts” of goodwill, the emperor insisted they were “tributes” and, worse yet, that King George III was his inferior. This appalled Macartney, who demanded that if he were to kowtow before the emperor, that someone of equal rank should kowtow before a painting of George III. Obviously, things didn’t go well and thus the Opium Wars began. But see, if the British were really interested in trading with China peacefully, they would’ve taken the role as a tributary. Luckily for them, the British had grown powerful enough so they could afford to fight a war with China, but the Koreans (as well as everyone else in East Asia at the time) was in no position to fight a war over hurt pride. Keep in mind also that even though Korea offered tribute to the Chinese emperor, China would usually offer a lot more in return. See, “tribute” wasn’t a tax where only one side benefited. The Chinese would send “gifts” in return to the Korean king, often valuable silks, books, and porcelain, as well as access to their massive market for trade. Essentially, China held a trade deficit with the Koreans, so much so that during the Ming Dynasty, a Chinese adviser argued the relationship with Korea wasn’t worth it. Even then, the Chinese knew that it was better to run a deficit than to antagonize an otherwise docile ally, something the United States has been doing with its allies (something Trump has been crying about). In conclusion, never in its history aside from the 35 years under Imperial Japan, has Korea ever been directly absorbed by an outsider, China included. They were always considered their own people, separate from others.

1:35 Hanseong is not capital of Goryeo. Gaegyong is capital of Goryeo

Imagine the Mongols convincing you to not kill your own generals for successfully putting up a defense.

Even the Sui, and Tang dynasties, with their million men armies couldn't take Korea, but the Mongols never gave up and eventually conquered them.

Thank you for your Korean history, one thing I want to say you, it is not sea of Japan, it is East sea. Korean called it East sea.

The crown prince of Goryeo, Won-Jong, on his way to Mongol Empire as an emissary, meeting with Kublai Khan ,purely out of chance, was just dramatic. Won-Jong promised the submission of Goryeo, and Kublai, in return, accepted his marriage proposal to his daughter. Later, Kublai uses this Goryeo's submission, which was won without bloodshed, as a leverage to gain more vote in Kurultai to become the next Khan of Khan, and Won-Jong uses his state of son-in-law as an edge to wipe out the military dictatorship in Goryeo that was plaguing him and the royal bloodline of Goryeo for centuries.