Gojoseon- Korean LocationLocation · Realm"First Kingdom of Korea"
Also known as: 고조선 and 古朝鮮
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Description
The first Korean kingdom, born from a lineage that began in heaven. Hwanin's son Hwanung descended to Mount Taebaek with three thousand followers, and his son Dangun Wanggeom founded Gojoseon at Asadal in 2333 BCE. Dangun reigned for 1,500 years before retiring to the mountains and becoming a god.
Mythology & Lore
The Founding
The Samguk Yusa records that Hwanin, Lord of Heaven, granted his son Hwanung permission to descend to the mortal world. Hwanung came down to Mount Taebaek with three thousand followers and the three Heavenly Seals, and there he established Sinsi, the Sacred City. He brought agriculture and law to the people below. His union with Ungnyeo, the bear-woman who endured the cave trial of transformation, produced a son: Dangun Wanggeom.
Dangun founded the kingdom of Gojoseon and established its capital at Asadal. The kingdom was governed by a single principle: Hongik Ingan, "benefit broadly the human world." Its earliest laws, the Eight Prohibitions, regulated murder, theft, and injury. The Samguk Yusa dates the founding to 2333 BCE.
The Fate of Dangun
According to the Samguk Yusa, Dangun reigned for 1,500 years. Then he retired to Asadal, and at the age of 1,908 he became a mountain god. His transformation bound the kingdom's founding to the sacred mountains of the Korean landscape. The ruler did not die. He entered the earth that his grandfather Hwanung had first descended to govern.
The kingdom itself persisted for centuries after Dangun's withdrawal. The Shiji and Guanzi reference Joseon as a trading power, and the distinctive Liaoning-type bronze daggers found across the peninsula and Manchuria mark where its influence reached.