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Goryeo Wokou Raids

Type Event Region Korean Peninsula Time 1370–1379

In the 1370s, amid the turmoil of Japan's Nanboku-chō period, wokou (Japanese pirates, also called 'island barbarians') frequently raided Goryeo's so…

Timeline

  1. 1370–1375Gyeongsang Province coast · GoryeoIn the early 1370s, wokou fleets repeatedly attacked the coasts of Gyeongsang and Jeolla, burning and plundering villages and carrying off people. The Goryeo court strengthened coastal garrisons, repaired beacon towers, and ordered local officials and naval forces to coordinate defense, but the raids continued relentlessly.
  2. 1376–1379Hamgyŏng Province · GoryeoWokou also raided the northeastern coast; Yi Sŏng-gye led troops to repeatedly defeat wokou ships in Hamgyŏng Province, capturing many. His merit in suppressing the pirates became political capital, and also reflected the persistent threat posed by Japanese sea raiders during the Nanboku-chō period to the Korean Peninsula.

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