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Choe Nam-seon’s Research on Gojoseon and Kija Joseon

  • The Review of Korean History
  • 2026, (163), pp.7~48
  • Publisher : The Historical Society Of Korea
  • Research Area : Humanities > History
  • Received : August 17, 2026
  • Accepted : September 21, 2026
  • Published : September 30, 2026

WonChin Cho 1

1한양대학교(ERICA캠퍼스) 문화유산연구소

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study examines Yukdang Choe Nam-seon’s research on Gojoseon and Kija Joseon and clarifies its historiographical significance. Choe Nam-seon’s perception of Gojoseon’s territory and center was not static, but evolved in response to historical circumstances and his field exploration experiences. His localization of the center shifted from the initial “Baekdusan–Pyongyang migration theory” to the “Liaohe–Songhua River basin to Pyongyang migration theory,” and eventually to the “Pyongyang-centered theory.” Although his territorial perception of Gojoseon underwent several shifts, it was ultimately defined as encompassing northern Korea and southern Manchuria as its primary historical arena. He posited that Gojoseon confronted the state of Yan along its western border centered on the Yaosu (Liao River), crossing beyond the Liaoxi region during times of peak strength, but retreated to the Yalu River line following the invasion of the Yan general Qin Kai. In addition, he classified the ethnic group of Gojoseon as the Ye (濊) tribe, identical to that of Buyeo. The most original and significant research achievement of Choe Nam-seon’s Gojoseon research was his systematic critique of the fictitious nature of the Kija Joseon theory and his replacement of it with Gaeaji Joseon (Haessi Joseon), an indigenous dynasty unique to Gojoseon. Against Japanese scholars such as Imanishi Ryu, who used the fictitiousness of the Kija tradition as a pretext to render the history of Gojoseon prior to the 3rd century BCE a historical blank, Choe proved the fictitious nature of Kija Joseon from various perspectives. Furthermore, his attempt to place an indigenous ruling power in the position where Kija was negated led to the research of contemporary historians, such as Jeong In-bo’s “Geom Joseon” and Yi Byeong-do’s “Han-ssi Joseon.” In addition, he sought to independently establish the system of Gojoseon history by identifying Wiman as of Joseon descent, leaving meaningful implications for the subsequent course of ancient history research in Korean scholarship.

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This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.
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