[History Lives On – Gojoseon Series] Episode 22: Gojoseon and Modern Korea – What Gojoseon Means to Us
October 3rd, 2025. Gaecheonjeol—Foundation Day. Across South Korea, the Taegeukgi (national flag) waves proudly. The nation commemorates the day Dangun Wanggeom founded Gojoseon 4,358 years ago.
But wait. Do we truly understand Gojoseon? Is it myth or history? Why do South and North Korea interpret Gojoseon so differently? Why was the Dangun-based calendar (Dangi), abolished in 1962, never revived?
In 21st-century South Korea, Gojoseon transcends ancient history—it’s a matter of identity. As K-Pop sweeps the globe, Korean films win Oscars, and Korean dramas dominate Netflix, we still celebrate a 4,000-year-old founding myth as a national holiday. Is this conservatism, or wisdom in remembering our roots?
◆ The Ancient Landscape – Evolution of Gojoseon Perception
October 12, 1897. Emperor Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire (Daehan Empire) and officially designated Dangun as the nation’s founding ancestor (Gukjo, 國祖). “Our imperial family inherits the legitimate lineage of Dangun”—this declaration was revolutionary for its time. It marked the awakening of Korean national identity, long suppressed under centuries of Sinocentric tribute systems toward Ming and Qing China.
However, everything changed with Japan’s annexation in 1910. The Japanese Government-General of Korea systematically began denying Dangun’s historicity. Colonial historian Imanishi Ryū (今西龍) dismissed Dangun as “legend” in his 1929 work A Study of Dangun (檀君考). Reducing Dangun to myth was central to colonial historiography’s argument that Koreans lacked the capacity to build their own state.
“Korea perished as Daehan (大韓), so let it be reborn as Daehan.”
– April 11, 1919, Decision on the National Title for the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
◆ Liberation and the Revival of Gojoseon
📅 September 1948
South Korea’s Constituent Assembly adopted the Dangun Era (Dangi, 檀紀) as the official calendar. 1948 CE became Dangi 4281
📅 October 1949
The National Holiday Act designated Gaecheonjeol (October 3rd) as a national holiday commemorating Gojoseon’s founding
📅 January 1962
Park Chung-hee’s government abolished Dangi and adopted the Common Era (CE), citing “practical necessity for international exchange”
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[Image: Side-by-side comparison of a 1948 official document marked “Dangi 4281” and a current document marked “2025 CE,” showing the dramatic shift in how Korea marks time]
📜 Scene from That Day – January 1, 1962
“From today, Dangi is abolished. Use only the Common Era.”
A government clerk stares at stacks of Dangi 4295 calendars piled in a storage corner. Just yesterday, all official documents used Dangi. Diplomas, newspapers, even arithmetic problems asked, “Convert Dangi to CE.” Now, all of it becomes history. The grandfather sighs, “Are we abandoning what’s ours?” The young man replies, “We have no choice if we want to communicate with the world.” In one night, 4,295 years shrank to 1,962.
◆ North and South: Divergent Interpretations of Gojoseon
October 2, 1993. North Korea made a bombshell announcement: “We have excavated the Tomb of Dangun. We have found Dangun’s remains.” According to North Korea, radiocarbon dating of human bones excavated from this tomb in Kangdong County, Pyongyang, placed them at 3018 BCE. Thus, North Korea officially claimed “5,000 years of history.”
South Korean scholars responded with skepticism. The tomb’s structure was clearly a stone-chamber tomb (jeokseokchong, 積石塚) from the Goguryeo period (3rd-4th centuries CE). The gilt-bronze crown also belonged to the Three Kingdoms period style. North Korea’s explanation—that Goguryeo people reinterred Dangun’s bones 3,500 years later—was academically untenable.
Why did North Korea make this choice? In the early 1990s, as the Soviet Union collapsed and the Eastern Bloc crumbled, North Korea needed new legitimacy. To justify the hereditary succession from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-il, they constructed a “Pyongyang-centered history” stretching back 5,000 years to Dangun. Elevating Pyongyang as the birthplace of “Daedong River Civilization” and claiming status among “the world’s five great civilizations” served the same purpose.
South Korean View
Founded 2333 BCE, Bronze Age culture + mythological elements
North Korean View
Born 3018 BCE in Pyongyang, emphasizing 5,000 years of history
Common Ground
Source of national identity, origin of state formation
Key Differences
Historical interpretation, territorial claims, political utilization
🔍 Academic Perspectives
Mainstream View
Gojoseon was a real state, but founding date and Dangun’s existence require careful scholarly approach. Focus on archaeological evidence of Bronze Age culture
Alternative View
Dangun was a priestly title. 47 Danguns ruled for 1,908 years. Gojoseon’s center migrated from Liaoning to Liaodong to Pyongyang
◆ Speaking to Our Present
In 2025, South Korea ranks among the world’s top 10 economies. K-Pop, K-dramas, and K-films captivate global audiences. It leads in semiconductors, batteries, shipbuilding, and automobiles. So why do we still discuss Gojoseon from 4,358 years ago?
The answer is “identity.” Hongik Ingan (弘益人間)—the founding principle of “broadly benefiting humanity”—remains enshrined in Article 2 of South Korea’s Framework Act on Education. This spirit manifests today through K-quarantine during COVID-19, through Korean Wave content, and through development assistance to emerging nations (DAC membership in 2021).
| Category | Gojoseon Era | Present |
|---|---|---|
| Founding Principle | Hongik Ingan (弘益人間) | Specified in Framework Act on Education Article 2, K-brand philosophy |
| Commemoration | October ritual ceremonies | Gaecheonjeol (National Holiday) |
| Identity | Independent East Asian civilization | Global cultural power, developed nation (recognized 2021) |
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[Image: Citizens gathered at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Plaza on Gaecheonjeol 2025 with Taegeukgi flags, modern skyscrapers rising behind them—tradition and modernity coexisting]
📚 Diving Deeper
- In 2007, South Korea’s Ministry of Education changed textbook language from “Dangun is said to have founded Gojoseon” to “Dangun founded Gojoseon,” partially acknowledging historicity
- The National Museum of Korea’s Gojoseon gallery displays mandolin-shaped bronze daggers and dolmen models (free admission)
- In 2021, South Korea joined the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC), transforming from aid recipient to donor—a modern practice of Hongik Ingan spirit
The Voice of Living History
Gojoseon is not a relic behind museum glass. On October 3rd, 2025, as we observe Gaecheonjeol, Dangun’s Hongik Ingan spirit lives in the present tense. When BTS tells the UN “Love yourself,” when Netflix K-dramas move 100 million households worldwide, when South Korea donates COVID vaccines to developing nations—we practice Hongik Ingan.
“Between myth and history, we still stand. And that is what makes us strong.”
Previous Episode
Episode 21: The Territorial Debate
Next Episode
Episode 23: Epilogue – The Legacy of 2,225 Years
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This content is based on historical facts and presents various academic perspectives in a balanced manner.
<저작권자 ⓒ 코리안투데이(The Korean Today) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지>
