Old Chosŏn

Uncommon card · No. 91945

Old Chosŏn, also known as Gojoseon (Korean: 고조선; Hanja: 古朝鮮) and its contemporary name Joseon (Korean: 조선; Hanja: 朝鮮), was the first kingdom on the Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary king Tan'gun. Old Chosŏn possessed the most advanced culture in the Korean Peninsula at the time and was an important marker in the progression towards the more centralized states of later periods. The addition of Go (고; 古), meaning "old" or "ancient", is used in historiography to distinguish the kingdom from the Joseon, which was founded in 1392. According to the Samguk yusa, Old Chosŏn was established in 2333 BCE by Tan'gun, who was said to be born from the heavenly prince Hwanung and a bear-woman, Ungnyeo. While Tan'gun is a mythological figure, some interpret his legend as a reflection of the sociocultural conditions of the kingdom's early development. The account of Tan'gun has played an important role in the development of Korean identity. Today...

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