The Chosun Dynasty

The Beginning of Chosun

The Founding of a New Dynasty
New Vocabulary
! Chosun lasted from 1392 AD to 1910 AD. It was Emperor Taejo
first created by Emperor Taejo, or General Yi Seong- Liadong Peninsula
Yi Bang-won
gye. During the late 14th century, Goryeo Dynasty was Kyong-Guk-Dae-Jeon
very close to falling because of the Mongol Empire Yangban
controlling them. The Ming Dynasty in China had Treaty of Gang-hwa
Prince Ulimin
started and the royal court in Goryeo split into two Kim Hong Do
sides; one side supporting the Ming Dynasty led by porcelains
General Yi, and the other side supporting the Yuan geojunggi
Dae Dong Yuh Map
Dynasty led by General Choe. A Ming messenger came Chiljeongsan
to Goryeo in 1388 and demanded that Goryeo return a Dongeui Bogam
piece of its land to them. When General Choe heard
this news he and the king both wanted to attack the
Liadong Peninsula.

! General Yi was chosen to lead the attack, but he

revolted back to Gaegyeong and pulled down the
present king, King U, in favor of his son, King Chang.
King U and King Chang were both killed by Yi later
when he learned they were trying to revolt. He placed a
royal on the throne, known as King Gong-yang. Yi then
got rid of Jeong Mong ju, a respected leader of a group
loyal to Goryeo dynasty. Soon he dethroned King
Gong-yang, exiled him to Wonju, and became the
emperor of a new dynasty.

Liadong Peninsula,
situated in China.

King Taejo (October 11, 1335 –

May 24, 1408)
The Strife of Princes
!
! After General Yi became the king, he thought of whom of
his eight sons he should hand his throne to. Six of his sons
came from his first wife, Queen Sinuei, while the last two came
from his second wife, Queen Sindok. Although his fifth son, Yi
Bang-won, had played a big role in building Chosun, Yiʼs
second wife, Queen Sindok persuaded him to put his eighth
son as the crown prince. Yi-Bang-won was angered by this fact
and decided to revolt. His biggest chance was given, when
Queen Sindok fell ill and died, leaving her young son. Bang-
won quickly gathered his soldiers and charged for Jeong-do-
jeon. Jeong-do-jon was the man who contributed the most in
creating Chosun, and he supported the eight prince. Bang-
wonʼs army quickly killed him and his supporters and after, they
charged for the eighth prince. After exiling most people who
supported the eight prince, Bang-won soon gained control of King Taejong / Yi Bang-Won
( 1367-1422)
the throne, and became king. He is known as King Taejong.

The Golden Age of Chosun

The Rise of the Emperors

! Chosun was full of emperors with great abilities, who

advanced both art and science of Korea. The ability of
emperors began to flourish during the middle of Chosun
Dynasty. King Sejong is one of the people who made the
greatest contributions to Korea. He created the language
Korean to ease the discomfort of peasants who were unable to
read chinese characters and supported scientists to make
Koreaʼs first clock. King Seongjong, the great-grandson of King
Sejong, finished Kyong-Guk-Dae-Jeon, and Dae-Jon-Sok-
Lok, two books dealing with the laws of Chosun. Also, most of
Chosunʼs laws about politics and economy were created during
Seongjongʼs time.

The Life of Citizens Kyong-Guk-Dae-Jeon

! The citizens of Chosun were divided into different

castes. The highest were the nobles, or Yangban. Being a
noble came from oneʼs heritage. The nobles worked for the
king in the palace and lived a very plentiful life. They did not
have to pay tax or enlist in the army. The next class was the
merchants and doctors. Being a doctor was not considered a
very honorable job back then. Many people from this class
were often sons born between a noble and his second wife.
Thus, they were thought as unworthy of the respect the nobles
received. The next class were the commoners, or farmers.
 The main industry in Chosun was farming. The commoners
were forced to pay tax and enlist required members in the
army. Also, theyʼre sons were not allowed to take Gwageo, a
type of test nobles took to work for the king. The lowest class
were the slaves. Slaves in Chosun had no rights and were sold
and bought for money. However, they did not have to pay tax
because they did not own any piece of land or house.

The Fall of Chosun

The Attack of Japan

Tension built over China and Japan which started the First Sino-Japanese War. This
war was mainly fought on the land of Chosun, which weakened the kingdom very
much. Chosun was forced to sign the Treaty of Gang-hwa, which gave rights to the
Japanese to interfere with political, economic and military areas of Chosun. The
Koreans despised the foreign influences Japanese brought. The Empress
Myeongseong tried to fight the Japanese by bringing in forces from China and
Russia. However, she was soon killed by Japanese assassins. In 1894, China lost a
war with Japan and had to sign a treaty to not interfere with Korea again. In 1910,
the Japanese Empire took Korea as a part of it with force.

The Last Imperial Family

After Chosun had been invaded by Japan in 1910, the Imperial Family were forced
to leave for Japan to be educated and married. Prince Ulimin, who was the heir to
the throne was married to Princess Yi and had two sons, Princes Yi Jin and Yi Gu.
! The Japanese took away Prince Uliminʼs status as the crown prince at the
end of World War 2. He rode a plane to visit Seoul but suffered a stroke as his plane
landed and was sent to the hospital. He never recovered and died in 1970. Prince
Ui, Prince Uliminʼs brother, died in 1955, and this is the official end of the royal line.

The Last Imperial

Family
 Map & Art

Chosun Dynasty Art

Chosun Art Trademark: Before the dynasty began Koreans were a supporter of Buddhism.
But when the dynasty began with new emperors, their support for Buddhism was
withdrawn and replaced with Confucianism, which influenced many things, including the art
of the Chosun dynasty. During the Chosun dynasty something you saw often in drawings
would be strong-looking people, romanticized landscapes, and noble life. Drawing people
and rich peopleʼs lives were more popular then than nature.

Famous Artist: Hong Do Kim: Artist Kim Hong Do was

famous for drawing regular or poor people while other
artists during his era drew rich and fabulous people.
Examples are pictures of people wrestling and women
doing laundry, taking care of their family, etc.

Kim Hong Do
(1745-1806)

Pottery: Products of pottery were used for decoration, storing

food, eating food, or drinks. The designs were mainly of nature
more than people such as animals and flowers. Sizes varied
widely. The main colors to use for pottery were a jade-green,
white, or brown. Artists were inspired by many cultures. Simple,
white porcelains were inspired by the Chinese became popular.
Korean ceramics are usually known for their vigorous painting Dragon Jar
and whimsical designs.

Architecture: When defining architecture in the Chosun dynasty,

you would have to divide into three parts-early, middle, and late
period because of the cultural and architectural development.
Most of the buildings were rebuilt after the Japanese attack of
1592. Early styles from the Koryo period continued to be the
trend during the beginning of the dynasty. Thanks to many great
people who improved Chosun dynastyʼs technology (such as
Jeong Yak-Yong, who invented a geojunggi, which uses a
Kyungbok Palace hwalcha [lever] to lift up heavy stones during the creation of
Hwaseong Fortress.) At least 5 castles were built during the
beginning of the dynasty.
Maps in Chosun

Dae Dong Yuh Map (1985-present)

This is a map of Korea during the Chosun Dynasty. It

was created by Jung Ho Kim in August 9, 1985. When
people first saw this map, they became angered
because they thought that it was a map for the enemy
to look at. The map was enormous-the biggest map in
Korea in fact-with a length of 6.6 meters and a width of
4.0 meters. The map was the most detailed and
accurate they ever had, and if revealed to the enemy
countries, it would basically be like asking to be
defeated and captured. Today it is located in Sung-
Shin Womenʼs University Museum in South Korea. The
Dae-Dong Yuh Map is also 850th national treasure of
South Korea.

Technology

The Development of Science Water Clock

The reign under King Sejong brought out the most

scientific improvements to Joseon. Jang Young Sil, a
scientist who worked for Sejong, developed an
automated water clock. It worked by activating motions
of wooden figures that appeared when a certain time
was reached.

The Chiljeongsan, also developed during Sejongʼs

reign was used to tell the movement of seven heavenly
objects including the five visible planets, the moon and
the sun.

Also, a court physician named Heo Jun, wrote many

intelligent medical texts including Dongeui Bogam. This
book is known as having all of Koreaʼs medical
information in it. It was also known for being written in an
easy language so that commoners would also learn form
it.
Dongeui Bogam
Section Review Questions

1. Who built Chosun and how?

2. Provide an example of one of the great achievements made by kings of Chosun.

3. How did Chosun fall in to the grasp of Japan?

4. What was the Chosun trademark for art?

5. Why were the Koreans angered when they saw the Dae Dong Yuh Map?

Citations

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