“If you only read one book on Korean history, this is definitely it!”
The easiest and fastest way to read Korean history, chosen by 560,000 people.

Author So-mi Lim, who quickly grasped the vast context of world history in “Minimum World History for Today’s Adults” and was chosen by 100,000 readers, has now condensed the essential Korean history into a single volume, “Minimum Korean History for Today’s Adults.”
As in the previous work, the flow of Korean history is described in a way that allows one to immediately picture it in their mind through a delicious eloquence.
This book not only allows readers to truly experience the true joy of history that cannot be found in textbooks, but also serves as a friendly guide for readers who want to learn the basics of history as a general knowledge.
From the beginning of our history, Gojoseon, through the Three Kingdoms period, a period of fierce warfare, to the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, by following the rise and fall of each era, you will experience the miracle of having all the essential Korean history for living today summarized in one book.

As we ponder the problems facing individuals and society, we often turn to past history.
In the recent past, there was a Japanese colonial period, and before that, there was Joseon.
Joseon also naturally accepted the legacy of the previous era by following and reforming various systems of Goryeo.
Korea's roots extend deeper and deeper into the past.
In the process of encountering those roots, we can discover the traces that each era left on our society today.
Herein lies the reason why this book was created.
By examining the world our ancestors on the Korean Peninsula created, the mistakes they repeated, and the frustrations and triumphs they experienced, we gain a deeper understanding of the world we live in today.

---From "Prologue | The Minimum Korean History You Must Know"

Eulpaso was a descendant of Eulso, who served as a minister during the reign of the second king, King Yurimyeong, and was a talented person who was evaluated as having a strong character and wisdom.
Originally, King Gogukcheon offered him the position of minister, but Eulpaso refused with these words.

“God is dull and slow, and cannot bear to obey strict orders. Please choose a virtuous person, give him a high position, and accomplish great things.”

For Eulpaso, who was a farmer, to help the king overcome the national crisis, a position as high as minister was out of the question.
King Gogukcheon, who noticed his true intentions, appointed Eulpaso as the national minister and issued a strict order that if he did not follow the national minister, he would exterminate all of his clan.
As a result, the independent four-part power was weakened and gradually began to unify under the king.


The ruling class of each department loses its independent power and transforms into a central aristocracy and bureaucrats who live crowded together in the capital.
In addition, the succession to the throne changed from inheritance from siblings to inheritance from father to son, and the status of the king became stronger.
Later, the unique title of 'Taewang' was used for the king of Goguryeo.
---From "Goguryeo, a nation that spread its brave spirit throughout the world"

Anyone who fell into Gung Ye's trap was struck by a red-hot iron hammer and died a dog's death.
(Omitted) That trap of suspicion soon fell upon Wang Geon, the second-in-command.
Gung Ye immediately summons Wang Geon and interrogates him, saying that he has seen through the law that Wang Geon plotted a rebellion last night.
Wang Geon had a complicated mind.
If I had said no outright here, it would have been no different from openly denying Gung Ye's supernatural powers.
When Gung Ye raised his head for a moment and closed his eyes, Choi Eung deliberately dropped his brush and pretended to pick it up, whispering to Wang Geon.
It was an urgent piece of advice that if you acknowledge Gung Ye's words and apologize, your life will be saved.
At that moment, Wang Geon realized that Gung Ye was testing him and begged for his life.
In a tense moment when Wang Geon's life was on the line, Gung Ye unexpectedly laughed out loud as if he was satisfied.
“The king is indeed honest.”
---From "Divided Again During the Later Three Kingdoms Period"

The 17th century begins with Gwanghaegun and ends with Sukjong.
Even after the Imjin War, chaos continued.
The Later Jin, which was looked down upon as a barbarian, grew in size and caused the Byeongja Horan, and the Later Jin changed its national name to the Qing and caused the Byeongja Horan.
The incident in which King Injo of Joseon had to perform a humiliating surrender ceremony in front of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty also occurred in the 17th century.
Internally, factional politics developed, with various political forces coexisting and competing.
However, as the evils of factional politics became severe due to overheated competition, King Yeongjo and King Jeongjo of the 18th century pursued a policy of tangpyeong.
He tried to balance the political factions with a strong royal authority.
But eventually, as even the proper function of factional politics, namely checks and balances, collapsed, the politics of factions developed in the 19th century.
The nation's fortunes declined due to the monopoly of power by a certain royal family, and a dark period of unceasing lamentation by the people lasted for about 60 years.
---From "Taejo, the oldest king to ascend to the throne"

The ministers were displeased with King Gwanghae, who betrayed his rule and tried to make peace with the barbarians.
The Seoin faction began to exploit Gwanghaegun's weaknesses with the intention of dethroning him.
There were many problems, including the palace restoration project and abuse of power, but the weakness of King Gwanghaegun that was particularly noted was the assassination of his queen mother.
The act of killing one's mother means killing one's younger sibling after killing one's mother.
king
In the process of focusing on strengthening power, King Gwanghae and the Northern faction took several risky measures.
Prince Yeongchang, who was a threat simply by his existence, was eventually exiled to Ganghwa Island and then murdered.
Queen Inmok, who gave birth to Prince Yeongchang, was locked in the palace and was not allowed to enter or leave Changdeokgung Palace.
Such behavior was contrary to Confucian ethics, which value righteousness, justification, and filial piety.
In the end, the Seoin faction branded Gwanghaegun an unfilial king and launched the Injo Restoration, and the Namin faction also joined in, leading to Gwanghaegun's expulsion.
In 1623, he was 49 years old.
---From "The Humiliation of King Injo Who Surrendered to the Qing Dynasty"

The characteristic of the 18th century led by King Yeongjo and King Jeongjo was the politics of tangpyeong.
Since King Sukjong's return to the country, the factional strife within the government has become more intense.
Now, whether it's coexistence or anything else, the perception that in order to survive, either the other side must die or our side must die has become stronger.
The principle of factions that check each other and maintain a balance of power is crumbling.
I lost, and now only the interests of my party matter.
The relationship between the factions was so bad that they wouldn't even allow marriages between families from different factions.
As time passed, the descendants of each party inherited the party line, and the party colors became too strong and solidified.
King Yeongjo, who personally experienced this situation, pushed for a policy of peace as soon as he ascended to the throne.
In fact, the story of Tangpyeong policy first came out during the reign of King Sukjong.
As the conflict between the Noron and Soron factions became increasingly intense, the Tangpyeong policy was proposed as a solution.
However, during the reign of King Sukjong, the Tangpyeong policy was not properly promoted.

---From "Yeongjo, who reigned the longest, and the son of a criminal"