The Joseon Kingdom of Korea, officially the Kingdom of Great Joseon, emerged from the ashes of
Mongolia and
Ming invasions via a coup d'état by General Yi Seonggye (later known as King Taejo) in 1392. From the start, Joseon Korea's connection to
Ming China was strong: When settling on a name for the new kingdom, Taejo submitted the options 'Hwaryeong' and 'Joseon' to Ming and decided on the latter after its endorsement by the Emperor.
This close connection to
Ming China was to remain until the downfall of the Ming in the mid-17th century - as was Korea's subordinate status in the relationship. As followers of Confucianism, Koreans viewed China as being at the heart of the Korean world, and Joseon Korea came to be in some ways even more sinicized than China itself - a 'little China'. For their part, the Chinese viewed Joseon Korea as the 'country of courteous people in the East.' For as long as Ming remains the undisputed claimant to the Mandate of Heaven, the maintenance of these strong bonds will remain vital to the survival of the fledgling Korean kingdom.
The achievements of the first century of Joseon rule were considerable. In the early 15th century, the border regions of Gyeongseong and Yukjin were taken from the
Manchu, allowing the Koreans to unite the territory which would form modern-day Korea. There was also a flourishing of academia and knowledge. In particular, the hangul alphabet was introduced in 1446. Unlike the Chinese alphabet, it was designed to be both easy to learn and easy to adapt to the Korean language, making its use far more convenient and allowing a far broader section of society to read scholarly texts. Further notable progress was made in the fields of agriculture, gun powder and the codification of the law, and major efforts were made to survey and recorded the geography of the land.
However, threats to the Korean kingdom remain from both within and beyond its borders. At home, Korea's peasants remain poor, and both peasant uprisings and insufficient tax receipts are likely to become a problem if nothing is done to rectify the situation. Furthermore, although the upper class of yangban elites has for the most part been united, the cracks in this façade are already beginning to show and could erupt into factional strife at anytime.
On the foreign front lie threats aplenty. To the north await the warlike
Manchu - although presently divided, should they come to be unified under a strong leader, an invasion of Korea might follow swiftly. Similarly, across the sea to the east lies
Japan, a nation of warring daimyos and would-be shoguns. Korea must be vigilant, lest a united Japan seek to expand its power across narrow channel of the Korean Sea. Finally, although Korea basks in the shadow of the
Ming Empire, woe betide the Joseon prince who wakes the dragon!
