Person

Dangun

Also known as Dangun Wanggeom

Dangun is the legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. The thirteenth-century Samguk yusa describes him as the son of a heavenly prince and a bear transformed into a woman, and dates his founding of the state to 2333 BCE. He is honoured as the mythical ancestor of the Korean people, and South Korea marks National Foundation Day on 3 October in his memory.

Dangun
Image: Chae Yong-sin (1850-1941) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Gojoseon

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Dangun. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/dangun
MLA
“Dangun.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/dangun. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Dangun.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/dangun.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Dangun’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/dangun (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻