South Korean filmmakers really like to portrait the era of Joseon (Chosun) Dinasty, the final ruling dynasty of Korea that lasting from 1392 until 1910, into both big screen feature and television series. Perhaps because the history of this dynasty is relatively better documented than those of older kingdoms, and Joseon is especially important in Korean history since it is the period when the Korean alphabet - Hangeul - was created. Joseon was also excellent in the field of architecture and constructing ships. But historical aspect that usually depicted in movies is of course the wars, either caused by the Japanese or Manchu invasions. Manchu invasion in Korea occurred twice during the 17th century, in 1627 and 1636. The first invasion was happened when Huang Taiji led the Manchu army against the Korean Joseon dynasty for revenge of Korea's support of the China’s Ming Dynasty Forces. The Manchu won several wars against Ming-allied Koreans, but fell short of conquest by signing tributary treaties with the country. Why spare a smaller country like Korea when the Manchu probably had the power to annex the Korean peninsula which was a backdoor to the Manchurian homeland? Manchu conquered China, Tibet and Mongolia, but left Korea which is the closest and perhaps most intimate country geographically. But in some movies especially “The Divine Weapon” (2008), it also portrayed the battle between Joseon and Ming Dinasty. In the history itself, it wasn’t until the third Joseon monarch, did China's Ming rulers give recognition to Joseon rule, and China's Ming emperors continued to see Korea as subservient to China, the Ming assuming suzerainty over Korea.
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