Korean history and classics

Kings, scholars, admirals and independence activists of Korea, plus the classic Korean tales.

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• Choe Chi-won, the Lonely Cloud: A Silla Boy Who Passed China's Exam and Came Home to a Closed Door

  Choe Chi-won (857–?) left Silla at twelve, passed the Tang exam, came home with reforms the bone-rank system blocked, and retired to Haeinsa.

• Heo Nanseolheon: The Joseon Woman Poet Who Wrote at Eight and Died at Twenty-Six

  Heo Nanseolheon (1563–1589), a Joseon poet hailed as a prodigy at eight, wrote of loneliness and loss. Her life, family and 211 surviving poems.

• Heungbu and Nolbu: Two Brothers, a Swallow and the Gourds That Changed Everything

  Heungbujeon is the Korean tale of kind Heungbu, greedy Nolbu and a swallow's magic gourd seeds. Story, moral, pansori roots, versions and hidden satire.

• Hong Gildong, Korea's Outlaw Hero: The Novel, Its Disputed Author and Why Koreans Still Use His Name

  The Tale of Hong Gildong is a Joseon-era Korean novel about a concubine's son who becomes an outlaw and a king. Plot, authorship debate and legacy.

• How Did Admiral Yi Sun-sin Win with 13 Ships? Korea's Undefeated Naval Commander

  Admiral Yi Sun-sin reportedly never lost a naval battle, and at Myeongnyang in 1597 he beat a fleet of over 300 ships with just 13. How he did it.

• How Did An Jung-geun Turn Resistance into a Voice for Independence—and New Phrases for Your Study Notebook?

  From coal business to Harbin station, An Jung-geun’s path to resistance—and how his story can stock your notebook with powerful study phrases.

• How Did Goryeo Defeat the Khitan at Gwiju in 1019? The Story of Gang Gam-chan

  In 1019 Gang Gam-chan, a 71-year-old scholar-official turned commander, beat a Liao army at Gwiju. The war, the tactics and the legends around him.

• Jeong Mong-ju and the Song of a Loyal Heart: Goryeo's Last Great Scholar and the Bridge Where He Died

  Jeong Mong-ju (1337–1392), Goryeo's last great scholar, refused to join Joseon, answered a poem with a poem, and was killed on Seonjuk Bridge.

• Kim Hong-do (Danwon): The Joseon Painter Who Drew Wrestlers, Schoolboys and Everyday Korean Life

  Kim Hong-do (1745–c.1806), called Danwon, painted the everyday life of ordinary Koreans: wrestlers, a village school, a forge. His life and genre album.

• Kim Jeong-ho and the Daedongyeojido: The Mapmaker Behind Joseon Korea's Great Folding Map

  Kim Jeong-ho (1804–1866?) made the Daedongyeojido, a 22-booklet folding map of Korea at 1:162,000. His life, the map, and the prison legend historians doubt.

• Kim Yu-sin and the Unification of the Three Kingdoms: Silla's General, His Horse and the Battle of Hwangsanbeol

  Kim Yu-sin (595–673) was the Silla general who led the unification of Korea's Three Kingdoms, defeated Baekje's Gyebaek at Hwangsanbeol, and became a legend.

• Queen Seondeok of Silla: Korea's First Reigning Queen, the Star Observatory and the Rebellion Against Her

  Queen Seondeok (r. 632–647), Silla's first reigning queen, built Cheomseongdae and faced war and a rebellion against female rule. Her life and legacy.

• Sim Cheong, the Daughter Who Jumped into the Sea: Korea's Great Tale of Filial Love and Its Many Versions

  The Tale of Sim Cheong is a Korean classic about a girl who sacrifices herself so her blind father can see. Story, origins, pansori and versions.

• The Tale of Chunhyang: Korea's Most Famous Love Story, Its Plot and the Pansori Behind It

  Chunhyangjeon is Korea's best-known love story of a magistrate's son, a gisaeng's daughter and a corrupt official. Plot, characters and pansori roots.

• What Did Jang Yeong-sil Invent? The Slave Who Became Joseon's Royal Engineer

  Jang Yeong-sil rose from government slave to King Sejong's engineer, building a self-striking water clock, an armillary sphere and sundials.

• What Happened at the Battle of Salsu in 612? Eulji Mundeok, Goguryeo's Strategist

  In 612 Goguryeo general Eulji Mundeok lured a large Sui army deep inland, then struck it at the Salsu River. What the records say, and what is legend.

• Who Founded the Goryeo Dynasty? Wang Geon and the Kingdom That Gave Korea Its Name

  Wang Geon (877–943), King Taejo, founded Goryeo in 918 and reunited the Korean peninsula in 936. Goryeo is the source of the English word Korea.

• Who Is on the 1,000 Won Note? Yi Hwang (Toegye), the Scholar Who Kept Retreating

  The man on Korea's 1,000 won note is Yi Hwang (1501–1570), known as Toegye, a Joseon Neo-Confucian philosopher who founded the school behind Dosan Seowon.

• Who Is on the 5,000 Won Note? Yi I (Yulgok), Joseon's Practical Philosopher

  The man on Korea's 5,000 won note is Yi I (1536–1584), known as Yulgok, a Neo-Confucian scholar and reform-minded official of the Joseon dynasty.

• Who Is the Woman on Korea's 50,000 Won Note? Shin Saimdang, Artist of Insects and Flowers

  Shin Saimdang (1504–1551) was a Joseon painter, calligrapher and poet, and mother of the scholar Yi I. Why she is on Korea's highest banknote.

• Who Was Baek Dong-su? The Joseon Swordsman Behind Korea's Great Martial Arts Manual

  Baek Dong-su (1743–1816) was a Joseon martial artist barred from office by his birth and co-author of Korea's classic martial arts manual.

• Who Was Jeong Yak-yong (Dasan)? The Joseon Scholar Who Wrote His Masterpieces in Exile

  Jeong Yak-yong (1762–1836), known as Dasan, helped design Suwon's Hwaseong Fortress, spent 18 years in exile and wrote a classic guide to good government.

• Who Was Kim Gu in Korean History? Baekbeom, the Provisional Government and a Divided Peninsula

  Kim Gu (1876–1949), pen name Baekbeom, led Korea's Provisional Government in exile, opposed the peninsula's division and was assassinated in 1949.

• Who Was the Poet Yun Dong-ju? Sky, Wind, Stars and a Life Cut Short at 27

  Yun Dong-ju (1917–1945) was a Korean poet of the Japanese colonial era who died in Fukuoka prison at 27. His poems were published only after his death.

• Who Was Yu Gwan-sun? The Teenage Student Who Became a Symbol of Korea's March 1st Movement

  Yu Gwan-sun (1902–1920) was a Korean student who joined the 1919 independence protests, helped lead a rally in her hometown and died in prison in 1920.

• Who Wrote the Dongui Bogam? Heo Jun, Royal Physician of Joseon Korea

  The Dongui Bogam was compiled by Heo Jun (1539–1615), royal physician of Joseon: 25 volumes finished in 1610, listed by UNESCO in 2009.

• Why Did King Sejong Create Hangul? The King Who Invented an Alphabet for Ordinary People

  In 1443 King Sejong of Joseon created Hangul so ordinary Koreans could read and write. Why he did it, how the letters work, and why learners love it.

• Why Is Gwanggaeto the Great Famous? The Goguryeo King Who Expanded an Ancient Korean Kingdom

  Gwanggaeto the Great (374–412) made Goguryeo a major power in Northeast Asia. His campaigns, his giant stele and why Koreans still honour him.