Gojoseon is Korea's legendary first kingdom, traditionally founded in 2333 BCE; its historically verifiable phase controlled Manchuria and the northern Korean peninsula until conquest by the Han dynasty.
Gojoseon's royal line was ended in 194 BCE when the Chinese refugee Wiman (Wei Man) staged a coup deposing King Jun; the successor state Wiman Joseon was then conquered by the Han dynasty of China in 108 BCE after Emperor Wu launched a campaign that captured the capital Wanggeom-seong and killed King Ugeo, establishing four Han commanderies in the region.
The standard English-language survey of Korean history from ancient Gojoseon to the modern period; essential background.
Era/regional: the classic survey of Korean history, with an authoritative treatment of Gojoseon's emergence and its fall to Han China.