Late Middle Ages · East Asia · Politics

1388

Yi Seong-gye returns his army to seize Goryeo

1388

Ordered to invade Ming China, the Korean general turned his troops around at the Yalu River and marched on the capital instead, deposing the king. Within four years he would found the Joseon dynasty that would govern Korea for five centuries. The about-face at the Yalu was Korea's most consequential military decision.