Korean
From Age of Empires
The Koreans are a East Asian civilization in the Conquerors Expansion for Age of Empires II. The Koreans ruled the Korean Peninsula and other lands throughout history such as the kingdoms of Goguryeo and Balhae which held much of present Northeastern China. They have fought off many invasions by their neighbors as well as been invaded by China and Japan.
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[edit] Game Info
[edit] Age of Empires
In Age of Empires, the Koreans are known as Choson, which is another name for Joseon, the final Korean dynasty. However, the Joseon dynasty did not begin until 1392, long after Age of Empires' timeline. It is more likely that the Choson from the game are meant to be the Gojoseon kingdom, which was actually called Joseon until it was renamed to Gojoseon (old-Joseon) to distinguish it from the later dynasty.
[edit] Age of Empires II
The Koreans are one of the five new civilizations featured in the Conquerors expansion. The Koreans have a unique infantry unit called the War Wagon which is basically a heavily armored ranged archery unit. The Koreans also had a Turtle Ship which was a heavily armored, short-range cannon ship which is affective against enemy Fire Ships and Demolition Ships. The Korean civilization's hero is Yi Sun Shin, the Admiral of the Korean Navy who helped create the Turtle Ship. Their Watch Towers are automatically upgraded to Guard Towers in the Castle Age and Keeps in the Imperial Age.
However, the Koreans also have many disadvantages. They cannot research the Paladin upgrade, and are unable to research Redemption, which allows for the conversion of enemy buildings. They are also unable to research Crop Circulation.
Official history from the game:
[edit] The Koreans (314 - 1598)
When Europe fell into its Dark Age, Korea had been divided into three competing kingdoms: Koguryo to the north, Paekche to the southwest, and Shilla to the southeast. In alliance with China, Shilla conquered the other two kingdoms in the 7th century and then expelled their erstwhile Chinese ally. The central authority of Shilla disintegrated in the 8th-9th centuries, however, under pressure from local lords. Korea was unified once again as Koryo in the 10th century and after that, recovered territory reaching up to the Amnok River border with China in 993. The civilian nobility was thrown out of power by a military coup in 1170 and military rule then lasted for sixty years.
The Mongols invaded in 1231, initiating a 30-year struggle. The Mongols were often distracted by their wars in China and elsewhere but eventually brought enough power to bear that Koryo made peace with the invaders in 1258. Under the Mongols the Koryo maintained their distinct culture and were inspired to demonstrate their superiority to their conquerors through a burst of artistic accomplishment.
Land reform, the rise of a new bureaucracy, the diminishment of Buddhism, and the rise of Confucianism around 1400 were part of the creation of a new kingdom, the Choson, that would rule Korea until the 20th century. China heavily influenced the Choson politically and culturally. Korea became an important center of learning, aided by the invention of movable type and the woodblock technique of publishing around 1234.
The greatest test of the Choson dynasty was invasion by samurai armies from Japan in 1592 that ostensibly planned to conquer China. Although seven years of fighting left much of the Korean peninsula devastated, the Japanese were forced to withdraw because their fleets could not keep open sea lines of supply and reinforcement back to Japan. The great Korean admiral Yi Sun-Shin defeated the Japanese at sea. One key to the Korean naval victories was their innovative turtle ships, the first cannon-bearing armored ships in history. The Japanese had no answer for these slow but powerful weapons.
