Korea’s first empire was the Joseon (Chosŏn) dynasty. The empire’s capital was in Northern Seoul, which is still the capital of modern South Korea. The image above is a rebuilding of the entrance gates to the Gyeongbokbung Palace, the former royal palace of the Joseon, that were destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The legend is that the first leader of the Joseon was believed to be the child of the son of heaven and a bear in the form of a woman. Later, the Joseon dynasty was overthrown by China’s Han dynasty. The Joseon dynasty then became a satellite state to the Chinese, still governing the Korean peninsula but a part of greater Han China. This is just one of many instances (over 1000) that Korea would be invaded by its neighbors. How does the creation story of the Koreans compare to China and Japan?