The people of the Korean peninsula have had a very colorful history. Through the period of the Later Bronze Age the Korean peninsula experienced significant political development. Perhaps the most important of these developments was the creation of the walled-town states. The six walled-town states of the Korean peninsula are seen in Chinese record

Among these philosophers was Chong Tojon, who guided the constitutional character of the Choson dynasty away from Buddhism to Confucianism. "The Grand Rule of Laws, which he propounded, interpreted Confucianism with a pragmatism that made it different from the Chinese model . Examinations to choose government officials, Chong insisted, must not be based merely upon mastery of the literary classics but also upon administrative knowledge and skills , an idea that sought to create a more qualified ruling class. Chong also proposed that a prime minister, who could always be removed if his authority proved to be ineffective, should exercise the duties of administration. Laws were to be framed and executed not for punishment but as deterrents to crime.

Simons, Geoff. Korea the Search for Sovereignty (St. Martin's Press: New York, 1995)

Ki-baik Lee, A New History of Korea, (Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1984)

Two of the principle innovations of the Yi Dynasty were the redistribution of farmlands and the advancement of Confucianism at the expense of Buddhism. Songye moved quickly to confiscate lands owned by former landlords and to distribute these to deserving government officials. Buddhism was discouraged because of its hostility to the virtues of manual labor, a necessity for the new regime. A famous historical Confucian text, the "Choson Kyonggukjon", was recommended as the basic philosophical guide for the rulers of the new kingdom. At the same time many innovations were introduced in such areas as state administration, the shape of the government bureaucracy, state examinations, taxation policy, social discrimination, and facilities for transportation and communication .

The leaders of Choa-hsien soon realized that in order to maintain power over the peninsula they would need to join with other walled-town states to ward off invaders. By the fourth century BCE the confederated kingdom was created and served as an extended political unit of substantial military power . Shortly after the confederated kingdom was created it was challenged by the powerful Yen faction, a powerful contender from northern China. The Yen people asserted that Chao-hsien was arrogant and cruel. By the fourth century BCE the Yen faction invaded the Korean peninsula resulting in the inevitable decline of Chao-hsien. The Yen invasion stimulated new waves of Chinese traffic in official, administrators, traders and military personnel .

Above all, Chong insisted that life must be lived according to a governing principle, which he proposed as being devotion to righteousness. To allow selfish interests to determine conduct is to make man similar to beasts. There must b

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1813
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)