Wiman Joseon
Encyclopedia
Wiman Joseon was part of the Gojoseon
period (2333 BC? - 108 BC) of Korean history. It began with Wiman
's seizure of the throne from Gojoseon
's King Jun and ended with the death of King Ugeo
who was a grandson of Wiman.
, who submitted to Gojoseon's King Jun. Jun accepted and appointed Wiman as the commander of the western border region of Gojoseon, which corresponds to the west of the present-day Liaoning
. Despite the generosity that King Jun had demonstrated, Wiman revolted and destroyed Gojoseon. In 194 BCE, he established Wiman Joseon and decided to locate his capital in Wanggeom-seong
(왕검성, 王險城). Shihchi jijie says that Wanggeom-seong is Pyongyang
city. The exact location of Wanggeom-seong remains unsettled due to lack of definite archaeological evidence.
In this period, Wiman Joseon expanded to control a vast territory and became strong economically by controlling trade between China's Han Dynasty
and many nations at Manchuria
. Emperor Wu of Han
thought that Wiman Joseon increasingly threatened Han China, and Wiman Joseon would ally with the Xiongnu
.
(우거,右渠), allowed many exiles from Han China to live in Wiman Joseon. The number of Han grew, however, and King Ugeo prevented the Jin state from communicating with the Han Dynasty
. As a result, in 109 BC, Wudi of China invaded Wiman Joseon near the Luan River. After failing several times to defeat Wiman Joseon's armies, Han Wudi tried to convince the princes of Wiman Joseon to kill King Ugeo. The conspiracy failed and it led to the destruction of the Gojoseon kingdom. After the war Wudi of Han China sentenced two generals to death for failing to defeat Wiman Joseon. For more details of the war between Wiman Joseon and Han China, see the authoritative Chinese history book Shiji (Chapter 115) by Sima Qian
.
After a year of battle, Wanggeom-seong was captured and Wiman Joseon was destroyed. Han China established Four Commanderies of Han
in the captured areas, which corresponds to the current area of Liaodong peninsula. The Commanderies eventually fell to the rising Goguryeo in 4th century AD.
Several nations were formed in its place. Among them was the Nangnang Nation. The Nangnang Nation must be differentiated from the Lelang commandery.
Gojoseon
Gojoseon was an ancient Korean kingdom. Go , meaning "ancient," distinguishes it from the later Joseon Dynasty; Joseon, as it is called in contemporaneous writings, is also romanized as Chosŏn....
period (2333 BC? - 108 BC) of Korean history. It began with Wiman
Wiman of Gojoseon
Wiman was a refugee from the State of Yan who established a kingdom in north-western Korea in the 2nd century BC. He was the first figure in the history of Korea to have been recorded in documents from the same time period.-Biography:...
's seizure of the throne from Gojoseon
Gojoseon
Gojoseon was an ancient Korean kingdom. Go , meaning "ancient," distinguishes it from the later Joseon Dynasty; Joseon, as it is called in contemporaneous writings, is also romanized as Chosŏn....
's King Jun and ended with the death of King Ugeo
Ugeo of Gojoseon
King Ugeo was the last king of Wiman Joseon, the last remnant of Gojoseon. He was a grandson of Wiman.The Chinese viewpoint on this struggle is described in Records of the Grand Historian , according to which the kingdom of Gojoseon had blocked trade between the Han Dynasty and the other kingdoms...
who was a grandson of Wiman.
Founding
Wiman is said to have been a general from the state of YanYan (state)
Yān was a state during the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of Chinese history. Its capital was Ji...
, who submitted to Gojoseon's King Jun. Jun accepted and appointed Wiman as the commander of the western border region of Gojoseon, which corresponds to the west of the present-day Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
. Despite the generosity that King Jun had demonstrated, Wiman revolted and destroyed Gojoseon. In 194 BCE, he established Wiman Joseon and decided to locate his capital in Wanggeom-seong
Wanggeom-seong
Wanggeom-seong was the capital city of Gojoseon from 194 to 108 BC, North Korean sources claim it was located somewhere around Pyongyang, the capital of modern North Korea whilst other Korean histories report it being more in the location of the Liao River in modern China. It is also known as...
(왕검성, 王險城). Shihchi jijie says that Wanggeom-seong is Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
city. The exact location of Wanggeom-seong remains unsettled due to lack of definite archaeological evidence.
In this period, Wiman Joseon expanded to control a vast territory and became strong economically by controlling trade between China's Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
and many nations at Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. Emperor Wu of Han
Emperor Wu of Han
Emperor Wu of Han , , personal name Liu Che , was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty of China, ruling from 141 BC to 87 BC. Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under his reign, as well as the strong and centralized Confucian state he organized...
thought that Wiman Joseon increasingly threatened Han China, and Wiman Joseon would ally with the Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
.
Fall
Wiman's grandson, King UgeoUgeo of Gojoseon
King Ugeo was the last king of Wiman Joseon, the last remnant of Gojoseon. He was a grandson of Wiman.The Chinese viewpoint on this struggle is described in Records of the Grand Historian , according to which the kingdom of Gojoseon had blocked trade between the Han Dynasty and the other kingdoms...
(우거,右渠), allowed many exiles from Han China to live in Wiman Joseon. The number of Han grew, however, and King Ugeo prevented the Jin state from communicating with the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
. As a result, in 109 BC, Wudi of China invaded Wiman Joseon near the Luan River. After failing several times to defeat Wiman Joseon's armies, Han Wudi tried to convince the princes of Wiman Joseon to kill King Ugeo. The conspiracy failed and it led to the destruction of the Gojoseon kingdom. After the war Wudi of Han China sentenced two generals to death for failing to defeat Wiman Joseon. For more details of the war between Wiman Joseon and Han China, see the authoritative Chinese history book Shiji (Chapter 115) by Sima Qian
Sima Qian
Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography for his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , a "Jizhuanti"-style general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to...
.
After a year of battle, Wanggeom-seong was captured and Wiman Joseon was destroyed. Han China established Four Commanderies of Han
Four Commanderies of Han
The Four Commanderies of Han are Lelang, Lintun, Xuantu and Zhenfan commanderies in northern Korean Peninsula and part of the Liaodong Peninsula. set up by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in early 2nd century BC after his conquest of Wiman Joseon...
in the captured areas, which corresponds to the current area of Liaodong peninsula. The Commanderies eventually fell to the rising Goguryeo in 4th century AD.
Several nations were formed in its place. Among them was the Nangnang Nation. The Nangnang Nation must be differentiated from the Lelang commandery.