Medieval Korea: from the Goryeo to Joseon periods

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Greg Jenner is joined in medieval Korea by Dr John Lee and comedian Erika Ehler to learn all about the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. Nowadays, Korean culture has a global reach and international fanbase – but what about the country's medieval history? During the period known in Europe as the Middle Ages, the ancient kingdoms of Korea were unified, and the resulting polity ruled in turn by two dynasties, the Goryeo and the Joseon. This episode explores this period in Korea’s history, from the foundation of the Goryeo state in 918, through the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century and the coup that brought the Joseon dynasty to power, to the Japanese invasions of the 1590s. Along the way,…