Choson was an ancient Korean kingdom that was founded around 1392 CE and collapsed in 1897 (although some scholars say 1910). Throughout the five centuries it lasted, the kingdom of Choson was home to some of the most marvellous people and remarkable history.
The kingdom was founded by Yi Seong-gye who later called himself Taejo of Joseon (an alternative spelling of Choson). The previous dynasty, Goryeo, was collapsing due to two factions – one followed General Yi in supporting the new Ming Dynasty in China, the other preferred to stay loyal to the Mongolian Yuan dynasty. War broke out with General Yi victorious and placed king Gongyang on the throne. In 1392, Yi overthrew him, exiled him and claimed the throne for himself. The Choson kingdom was born.
Yi ordered political discrimination against northerners (despite the fact that he himself was a northerner). The aristocrats of the capital (and of the south) did not consider any northerners as equal to them, and thus no aristocrat resided in the north. “The absence of nobles in the north and the exclusion of northerners from higher office reinforced each other. Indeed, much of the northern territories securely became part of the Korean domain only with the onset of the Choson era, and the people of the north never gained acceptance into the ruling structure of the country. This fact heightens the sense of wonder at the northerners' indispensable contributions-intellectually, culturally, and politically-to the development of a collective national identity in the early twentieth century”.
Choson continued to experience strife in its early years and in the 16th century, Japan sent armies to invade Korea. The Japanese warlord, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, wanted to conquer Ming China and saw Choson as a stepping stone to achieve this. In 1592 and 1597, he sent armies to Korea and within months occupied large amounts of territories.
Choson was experiencing political divisions and the superior weaponry that the enemies used allowed the Japanese to gain this territory. However the tides turned with the use of the Korean navy who cut off the Japanese supplies and Ming China who backed the Koreans. The Japanese were expelled.
However, peace was not to last for long. Choson then experienced trouble with Manchuria. In 1627 and 1637, the Manchus invaded Korea and eventually defeated them. Ming China was coming to an end, with the Manchus ready to dispose of the Chinese rulers, and agreed to pay tribute to the founders of the Qing dynasty.
For the next 200 years, Choson experienced peace and tranquillity. But, yet again, invasions from Japan made sure it wasn’t to last. China and Japan fought for supremacy in what was later known as the Sino-Japanese War (1894 – 1895) which, for the most part, was fought on Korean soil. Empress Myeongseong was assassinated by the Japanese and the treaty Japan held with China after the Qing’s defeat ensured that Choson was independent from her.
In 1987 the Choson kingdom officially changed its name to Korea (this technically ends the Choson dynasty) but Emperor Gojong continued to rule. Japan continued to fight and in 1910, annexed Korea into its own empire.
Throughout the 500 years of rule, Choson experienced 27 rulers and a long period of outside influence. It was the last imperial dynasty of Korea and experienced the longest period of Confucianism. It is this dynasty that has had the most impact on modern Korean society today.
Bibliography:
Kim Haboush, Jahyun (1995) Filial Emotions and Filial Values: Changing Patterns in The Discourse of Filiality in Late Choson Korea, Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Harvard-Yenching Institute.
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