Joseon Dynasty in South Korea

The Joseon Dynasty, Chosŏn, Chosun, Choseon (July 1392 - August 1910), was a sovereign state founded by Yi Seong-gye which at this time became Korea. The Joseon Dynasty lasted for more than 5 centuries. The founding of Joseon occurred after the fall of the Goryeo Dynasty, which was headquartered in Gaeseong and then moved to Hanyang. The territory of the Joseon Dynasty was extended to the borders of the Yalu and Duman Rivers in the far north after successfully conquering the Jurchens. Joseon was the longest-running Confucius dynasty in the world. After the declaration of the Korean Empire in 1894, the dynasty's reign ended when the Japanese occupation began in 1910.

The founder of Joseon is Yi Seong-gye who was appointed King of Taejo. He was a member of the Yi clan from Jeonju who staged a coup against King Woo of Goryeo. Yi Seong-gye is well known as an astute military expert in leading the war against Japanese pirates who disturbed Korean waters. He moved the capital from Gaegyeong (now Gaeseong) to Hanseong and founded the Gyeongbok palace in 1394.

The patrilineal succession of King Taejo has never been interrupted until modern times. The last ruler, Sunjong, or Emperor Yungheui who was forcibly demoted by the Japanese military as head of state in 1910. The successor to the royal lineage of the Joseon Dynasty at this time is only a descendant of Yeongchinwang (Crown Prince of Uimin) and Uichinwang (Prince Uihwa) who is the younger brother Sunjong

During his regime, Joseon took full control of Korea, embraced Confucianism and applied it in society, importing and adopting Chinese culture. It was at this time that Korea achieved glory in the fields of culture, literature and science. However, Joseon suffered a serious setback in the late 16th to early 17th centuries due to the Japanese invasion and the invasion of the Qing Dynasty. 

That caused Joseon to start a policy of isolation from the outside world so it was known as the Hermit Kingdom. Joseon slowly opened up in the 18th century, but faced internal strife, foreign pressure, and internal rebellion so that towards the end of the 19th century, Joseon began to lose his skills.

 In 1895, Joseon was forced to sign independence documents from the Qing Dynasty after Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War and the Shimonoseki Peace Treaty. In 1897-1910, Joseon was generally known as the Korean Empire to signify that Joseon was no longer under the authority of the Qing Dynasty. The Japanese Empire ended the Joseon Dynasty in 1910 when King Gojong was forced to sign the Japan-Korea Annexation Agreement.

The Joseon Dynasty has left a very influential legacy on the face of modern Korea; cultural etiquette and norms, social behavior, and also modern Korean language and the dialect is rooted in the traditional thought patterns of this period.