The three Gojoseon kingdoms are states noted in history texts such as Joseon Sangosa, and have been researched by several historians, although not completely accepted by all scholars. In popular Korean history, drawing on the Korean founding myth, Gojoseon was an early state of Korea that was established around Liaoning, southern Manchuria, and the northern Korean peninsula. It was anciently known simply as Joseon, but is now referred to as Gojoseon, i.e. "Ancient Joseon" to distinguish it from the much later Kingdom of Joseon. According to some sources, Gojoseon was a kingdom formed by the union of three confederacies, or Samhan: Majoseon, Jinjoseon and Beonjoseon. These three confederacies were also known as Mahan, Byeonhan, and Jinhan. In conventional Korean history, these three confederacies appeared following Gojoseon's break-up, in the central and southern Korean Peninsula, until they were fully absorbed into the Three Kingdoms of Korea around the 4th century CE. Therefore, these later Samhan must be distinguished from the "former Samhan", or Samjoseon.
Government structure
Based on Joseon Sangosa, written in 1924–25 by Sin Chaeho, Gojoseon had an organizational system of three states and 5 ministries. The three states consisted of Jinjoseon, Majoseon and Beonjoseon. Jinjoseon was ruled by the Supreme Dangun. Beonjoseon and Majoseon were ruled by two Vice-Danguns. The Five Ministries, or Ohga, included Dotga, Gaeda, Soga, Malga and Shinga according to their areas of east, west, south, north and center. This ministry system using the name of animals was also used by Buyeo, a successor state of Gojoseon. In wartime, five military troops consisting of a central army, an advanced army, a left army and a right army were organized, according to military commands, by the general of the central army. It is said that the traditional Korean game of Yut is patterned after these five military structures. Generally, the succession system of the Supreme Dangun and the Vice-Dangun was determined by heredity, and sometimes the ruler could be succeeded by one of the Ohga, suggesting that the sovereign's power was not absolute.
Territory of Three Confederacies
Majoseon was located on the Korean peninsula, Jinjoseon was located in Manchuria, and Beojoseon was located around Liaoning. Gojoseon was developed in the time of bronze wares, and continued to the Iron Age. The territory of the three Gojoseons is recognizable by the occurrence of their unique style of bronze sword, i.e., the mandolin-shaped dagger. Their mandolin-shaped dagger is found around Liaoning, Manchuria, the Korean peninsula and even Hebei. The shape of the mandolin-shape daggers of Gojoseon is very different from that of those found in China. Moreover, the composition of Gojoseon's bronze contains much more tin than that of China.
Jinjoseon (2333 BC – 239 BC)
It is usually said that the prefixes Ma, Jin and Beon were borrowed from Chinese characters to represent the Korean language. Jin represents the meanings of "whole" or "general"; thus Jinjoseon refers to the central confederacy of Gojoseon. Asadal was the capital city of Jinjoseon governed by Dangun, and the other two Joseons were governed by the vice Danguns. Joseon Sangosa says that Asadal corresponds to the current Harbin. In history books, Jinjoseon was usually called Jin. In 425 BC, the name of Ancient Joseon was changed to Great Buyeo, and the capital city was moved to Jangdang. At this time, Jinjoseon did not have enough power to control Beonjoseon and Majoseon, and gradually Gojoseon began to disintegrate. In 239 BC, Jinjoseon was conquered by Hae Mosu Dangun, and the state name was changed to Buyeo.
Beonjoseon (2333 BC – 108 BC)
Beon or sometimes Byun means a plain or a field. Because Beonjoseon was a neighbor to the Chinese states, Chinese history usually referred to Beonjoseon as Gojoseon or simply Joseon. According to Shin, Gija Joseon and Wiman Joseon were usurpations of Beonjoseon, and the Danguns allowed Gija and Wiman to rule over Beonjoseon because they were of the Dongyi race. Chinese usually referred to the ancestral Korean race as Dong-yi, meaning eastern barbarians. Dangun had assigned Chidunam as a vice Dangun of Beonjoseon. Its capital city was "Heomdok", also called Wanggeom-seong. Chidunam was a descendant of Emperor Chi-Woo the Great of Baedalguk of the Baedal royalty. Hyeomdokhyeon is currently located in Changli County of Hebei Province in the modern People's Republic of China. According to Joseon Sangosa, the Gi family became the kings of Beonjoseon in 323 BC, and the central authority of the Vice-Dangun became very powerful. Beonjoseon of the Gi family was usurped by Wiman in 193 BC; it was called Wiman Joseon henceforth. The last Vice-Dangun, Gijun, fled with his nobles and a large number of people into the Korean peninsula. There, he conquered Majoseon, and established Mahan.
Majoseon (2333 BC – ?)
Ma is generally used to represent "south", and Majoseon was located to the south of Jinjoseon. Dangun assigned Ungbaekda as Vice Dangun of Majoseon. Its capital city was Pyongyang. It is uncertain how long Majoseon endured, but it is thought to have been conquered by Gijun when he fled from Wiman, and then changed the name of the state to Mahan — one of the confederacies of the later Samhan. It seems that Mahan continued until it was conquered by Baekje.
Disintegration of Three Gojoseon
According to Joseon Sangosa, the disintegration of the three Gojoseon started around 400 BC, when Yan attacked Gojoseon, and Gihu became the king of Beonjoseon. At this time, it seems that Gihu did not fall under the jurisdiction of Jinjoseon, and Beonjoseon under the Gi family became independent of Jinjoseon. Thereafter, the influence of Jinjoseon over Beonjoseon and Majoseon being greatly weakened, the disintegration of Gojoseon became inevitable.
