Seonggye

Seonggye, commonly spelled Yi Seong-gye, 1335–1408, was a Korean general and statesman who founded the Joseon Dynasty and reigned as Taejo. He rose through the military ranks in the late Goryeo period and emerged as a central figure capable of challenging the Goryeo court. In 1392 he established a new dynasty, Joseon, and took the throne as Taejo. He transferred the capital to Hanyang (present-day Seoul) and initiated reforms aimed at centralizing royal authority and embedding Neo-Confucian ideology in state governance. His government reorganized the bureaucracy, promoted civil service examinations, and sought to reduce the influence of powerful aristocratic factions that had dominated Goryeo.

During his reign, Taejo worked to consolidate power while managing threats from both internal factions and external relations, notably with the Ming dynasty in China. He abdicated in 1398 in favor of his son Jeongjong but remained a dominant figure in court politics until his death in 1408. The foundation he laid for a hereditary monarchy and a centralized bureaucracy shaped Joseon's political structure for centuries. His establishment of Joseon and the subsequent dynasty brought relative political stability but also initiated a lineage-based governance characterized by strong royal authority and Confucian state ideology.

Seonggye is primarily remembered as the founder of Joseon and as Taejo, the first king of the Joseon Dynasty. His legacy is central to Korean historiography and the later development of Korean governance, law, and culture.