morikoa

This was no hypothetical ban: as documented in the Annals of King Injo (July 18, 1648), musketeers formed gangs and literally went around beating up and humiliating aristocrats in the capital streets.

According to the Annals of Joseon, King Taejong stopped at the Imjin River during a trip to hot springs and watched a mock battle between a Korean turtle ship and a simulated Japanese pirate vessel. This entry marks the earliest historical record of the Turtle Ship in Korean history.

Ordering them to rewrite and submit proper compositions within three days, he was so frustrated that he didn't even bother restarting on clean paper when making writing errors, simply scribbling them out with black ink before dispatching the decree.

According to the Annals of King Yeongjo (1730), when an illegal logger struck a guard with an axe and fled into Banchon, constables were strictly barred from entering to arrest him.

However, King Myeongjong rejected the death sentence, declaring that human life is inherently precious; instead of capital punishment, Im was banished to a secluded area to live separated from the general populace.

According to the Annals of King Myeongjong (November 21, 1548), an intersex individual named Im Seong-gu-ji from Gilju possessed both male and female characteristics, living as a husband to a wife and as a wife to a husband.

King Gojong sent Wang Jun (Duke Yeongnyeong)—a distant royal relative rather than his own son—deceptively phrasing the diplomatic dispatch with the ambiguous term "beloved child" instead of "biological son".

Among these preparations, there is even an altar dedicated to the horses and camels ridden by the underworld emissaries.

However, King Seongjong declined, candidly explaining that his reduced meals had nothing to do with the drought, what he received was already more than enough, and eating rice soaked in cold water (suban) was simply an ideal meal for beating the summer heat.

In Joseon, kings observed gamseon—reducing the dishes served at royal meals during national crises such as droughts as an act of self-restraint and solidarity with the people.

After departing once more, the envoys were ambushed by pirates a second time on their way back in 1396.

To prevent this tragedy, people constructed specialized tombs called hosikchong specifically to seal the spirit away.

In Korea, ancient trees have traditionally been regarded as sacred. Because of this, whenever an old pine tree had to be felled for the restoration of cultural heritage sites, it was customary to perform a ritual and shout, “By royal command!” (Eomyeong-io!).

In reality, the plan was practically unfeasible: Ayutthaya was already locked in an existential conflict with Burma's Taungoo Dynasty, and mounting an amphibious campaign across more than 6,000 kilometers of open sea was virtually impossible.

In 1592, following the outbreak of the Imjin War, envoys from the Ayutthaya Kingdom (Siam) arrived in Beijing and proposed dispatching a naval fleet to strike the Japanese mainland directly in support of Joseon.

Recognizing their musical expertise, military officials routinely conscripted these men into specialized units called mubu-gunroe. Clad in distinct red uniforms, they were placed at the forefront of magistrates’ processions to sound horns, clear the path, and perform acrobatics.