The return of the iconic Korean history series beloved by 100,000 readers.
Will you keep it or will it be taken away?
Crucial moments that protected Goryeo with a strong spirit and indomitable spirit.
“Meet Goryeo, a familiar yet unfamiliar country!”

The representative Korean history series of the Republic of Korea, 『Naked Korean History』, has come to us with the second story of the era.
The series "Naked Korean History" is a selection of must-know scenes from the stories introduced in the tvN STORY "Naked Korean History," an educational entertainment program that catches two birds with one stone: knowledge and fun. It has been chosen by 100,000 readers and has established itself as a history textbook that guarantees clear explanations and captivating storytelling.
『Naked Korean History: Goryeo』 maintains the strengths of the existing series while focusing on the familiar yet unfamiliar country of Goryeo.

When I ask the question, “When was the Middle Ages in Korean history?” I somehow hesitate and cannot immediately think of Goryeo.
Because wars were constant throughout the Goryeo Dynasty, many relics were lost, and the capital was located in North Korea, so opportunities to encounter them in daily life are rare.
By uncovering the hidden backstories and making history more accessible, 『Naked Korean History: Goryeo』 unfolds the turbulent history of Goryeo from its founding in 918 to its fall in 1392.
From Gang Gam-chan, who put a period of victory in the Goryeo-Khitan War, to Choi Yeong, who is famous for saying, "Treat gold as if it were a stone," if you follow the stories of the people who protected the country with a strong spirit in times of crisis, you will come to understand why Goryeo is called a country of turbulence.
This book, which covers eight of the most crucial moments in Goryeo history, will allow readers to piece together fragments of history they had only vaguely known, allowing them to grasp the larger context of Goryeo history in an instant. They will also be able to confirm the true nature of Goryeo, a small but powerful nation that changed the landscape of power in East Asia.
It is time to follow in the footsteps of Goryeo, which left a deep mark on Korean history for half a millennium.

Let's visualize the flow of Korean history. Gojoseon, Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Balhae, Unified Silla, and then what? You might think Goryeo began immediately, but in fact, the Later Three Kingdoms existed in between.
At the end of the Unified Silla period, the constant struggle for the throne among the true bone aristocracy led to Silla falling into extreme chaos to the point where its central government was shaken.
While the Korean Peninsula was entangled in these turbulent times of declining and rising powers, there was a person who finally put an end to this chaos and unified the Later Three Kingdoms.
It is Taejo Wang Geon who founded Goryeo.
He has a unique background.
He had as many as 29 wives.
Why on earth did he take so many wives? Let's uncover the surprising marriage story surrounding King Taejo Wang Geon.
--- p.15~16, from “Chapter 1: The Naked Founding Father of Goryeo _Why Did Taejo Wang Geon Take 29 Wives?”

The royal family tree of Empress Dowager Cheonchu contains a surprising fact.
The fact is that both Empress Dowager Cheonchu's father and mother were children of King Taejo Wang Geon.
Wang Uk was the son of Wang Geon's fourth wife, Queen Dowager Sinjeong, and Queen Seonui was the daughter of Wang Geon's sixth wife, Queen Jeongdeok.
Empress Dowager Cheonchu is the daughter born from an incestuous marriage between half-siblings.
Why did the Goryeo royal family choose incest? Surprisingly, it was a means to enhance royal authority.
Wang Geon, who unified the Later Three Kingdoms and founded Goryeo, was originally from a noble family based in Songak.
Taejo Wang Geon, who founded a new country, must have been thinking hard about how to make his bloodline a special bloodline.
And the answer must have been found in the Silla royal family's incestuous marriage customs.
--- p.54~55, from “Chapter 2 The Age of the Naked Empress Dowager _ How did Goryeo’s first regent, Empress Dowager Cheonchu, fall?”

On the first day of the second lunar month in 1019, Gang Gam-chan blocked the retreat of So Bae-ap and the Khitan army who were trying to retreat north, and prepared for a head-on battle on a wide plain.
The final battleground on the day of the final decision was Gwiju, now called Guseong-si, North Pyongan Province.
The Khitan army, which had barely retreated from Gaegyeong to Gwiju, could have returned to Khitan territory with just one more day's march.
However, Gang Gam-chan, who had predicted the retreat route of the Khitan army, stood in front of them and blocked their path.
The curtain rises on the final battle that will crush the Khitan's ambition to take over Goryeo.
Gang Gam-chan and the Goryeo army risked their lives in this battle to inflict a crushing defeat on the Khitan army.
The fierce battle that determined the fate of the famous general Kang Gam-chan and So Bae-ap continued at a close pace without leaning to either side.
--- p.114, from “Chapter 3 The Naked Goryeo-Khitan War - How did Goryeo’s famous general Gang Gam-chan become the hero of the Battle of Gwiju”

The dream, which was achieved with great difficulty, did not last long.
In July of the lunar calendar in 1368, two years and eight months after Empress Ki became the first empress, the capital of the Yuan Dynasty was covered in terrible screams and blood.
The 200,000-strong army led by the Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang advanced with great force and drove Emperor Huizong of Yuan north to the Mongolian steppe.
The Yuan Dynasty was already so weak that it could not even put up a proper fight.
Empress Ki was forced to embark on a humiliating journey of flight with Emperor Huizong of Yuan and the crown prince to escape Zhu Yuanzhang's pursuit.
And with this record of her escape, Empress Ki disappeared from history without a trace.
--- p.194, from “Chapter 5: The Naked Empress of the Yuan Dynasty - How Empress Ki of Goryeo Obtained Unlimited Power”

Princess Noguk did not enter the secret room where King Gongmin was hiding.
Surprisingly, he blocked the passage with his whole body from outside the sealed room.
Soon, the assailants, swords drawn, stormed into the secret room where King Gongmin was.
Princess Noguk shouted resolutely at the villains.
“If you want to pass through here, you have to cut me first!”
Those who trusted only the Yuan Dynasty and sought to harm King Gongmin, and Princess Noguk, who stood in their way! With both sides risking their lives, it was a battle of spears and shields, from which neither could retreat.
At that moment, General Choi Young of Gaegyeong, who heard the news that rebels had stormed Heungwangsa Temple, led the Goryeo army and rushed to Heungwangsa Temple and began to defeat the rebels one by one.
Fortunately, the rebels were subdued before King Gongmin was harmed.
It was literally thanks to Princess Noguk who protected King Gongmin with her whole body.

--- p.219~220, from “Chapter 6: The Naked Reform Monarch _ The Yuan Princess Loved by King Gongmin, Who Pursued Anti-Yuan Policies”

In 1331, a boy is at his father's deathbed.
The father, who was leaving this world behind, left his son behind and barely managed to hold on to his fading breath, leaving behind his last words of advice.
“You should treat gold as if it were a stone.”
It is said that the son, who took his father's will to heart, did not increase his wealth throughout his life and lived happily even though his house was shabby.
The protagonist of this anecdote is Choi Young, a famous general and loyal subject who was active in the 14th century when Goryeo history was nearing its end.
The famous saying, “Treat gold like stone” was actually the will that Choi Young’s father left to him.

--- p.271, from “Chapter 8: The Naked Loyalty of Goryeo _ How did Choi Young lose his life at the hands of his comrade Yi Seong-gye”