Republic of Korea National Foundation Day marks the traditional founding of Korea by Tan-gun in 2333 BC. Go-Joseon or Old Korea was the first Korean kingdom.
Go-Joseon (also known as Choson) or Old Korea (2333–206 BC) was the earliest Korean dynasty. According to mythology, it was created in southern Manchuria in the Liao and Taedong River basins.
According to mythology, Prince Hwan-ung descended from heaven to rule the world. In the kingdom, a bear and a tiger begged to the prince to become human. He said that if they resided in a cave for 100 days and just ate mugwort and garlic, they would become human. The tiger became bored and fled, but the bear persevered for 100 days and transformed into a lovely woman. She and Hwan-ung had a son named Tangun Wanggom. When Tangun grew up, he founded a city in Pyongyang (today North Korea's capital) and named his new kingdom Go-Joseon, which means'morning freshness'.
According to Chinese sources, Go-Joseon as a political entity was at least a kingdom by the beginning of the fourth century BC. This closely corresponds with the beginning of the Iron Age in Korea.
Go-Joseon declined, but was re-established in the second century BC as Wiman Joseon.
Some Korean records merge Wiman Joseon, Gija Joseon, and the first Go-Joseon into a single Go-Joseon.
