※ This video is part of <Documentary Prime - 5,000 Years of Korean History, Path to Survival Part 3: The Strange War with the Mongol Empire> broadcast on January 31, 2018. The Relationship between Regime Legitimacy and National Security The Truth About the Resistance Against the Mongols That Is Only Half-Told in Textbooks Throughout history, there is a perception that if military officials seize power through a coup d'état, it will at least help national security. However, if you look closely, the result is more likely to be the opposite, as proven through historical materials in EBS Documentary Prime <5,000 Years of Korean History, Path to Survival> Part 3: The Strange War with the Mongol Empire. The 13th century was a period of rapid reorganization of the order in East Asia and a period of hegemony change. The Mongol Empire rose like wildfire and built the largest empire in human history in 100 years, and the Korean Peninsula was not spared from this trend. In August 1231, the Mongol army that had been terrifying the world crossed the Yalu River, and Uiju Castle fell on the same day. There was no reinforcement from the central government in the subsequent battles of Cheolsanseong, Jajuseong, and Gujuseong. The reinforcements departed from Gaegyeong in mid-September, when the Mongols had already appeared in Hwanghae-do. At the pinnacle of power was not the king, but Choi I ​​(Choi Woo), who had seized power through a coup. Fearing a possible betrayal, the military leaders used the power that should have been used for national security to secure the regime. They made elite soldiers their personal bodyguards and dispatched an army composed mainly of the weak and elderly to the battlefield. The Goryeo army surrendered after a crushing defeat. Choi I, judging that there was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation with the Mongols, moved the capital to Ganghwado. Ganghwado, which blocked the Mongol invasion with its wide mud and strong currents while also gathering maritime logistics, was a natural fortress for the Choi military regime. The nobles of Goryeo lived in luxury there thanks to the taxes collected through the transportation network. On the other hand, the people were directly exposed to the Mongol invasion and had to suffer double hardships due to the harsh taxes imposed on the Goryeo government. In the midst of all this, the people fought the Mongols to survive without the help of the state. In Chungjuseong, the Nogunbyeolcho, consisting of slaves, defeated the Mongols, and in Cheoinseong, the monk Kim Yun-hu and the Bugok people killed the enemy general Salitai and made the Mongols retreat. The people's resistance against the Mongols made Goryeo a 'self-reliant country' in later generations. There are mixed opinions about the Goryeo military regime during the Mongol invasion. However, what is certain is that the Choi military regime was in a dilemma where it could not surrender even if it wanted to in order to maintain its regime, and this was completely passed on to the people as suffering. This naturally stemmed from the regime's lack of legitimacy. The 'strange war' between the Goryeo military regime and the Mongol Empire shows later generations how important the legitimacy of the regime is to national security. ✔ Program name: Documentary Prime - 5,000 years of Korean history, the path to survival Part 3: The strange war with the Mongol Empire ✔ Broadcast date: January 31, 2018 #GolladyeonDocumentary #DocumentaryPrime #History #KoreanHistory #Goryeo #Khitan #Mongol #War