ABSTRACT
The north borders China, with a small portion in the northeast bordering Russia. The East Sea is to the east, the Yellow Sea to the west. The whole peninsula is very mountainous with the highest mountains in the north. The Goryeo period lasted for four centuries. Buddhism was the main religion and helped define society. Major festivals had Buddhist origins and Buddhist temples were built throughout the peninsula. General Yi Seong-gye seized power in 1392, beginning the Joseon dynasty, one of the world’s longest and most dominant governments. Education was therefore the key to political power. The government put a large bureaucracy in place, constructed palaces and government offices, carried out land surveys, promulgated laws, issued currency and constructed a maritime grain transportation system. In the early 1700s, American and European merchants arrived in East Asia, but the Joseon government continued its isolationist policies, rejecting overtures to trade or form alliances.
