Overview
The brainiac Koreans teach us that size isn’t everything; it is made to be small but culturally and scientifically powerful enough to outpace much larger competitors.
Disclaimer
This guide is not meant to be definitive, as every game is different and thus the player must be prepared to make appropriate changes to adapt to the conditions. That said, this guide, written from the point of view of one person’s gameplay experiences, is merely here to point new and inexperienced players in the right direction. Eager readers should look to other guides as well to come to a more informed gameplay strategy.
NOTE: This guide assumes you have the Gods and Kings, Brave New World, Wonders of the Ancient World and updated Civ packs.
Introduction: Korea
A small, narrow peninsula amidst giants, Korea has shared an uneasy existence alongside its neighbours. Its strategic location and natural resources has made it a contested battleground between empires throughout its long, bloody history. It’s also often been divided and at war with itself, and yet, a common culture always endures and strengthens bonds even when they seem irreparably cut.
Korea has traditionally looked to China for security and cultural imports, and ancient Korean kingdoms were the main transmitter of Chinese culture and ideas to Japan in antiquity. However, during the 1500s Korea increasingly built on and developed its own distinctive culture, in no small part thanks to the reforms of Sejong the Great, who in the face of traditionalist elite opposition invented the Korean alphabet Hangul to foment public education, thereby making Korea one of the most literate and progressive societies in the world in its heyday. Korea’s finest minds made new scientific inventions and powerful, exotic weapons such as the h’wacha.
But the Korean golden age ended with the terrible destruction wrought during the Japanese invasion of the country at the conclusion of the 16th Century. Despite winning great victories and evicting the Japanese from their treasured homeland (with some timely Chinese intervention), the once prosperous nation was left devastated and increasingly isolated as China in turn was overrun by the barbarian Manchus in the 17th Century. A shadow of its former self, the ruling Joseon Dynasty underwent a long period of isolation from the rest of the world, earning Korea the rather patronising nickname of “The Hermit Kingdom.”
In the early 20th Century the newly industrialised and determined Japanese once again returned, and this time succeeded in subjugating the entire country, which had stagnated and changed little since closing off its borders. The occupation was long and brutal for the Koreans as the Japanese sought to destroy their culture and way of life to better conform to Japanese culture, and only got worse during the Second World War. At the war’s conclusion, Korea still found no peace, as two new, more alien powers in the form of the United States and the Soviet Union, wrenched Korea from Japan’s grasp only to end up becoming yet another battlefield between these two new feuding nations, where over two million perished, most of them Koreans, and the nation was once again left in ruin. Worse still, it now found itself split in half between Stalinist Communist and dictatorial capitalist regimes.
Today Korea is divided yet again and there seems to be no indication that this will change anytime soon. The South, although still enduring some degree of political corruption, has since become a vibrant economic and cultural powerhouse that encourages world-class innovation and a very high standard of living, while the North suffers under regular famine under an iron-fisted military dictatorship that is increasingly out of touch with the modern world.
Unique Ability: Scholars of the Jade Hall
+2 Science for all specialists and Great Person tile improvements. Receive a tech boost each time a scientific building/Wonder is built in the capital.
Korea is geared towards rapid technological advancement through focusing on the capital, and through making strategic use of Great Person tiles, of which the Academy is the chief benefactor and what you should be aiming to get most of all. But the other Great Tiles have their uses, and you should aim to exploit each one to get the most out of what little territory you’ll have. Manufactories should be built atop Strategic Resources like Iron and greatly increase your Production, especially around the capital. After researching Archaeology you should convert any Ancient or Classical Era sites into Landmarks to boost your Culture. Custom Houses from Great Merchants will boost your income. Holy Sites from Great Prophets give a tidy boost to your Faith. Citadels built by Great Generals are best built along your borders as a deterrent, or if you’re feeling a bit covetous of your neighbour’s Luxury resources just across the border (or just need a little more elbow room) you can use the Citadel to swipe it. But be warned: there are diplomatic consequences for such an action.
With each Library, University, Public School and Research Lab you build in the capital, you will get a big boost in your technology research. Sadly, the latest patch has nerfed Korea’s Unique Ability and only two World Wonders provide a tech boost now: the Great Library and the Porcelain Tower. The Great Library is a heavily contested Wonder, so don’t expect to get it in a more competitive game. However, the National Library and Oxford University National Wonders provide tech boosts as well, and are the reason why you should build small. A smaller empire can build them quicker than a larger one can.
Unique Unit: H’wacha
Replaces Trebuchet. Does not have the limited visibility of the Trebuchet, and it does not have the damage bonus against cities that the Trebuchet has.
The infamous hwacha returns in Civilisation 5 bigger, badder and better than the last version. It is meant purely as a defensive weapon, hence the bit about it not sharing the Trebuchet’s city-wrecking bonus. But the trade-off is worth it: it has a ranged attack of 26 compared to the Trebuchet’s 16, effectively making it just as powerful as the supposedly more advanced Cannon, and making it an effective anti-infantry unit well into the Industrial Era. Its line of sight is comparable to a regular military unit, so there’s almost no need for spotters. And it makes pincushions out of any Medieval or Renaissance Era infantry dumb enough to be standing in front of its missile battery. Build plenty of them to defend key cities and strategic chokepoints. It almost seems a waste upgrading them into Cannon, as they are no stronger, but then again, they regain their ability to effectively trash cities.
Unique Unit: Turtle Ship
Replaces Caravel. Cannot enter deep ocean. Does not have the +2 sight that the Caravel has. Does not have the withdraw from melee promotion that the Caravel has.
Looking at all those restrictions above, you might at first have a sinking feeling in your gut. You aren’t in all likelihood going to be exploring the world in that thing. At a time when everybody else can expand their horizons across the sea, you are pretty much stuck where you are. But there is one teeny, tiny silver lining: it’s much, much stronger than a Caravel.
How much stronger? A normal Caravel has an attack power of 20. A Turtle Ship’s normal attack power is 36. More than enough to trash those fancy schmancy Caravels. It’s imposing enough to stop an amphibious assault dead in its tracks. It’s so powerful, even a Frigate can get clobbered by just one of these things. It is the most powerful naval unit in the Renaissance Era; the English Ship-of-the-Line only barely misses out on first place here. It’s often referred to as the Renaissance Ironclad by gamers, and that name is not far wrong as it is heavily armoured and difficult to defeat. Like the Hwacha though, it is meant to be a defensive unit, though there are avenues for naval conquest in your immediate neighbourhood. Like the Caravel, it upgrades into the Ironclad.
Recommended Strategy
Korea is most effective employing a turtle strategy: consolidating a small area, setting up Academies and building up strong defences while your scientists make their breakthroughs before anyone else can to claim you a Scientific victory. A Cultural or Diplomatic victory are also strong leads, but conquest is not.
There’s a reason why Korea’s unique units come out during the Medieval and Renaissance Eras: that’s when most other civilisations are deploying their unique units, and will see this as the best time to take you out of the picture. The Hwacha and Turtle Ship are not for conquest; they are there to protect you from powerful enemy unique units. The Hwacha makes a good foil for Mongol Keshiks, Japanese Samurai, and Chinese Cho-Ko-Nu on land. The Turtle Ship is powerful enough to hold its own against the worst major naval powers can throw at you such as England, the Netherlands and the Ottomans. Both have the sheer firepower needed to suppress them while you make your scientific discoveries and get the hell out of the Renaissance, when the storm will pass and your position will be more secure.
Korea should be a small, compact empire (or medium sized) with around four or five cities (maybe up to seven) to make it easy to defend, and to ensure you don’t rack up too big of a scientific penalty. Remember, the bigger your empire, the more costly scientific gains become. Emphasise the creation of Great Persons, especially Great Scientists early on to make Academies, which are better for you in the long run than just using them up for free technologies in the short term. Try to settle near mountains and jungles so you can build Observatories and gain scientific bonuses from your jungle tiles once you have Universities. To get the most out of every tile you own, build other Great Tiles like Manufactories, Holy Sites, Landmarks and Custom Houses, as they will significantly boost your Production, Faith, Gold and Culture output, not to mention each of them give you another +2 Science thanks to Korea’s Unique Ability.
Founding a religion is a must for Korea because there are several beliefs available that further augment Korea’s talents. A small empire means Tradition should be your first policy tree to create a tall empire, with Patronage to gain support of city-states (and more Great People), Rationalism to boost your scientific output and Piety to generate Faith and unlock your Reformation options. For Ideology, Order may seem like a good idea as it is very Science focused, but Freedom is the better choice for a small, tall empire that further takes advantage of its Specialists.
High Priority Wonders
ANCIENT ERA
Great Library: 1 free technology and provides a free Library in the city it is built in, plus two slots for Great Works of Writing.
I know competition for this wonder is pretty fierce, but for Korea getting this built in the capital is vital to getting ahead of the game as it is now one of only two World Wonders that gives a tech boost. A really big tech boost. In the Ancient Era, try and get this building as soon as you can, emphasise Production to get it completed sooner. This is your biggest priority Wonder, hence the reason for me doubly emphasising it.
Temple of Artemis: +10% growth in all cities and +15% Production when building ranged units.
Korea will be small, so you need to grow tall! Also, the production bonus will be good for when you need to build H’wacha.
CLASSICAL ERA
Hanging Gardens: +6 Food and a free Garden in the city where it is built. Requires Tradition.
Again, this is about making Korea small, but very densely populated and thus allowing for more Specialists and Great People (the key to success for Korea) later on. Remember that each Specialist in each of your cities gives you +2 Science, so bigger really is better!
The Colossus: +5 Gold. Provides an extra Trade Route and a free Cargo Ship appears in the city where it is built. Trade Routes other players make to the city generate +2 extra Gold for the city owner and the Trade Route owner gains an extra +1 Gold for the Trade Route. Must be built on the coast.
Korea has a Coastal start bias, and since it will be small, it won’t have the financial resources of a much larger power. Hence the reason why the Colossus is important; it gives you a bigger financial punch so you can get more money and start getting city-states on your side that much quicker.
The Great Wall: Enemy units must spend 1 extra movement point when in your territory. Provides a free Walls in the city where it is built.
A small country is usually very easy to invade, pillage and spray god-awful graffiti all over your nice clean buildings. The Great Wall will make such hooliganism much harder for barbarians and rival civs alike to be so mean to you. But in all seriousness, Korea is not a civ that can stand up very well in a fight at this stage, so turtling up is your best option.
MEDIEVAL ERA
Alhambra: Provides all new units in the city the Drill I promotion. Provides a free Castle and boosts Culture by 20% in the city it is built in.
A good choice for a frontier city. It can expand its borders quickly, hopefully providing a bigger no-man’s land between it and the enemy border. The Castle is good for improving your fortifications and the promotion will serve your army well in defending your lands.
Chichen Itza: +4 Happiness and makes Golden Ages last 50% longer.
Korea needs its Golden Ages to boost its Culture and financial output if it wants to be competitive with its larger neighbours.
RENAISSANCE ERA
Forbidden Palace: -10% Unhappiness from citizens in non-occupied cities. Provides two additional delegates to the World Congress. Requires Patronage.
For those wanting to try their hand at a Diplomatic solution, the Forbidden Palace will allow you to exert far more influence than you ordinarily would be able to in the World Congress/UN. It will also help cut down on any resentment your citizens may feel for you squishing them all into those cramped cities of yours.
Himeji Castle: +15% combat strength for units fighting in friendly territory. Provides a free Castle in the city it is built in.
Just in case your H’wacha, Turtle Ships and Great Wall don’t tip him off, this tells your hyper-aggressive (possibly mentally challenged) neighbour that invading your country is a really, really bad idea.
Leaning Tower of Pisa: +25% boost to Great Person creation and a free Great Person of your choice appears near the capital.
Korea’s Unique Ability focuses mainly on Great People to produce the extra Science, so getting as many Great People as you can is a top priority. Always choose a Great Scientist when you do have a choice and build an Academy with it.
Porcelain Tower: A Great Scientist appears near the city where it is built and 50% more Science is generated from Research Agreements. Requires Rationalism.
Thankfully competition for this Wonder isn’t as big as the Great Library, but it pays to not take any chances! Build it as quick as you can for the tech boost and for the free Great Scientist so you can add another Academy! Also, Research Agreements are much more viable for you now as they will now benefit you much more than your rivals.
Red Fort: Defensive buildings in all cities are 25% more effective.
If you’re still getting attacked quite a lot, the Red Fort will harden up your defences substantially to buy you more time and spread the pain around.
Sistine Chapel: +25% Culture in all cities. Two slots for Great Works of Art.
The good news is that a small empire doesn’t suffer from the inflated Culture costs of obtaining new Social Policies that a bigger empire does. Still, why not make them come sooner? And those Great Work slots will come in handy.
Taj Mahal: Starts a Golden Age.
Who doesn’t want a free Golden Age? The sharp boost it gives to your Production, Culture and income can only be a good thing.
MODERN ERA
Statue of Liberty: +1 Production from Specialists in every city. Provides a free Social Policy. Requires Freedom.
Not only does the Statue of Liberty give you a free Policy, it also further builds on Korea’s Unique Ability, making your Science-producing Specialists also help crank out more Production in your cities. Especially satisfying if you’ve built tall and stacked as many Specialists as possible into them.
Neuschwanstein: +3 Gold, +2 Culture, +1 Happiness per Castle. Requires a mountain tile.
The point I’m trying to make with these Wonders is that as a small empire you need to make every building count, and Neuschwanstein will turn your concrete slab Castles into Culture and Gold producing powerhouses.
ATOMIC ERA
Great Firewall: Prevents technology theft in the city where it is built and decreases the chances of successful enemy espionage in all other cities by 25%. Also eliminates the Tourism bonus other civilisations receive from the Internet technology.
Korea’s main advantage is it’s technological sophistication, and you cannot allow that be be endangered by anyone. It’s often best to build this in your capital or your largest city as the bigger a city is, the more likely it is for an enemy spy to successfully make off with classified tech that you cannot afford to let fall into your rival’s hands.
INFORMATION ERA
CN Tower: Free Broadcast Tower in every city and +1 Population and Happiness per city.
For Korea this can amount to a massive increase in population, and the free Broascast Towers will help make a Cultural Victory more viable.
Hubble Space Telescope: 2 Great Scientists appear near the cty where the Wonder is built. Provides a free Spaceship Factory in the city where it is built. +25% Production when building Spaceship parts.
At this point in the game it would be a waste to use these Scientists to build Academies, so feel free to use them up for instant Science boosts. You’ll only have a couple of technologies left to research by this point anyway. The real value in this Wonder is the boost it gives to building Spaceship parts, which is a huge advantage when going for a Scientific Victory.
Religion
RECOMMENDED PANTHEONS
Ancestor Worship: +1 Culture from Shrines.
Remember every building counts in a small empire, so why not have your Shrines fulfil a second function other than generating Faith?
Faith Healers: +30 HP healed per turn if adjacent to a friendly city.
Here’s a little something to make defending your cities a little easier. It’ll be horrible for an invader to whittle down your unit’s strength only to have them bounce back next turn!
Fertility Rites: 10% faster growth rates.
I reiterate: Korea is small, so you should build tall!
Goddess of Protection: +30% increase in city ranged combat strength.
This ought to help discourage any adventurous rivals. Probably not barbarians, but they aren’t all that bright.
Messenger of the Gods: +2 Science in cities with a Trade Route.
Korea’s main strength is in SCIENCE, so it’s a good idea to further develop that advantage.
RECOMMENDED FOUNDER BELIEFS
Interfaith Dialogue: Gain Science when a Missionary spreads this religion to cities of other religions.
You most likely won’t be the first to found a religion, but this gives you a nice advantage over everyone else and will also further the supremacy of your SCIENCE.
Papal Primacy: +15 to Influence resting point in City States following this religion.
Korea is going to need some friends that it can relate with, then ironically bully down the track for cash and slaves.
Tithe: +1 Gold for every 4 followers of this religion.
Need a little extra cash? Go for Tithe. The more followers you have worldwide, the more your money troubles will fade away.
RECOMMENDED FOLLOWER BELIEFS
Cathedrals: Use Faith to build Cathedrals.
Cathedrals are a must for those persuing a Cultural victory as they provide a slot for a Great Work of Art.
Choral Music: Temples provide +2 Culture in cities with 5 followers.
Again, a means of getting more out of what you already have.
Feed the World: +1 Food from each Shrine and Temple in each city.
A good way of helping your cities grow in the early stages of the game.
Guruship: +2 Production if city has a Specialist.
Further capitalises on Korea’s Unique Ability, and further incentive to get Specialists as soon as you can.
Pagodas: Use Faith to build Pagodas.
If Cathedrals aren’t your thing, go for a Pagoda. They’ll give you 2 Culture, Happiness and Faith in equal measure.
Swords into Plowshares: +15% growth rate for cities if not at war.
Korea shouldn’t get into fights unless it’s absolutely necessary, so trying to play peacefully with this belief will pay off big time, accelerating your growth and allowing for more Specialists and thus SCIENCE.
RECOMMENDED ENHANCER BELIEFS
Defender of the Faith: +20% combat strength near friendly cities following this religion.
Other than Ethiopia, Korea understands the need to turtle like mad, and this will help make your territory all but impregnable.
Reliquary: Gain 50 Faith each time a Great Person is expended.
From the Industrial Era onwards you can buy certain Great People using Faith, and Reliquary will help you get to the next one sooner each time you expend a Great Person; preferably by building Great Tiles.
REFORMATION BELIEFS
Charitable Missions: Influence boosts from Gold gfts to City States are increased by 30%.
A handy way for you to maintain your grip on your city state allies for less cost.
Jesuit Education: Can build Universities, Public Schools and Research Labs with Faith.
For Korea this advantage can be a game changer. It can mean instant Science boosts each time each of these buildings are unlocked.
To the Glory of God: Use Faith to purchase any kind of Great Person from the Industrial Era onwards.
This is especially powerful for Korea, as you are no longer limited to what Great People you can get by choosing which Social Policy trees you complete. The top four: Great Engineers, Prophets, Scientists and Merchants are thus all available to you for Great Tiles and their SCIENCE.
Social Policies: Tradition and Piety
TRADITION
Available from the Ancient Era. Adopting Tradition greatly increases border expansion rates and grants +3 Culture in the Capital. Unlocks the Hanging Gardens Wonder. With all Tradition policies adopted, your first four cities get a +15% growth bonus and a free Aqueduct. It allows Great Engineers to be purchased with Faith in the Industrial Era.
While Korea can be made to be bigger than just four cities, it is recommended that you build up a core territory at the start of the game and only expand gradually to avoid overly large Science penalties. Remember that Korea’s Unique Ability is focused on the capital, and Tradition is very good at making your capital bigger and more productive.
Aristocracy: +15% Production when building Wonders and +1 Happiness for every 10 citizens in a city.
This policy can mean all the difference between success and failure in building the Great Library in your capital, and is the main reason why you should adopt it.
Oligarchy: Garrisoned units cost no maintenance and cities with a garrison gain +50% ranged combat strength.
Korea must think like a turtle to survive against its aggressive neighbours. Oligarchy will give your cities more punch and will encourage you to base your h’wachas in them later on.
Legalism: Provides a free Culture building in your first four cities.
A welcome boost to your Culture, and thus your early border expansion.
Monarchy: +1 Gold and -1 Unhappiness for every two citizens in the capital. Requires Legalism.
A good way to curb unhappiness and squeeze a bit more Gold out for your treasury. An apt reward for building a large capital city.
Landed Elite: +10% growth and +2 food in the capital. Requires Legalism.
Speaking of building a large capital, Landed Elite will help you get there and supply enough food to feed your Specialists.
PIETY
Available from the Ancient Era. Adopting Piety reduces the time it takes to build Shrines and Temples by 50%. Unlocks building the Great Mosque of Djenne Wonder. With all Piety policies adopted, a Great Prophet will appear and Holy Sites will provide +3 Culture.
Religious beliefs in Civilization 5, especially the Reformation beliefs, contain certain bonuses that will enormously benefit Korea, so it makes sense to strengthen Korean faith with Piety. In the beginning it’s a race between all the civilisations to get the best beliefs, and Piety will help you get the best ones quickly before they’re all taken.
Organised Religion: +1 Faith from Shrines and Temples.
In the early game this effectively doubles your Faith output and gets you that much closer to founding a Religion.
Mandate of Heaven: 20% discount on all purchases of religious buildings and units with Faith.
This will save you time and Faith getting Pagodas/Cathedrals and Great People in the Industrial Era.
Theocracy: Temples increase a city’s Gold output by 25%. Holy Sites provide +3 Gold. Requires Organised Religion.
The Vatican will have nothing on you once you adopt this policy. It also has the welcome effect of further increasing the viability of Holy Site Great Tiles on top of the Faith and Science they already produce.
Religious Tolerance: Cities with a majority religion also get the Pantheon bonus of the second most popular religion. Requires Organised Religion.
Sooner or later you’re going to have another religion come into your lands, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t benefit, so long as your religion remains king.
Reformation: If you founded a Religion, gain a bonus Reformation Belief. Requires Organised Religion and Religious Tolerance.
This is the real reason why you’re here. Reformation beliefs are some of the most powerful game changers in Civilization 5, and in the right hands can make Korea near unstoppable. See the Religion section above to see the top three Reformation Beliefs that would benefit Korea.
Social Policies: Patronage and Rationalism
PATRONAGE
Available from the Classical Era. Adopting Patronage makes your Influence with City States degrade 25% slower than normal. Unlocks the Forbidden Palace Wonder. Adopting all Patronage policies will cause all allied City States to occasionally gift you Great People.
Friendly and allied City States are good for small empires as they can provide you with extra food, Culture, Faith and military units, not to mention any Luxury or Strategic Resources they may have and wish to share with you. But why not take the relationship to the next level? Get more out of these friendly, helpful little guys? Particularly… Great People? Make this the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Philanthropy: Gifts of Gold to a City State generate 25% more influence.
Maintaining relations with even one City State can be frustratingly expensive, but the Patronage starter, on top of Philanthropy, will give you more value for your dollar… er, won.
Consulates: Resting point for influence level with all City States is increased by 20.
Another way of cheapening the cost of opening friendly relations with other City States.
Scholasticism: All allied City States provide a Science bonus equal to 25% of what they produce for themselves. Requires Philanthropy.
City States that are completely allied to your cause will now provide you with sweet SCIENCE. Widen the technology gap between you and your rivals!
Cultural Diplomacy: Quantity of Resources gifted by City States increased by 100%. Happiness from gifted Luxuries increased by 50%. Requires Scholasticism.
Korea most likely won’t have everything it needs as a small/medium sized power, so your City State relationships are very important, and with Cultural Diplomacy, they’ll be more lucrative and vital still!
Merchant Confederacy: +2 Gold for trade routes with City States. Requires Scholasticism and Consulates.
Other civilisations generally provide more lucrative trade routes than City States can, but this policy will make them more viable. Also, trade with other civilisations more often than not gives them a Science boost, especially if you are ahead in the tech game. Trade with City States is safer for hoarding your technological secrets.
RATIONALISM
Available from the Renaissance Era. Adopting Rationalism will grant +10% Science while the empire is happy. Unlocks the Porcelain Tower. Adopting all Rationalism policies will grant a free technology. It also allows Great Scientists to be purchased with Faith from the Industrial Era onwards.
Adopting Rationalism is very much compulsory for Korea to unlock it’s full potential for SCIENCE. The Porcelain Tower is the only other World Wonder other than the Great Library that grants a tech boost for Korea in the capital, an advantage that must not be ignored. But its other policies are also very potent and will make Korea the game’s resident brainiac.
Secularism: +2 Science from every Specialist.
Remember Korea’s Unique Ability makes your Specialists produce +2 Science; this policy effectively doubles that bonus!
Humanism: Great Scientists are earned 25% faster.
At this point, you could use Scientists to build Academies, or you could use them up for a quickie tech boost. You can’t go wrong either way.
Free Thought: +1 Science from every Trading Post and +17% Science from Universities. Requires Secularism.
I hope you’ve got some Jungles nearby, because this policy will make a scientific bonanza out of them! Especially if you have Trading Posts built in them, and you have a University in the nearest city (which you should)!
Sovereignty: +1 Gold from Science buildings. Requires Humanism.
Can’t hurt to have a little more cash in the hand. Cities capable of building Observatories have the most to gain.
Scientific Revolution: Boosts Science gained from Research Agreements by 50%. Requires Free Thought.
Stacked on top of the Porcelain Tower, you now stand to gain a hell of a lot more from Research Agreements than your collaborater ever will, and will ensure your supremacy in the fields of SCIENCE!
Ideology: Freedom
LEVEL 1
Avant Garde: +25% Great Person Generation.
You can’t go wrong with more Great People. More opportunities for getting Great Tiles, after all.
Civil Society: Specialists consume only half the normal amount of food.
Make Korea grow taller? Sure, why not?
Covert Action: Spies have double the chance of successfully rigging City State elections.
It’s not as though you don’t trust or respect your own allies… you’d just rather prefer they remain in your sphere of influence regardless of their opinion in the matter.
Capitalism: +1 local Happiness per Mint, Bank and Stock Exchange.
Capitalism is king, mon! Your people will be both happy and wealthy.
Universal Healthcare: +1 local Happiness from each National Wonder.
As a small/moderate sized empire, Korea should have no trouble getting to make all its National Wonders, and this policy rewards you for doing so with a nice Happiness bonus that will help keep them disdainful of militant fascism and godless communism.
LEVEL 2
Urbanisation: +1 local Happiness per Water Mill, Aqueduct and Hospital.
Universal Healthcare not enough? This ought to do the trick to keep everyone happy consumers.
Their Finest Hour: City ranged combat strength increased by 33%.
Just in case someone out there still wants to beat up the ultra technologically sophisticated nerd. Honestly, Korea doesn’t get the respect it deserves sometimes…
Universal Suffrage: Unhappiness from Specialists halved. Golden Ages last 50% longer.
YAY! Everyone can vote now! For some reason that makes Specialists a less miserable bunch and lengthens your Golden Ages.
New Deal: Great Person improvements provide +4 value of the appropriate yield.
In other words, all those Great Tiles you’ve been building all over the place since the game started will be even more awesome. Roosevelt will be proud!
LEVEL 3
Media Culture: +34% Tourism from cities with a Broadcast Tower.
A good reason to build the CN Tower, and a way for you to win a Cultural Victory should the opportunity arise.
Treaty Organisation: Gain 4 more influence per turn with City States you have a Trade Route with.
Here’s an avenue to help you with a Diplomatic Victory. Having a trade route with a City State effectively means your influence with it will never decline and it will thus remain a staunch ally… until someone else buys them out.
Space Procurement: Can buy Spaceship parts with Gold.
And here’s your meal ticket to a Scientific Victory! Come to think of it, it sounds more like a Financial Victory rather than a Scientific one… awww, does that mean SCIENCE means nothing then?….