The First Korean Kingdom, Gojoseon

This is the Gojoseon Room. It displays artifacts from Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. The legend of ‘Dangun’ the founder explains how this ancient kingdom came into being.

A long time ago, the son of heaven, wishing to govern our planet, descended to earth with 3,000 servants, including the masters of wind, rain, and clouds. One day, a bear and a tiger came to visit him and asked him to make them human. He told the bear and tiger that they must remain for 100 days in a cave, existing on a diet of just mugwort and garlic. Although the tiger quickly gave up, the bear endured the trial and its wish was granted. The bear was transformed into a woman and married the son of heaven. Their son was Dangun who founded the Gojoseon kingdom.

Myths about the spiritual founder of a nation are common in Korea, as well as in other neighboring countries such as Mongolia, Japan and China. They symbolize the sacredness of a nation and the absolute power of its leader.

Gojoseon was based on a highly developed bronze culture, and acquired even greater strength after adopting iron production. The independent culture of Gojoseon flourished until its collapse in 108 B.C., but it continued to influence later nations on the peninsula. The first Korean kingdom, Gojoseon, is deeply rooted in the spirit of the Korean people, even today.