Old Joseon

Gojoseon
고조선(古朝鮮)
?–108 BCE
Gojoseon at its decline in 108 BCE
Capital		Wanggeom
Government		Monarchy
King
•	? - 194 BCE	Jun
•	194 BCE - ?	Wi Man
•	? - 108 BCE	Wi Ugeo (last)
Historical era		Ancient
•	legendarily established	2333 BCE ?
•	First mentioned in Chinese texts	c. 700 BC
•	Coup by Wi Man	194 BC
•	Gojoseon-Han War	109 BC - 108 BC
•	Fall of Wanggeom	108 BCE
Succeeded by Buyeo kingdom Samhan Four Commanderies of Han
Today part of		North Korea  South Korea  China

Gojoseon (고조선; 古朝鮮; [ko.dʑo.sʌn]), originally named Joseon (조선; 朝鮮; [tɕo.sʌn]), was an ancient Korean kingdom. The addition of Go (고, ), meaning "ancient", distinguishes it from the other kingdoms called Joseon.

The founding legend of Gojoseon, which is recorded in the Samguk Yusa (1281) and other medieval Korean books, states that the country was established in 2333 BCE by Dangun, said to be descended from heaven. While no evidence has been found that supports whatever facts may lie beneath this, the account has played an important role in developing Korean national identity.

In the 12th century BCE Gija, a prince from the Shang dynasty of China, purportedly founded Gija Joseon. However, due to the lack of archaeological evidence, its existence has been challenged since the 20th century, and today no longer forms the mainstream understanding of this period.

The historical Gojoseon kingdom was first mentioned in Chinese records in the early 7th century BCE. During its early phase, the capital of Gojoseon was located in Liaoning; around 400 BCE, it was moved to Pyongyang, while in the south of the peninsula, the Jin state arose by the 3rd century BCE.

In 108 BCE, the Han dynasty of China invaded and conquered Wiman Joseon. The Han established four commanderies to administer the Gojoseon territory. The area was later conquered by Goguryeo in 313 CE.