(1392 – 1910) Last and longest-lived of Korea's dynasties. Chinese cultural influences were intense in this period, when
Neo-Confucianism was adopted as the ideology of the state and society. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Korea suffered invasions at the hands of the Japanese and
Manchus. Many cultural assets were lost, and it took the country nearly a century to recover. At the end of the 19th century, foreign powers once again threatened Korea; it was annexed by Japan in 1910. During the Chos
on dynasty the Korean alphabetic script Hangul (
see Korean language) was created, and the
yangban, a new aristocracy, was established.
See also Yi Song-gye.
For more information on Choson dynasty, visit Britannica.com.