The Joseon Dynasty: An Empire Built Upon Innovation

We last read the tale of a kingdom disgraced by its own royal blood. After political affairs were discovered, the public felt betrayal and sought revenge. With no such luck, the monarchy allied with nearby kingdoms and battled against each other for the throne. However, one great commander-turned-king would lead an army so strong it even brought royalty to its knees. That king was Taejo of Goryeo (고려 태조, Great Founder). After 500 years of peace, the Goryeo Dynasty’s (고려) golden age had been ripped away without notice.

During the early 13th Century, the Mongols conquered China’s Jin Dynasty. Following their success, they expanded into the Korean Peninsula and invaded Goryeo seven times between 1231 A.D. and 1259 A.D. Growing tired of their antics, the Goryeo Dynasty moved its capital to Ganghwa (강화도), and even ordered commoners and slaves to fight against their attackers. This strategy worked as the Mongols never succeeded in overthrowing Goryeo, but this short-term solution was also weakening the dynasty little by little.

In 1259 A.D., the Yuan Dynasty, established by the Mongols, and the Goryeo Dynasty created and signed a six-condition peace treaty that saw the termination of the Mongols' attacks, the continuation of the Goryeo Dynasty, and the safety of the Korean Peninsula. However, a group of Goryeo soldiers named Sambyeolcho (삼별초) moved their base to Jindo (진도), and later Jejudo (제주도), and continuously fought with the Mongols until 1273 A.D. 

Goryeo also sent its crown prince, Wonjong of Goryeo (고려 원종), to the winter capital of the Yuan Dynasty, Dadu (now present-day Beijing), to marry one of the emperor’s daughters. Kublai Khan accepted his offer, where Goryeo lived under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty for 80 years. Furthermore, all Korean kings were ordered to marry Mongol princesses, making the last Yuan Dynasty empress a powerful Korean woman, Empress Ki (기황후).

Despite these agreements and their newfound peace, the Mongols had destroyed too much of the Goryeo Dynasty for it to quickly rebuild itself. Many troops and ordinary people sacrificed themselves to protect what remained of their land, but many important weapons, artifacts, and precious architecture had already been lost, such as the nine-tier pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple (황룡사).

In the 14th Century, Goryeo was rapidly declining due to internal and external struggles. Such problems included silencing aristocrats and nobles who wanted more power, stopping the raids of the red-turbaned bandits and Wako pirates, landholding, and helping Buddhist and Confucian scholars co-exist without hostility. However, King Gongmin (고려 공민) saw this as an opportunity to reform Goryeo’s governmental system.

First, the dynasty conquered Liaoyang in 1356 A.D., and then repelled the Red Turbans of the Yuan Dynasty after invading Goryeo in 1359 A.D. and 1360 A.D., putting a halt to the Yuan tumen’s third attempt in 1364 A.D. Then, in the 1380s, Goryeo developed naval artillery that would defeat Japanese pirates and demolish hundreds of ships.

Goryeo was hanging on by a thread socially because of its political and religious issues. While their military was now thriving, popular general Yi Seonggye (이성계) wanted more power. In 1388 A.D., he seized control of the government and took all power away from the last two monarchs. The Goryeo Dynasty could no longer stand proud. As history would have it, every story has an end. But from that end comes a beginning, and in 1392 A.D., Yi Seonggye established the Joseon Dynasty (조선).

The Rise of the Joseon Dynasty

General Yi Seonggye was popular with the public because of his ability to drive out foreign invaders, which further enabled him to earn more trust from his followers and power from the monarchy in order to overthrow Goryeo. To celebrate the Joseon’s birth, the general was dubbed Taejo of Joseon (조선 태조) and became the dynasty’s first king. He named the dynasty after the ancient kingdom Gojoseon (고조선), and chose Hanyang (한양, present-day Seoul (서울)) as the capital because of its promising location and relation to feng shui. It was also easily accessible by being in the heart of the Korean Peninsula with the addition of the Hangang River (한강, Han River). But what really made the capital thrive was the construction of new roads and markets, the Jongmyo Shrine (종묘), and one of Korea’s most famous heritage sites, Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁).

The Joseon Dynasty was prosperous, with every few decades seeing a different creation, way of life, and governmental system. Many Koreans dedicated their lives to Confucianism, and scholars that renounced their government position, known as seonbi (선비), adapted the religion from Chinese beliefs to Korean. It offered great examples of philosophy and morals to the future generation as it showed that education and integrity were more important than power and control. In 1394 A.D., Neo-Confucianism was adopted as Joseon’s official religion. The current king, his son King Taejong (조선 태종), and grandson Sejong the Great (조선 세종), reformed the governmental system by introducing better social and economic measures, and better organized administration, including royal authority.

Joseon’s third king, King Taejong, made excellent strides in stabilizing the governmental system. In 1413 A.D., an identification system called hopae (호패) was established to understand the population and ranking of Joseon’s people. Each tag would include the person’s name, birthplace and date, status, and residence, supporting tax collection and the acquisition of runaway slaves. In addition, the king formed the Six Ministries of Joseon (육조) to improve the organization of the government, such as tax, military affairs, and punishments. But the development didn’t stop there. King Taejong’s son, Sejong the Great, became the fourth king of Joseon, who equally contributed to the advancement of the dynasty. As politics and social prowess became stable, scholars at the Jiphyeonjeon(집현전, the Hall of Worthies) created logical, productive policies to support a long-lasting ruling system. King Sejong would then pry Korean culture away from surrounding kingdoms, such as China and Japan, and develop its own sense of identity that the Joseon Dynasty would see as its golden age.

Culture & Innovation

Aside from here, you may have heard of Sejong the Great before. The fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty is truly not one to forget — and it’s unlikely you ever could, with a grand statue in ode to his contribution to Korea and its lasting impact on today’s society. The statue is located near Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gwanghwamun Gate (광화문), in the Gwanghwamun Square (광화문광장) in downtown Seoul. Do you know his greatest accomplishment? In 1446 A.D., King Sejong personally created and promoted hangul (한글), which helped citizens of all ranks learn how to read and write as the traditional Chinese system was much too difficult at the time. To this day, scholars around the world state that Korean is the easiest language to learn. It could also be said that this new language is truly what differentiated Korea from China and let it grow as its own nation.

Joseon’s golden age promoted education, particularly science, which saw the advancement of printing and ceramics, weather, astronomy, geography, agriculture, medicine, and military technology that could not be matched by other kingdoms. For example, the jagyeongnu (보루각자격루, a time-measuring device using water), angbuilgu (앙부일구, a sundial), honcheonui (혼천의, an armillary sphere or globe), and the cheugugi (측우기, a rain gauge) were invented in the early days of the Joseon Dynasty. During King Taejo’s reign, a celestial chart was made using a draft from the Goguryeo Kingdom (고구려), which was later improved during King Sejong’s reign. But perhaps the biggest advancement would be medical prescriptions and treatments that were collected for official use and published in books using the recently created metal printing type.

As culture and handcraft skills evolved, the Joseon Dynasty was able to amicably trade with China’s Ming Dynasty. They traded royal envoys annually to discuss cultural and economic exchanges. In 1443 A.D., Japan requested to trade with Joseon, and in turn, signed a bilateral trade called the Gyehae Treaty (계해조약) with a clan belonging to Tsushima Island. Joseon opened ports in Busan (부산), Jinhae (진해), and Ulsan (울산), which led to further exchanges with other Asian countries. However, this golden age would not last as Japan demanded a larger share in their trades. With anger and greed, Japan invaded the Korean Peninsula in 1592 A.D., causing much bloodshed and loss. But one brave admiral named Yi Sunsin (이순신) came to the rescue despite all odds, and led an expedition that became one of the greatest victories of all time.

Culture, Monthly ColumnsNana BarrattComment