Korean History › Three Kingdoms › Gojoseon
Han commanderies (Lelang and others)
108 BC – AD 313 (Lelang)· Empire, kingdom or state· Rulers & states
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Four Chinese administrative districts set up in 108–107 BC on former Gojoseon land; Lelang, near Pyongyang, lasted until 313.
See it on the Korean History map →What happened
After the conquest, Han created four commanderies (한사군): Lelang (Nangnang), Zhenfan, Lintun and Xuantu. Local resistance soon forced the abolition or withdrawal of all but Lelang, which ruled the Daedong River basin from a walled town near Pyongyang. A wooden census from 45 BC lists about 280,000 registered people. Around 204 its southern part became Daifang commandery. Goguryeo took Lelang in 313 and Daifang soon after.
Why it matters
For four centuries they were a gateway for Chinese writing, iron, lacquer and luxury goods, and a rival that pushed Goguryeo and southern chiefdoms to organize.
How we know
Han histories; thousands of excavated tombs near Pyongyang with seals, lacquerware and inscriptions; a 45 BC census on wooden tablets found in a Pyongyang tomb.
Still debated
Lelang's location is politically charged: most scholars place it at Pyongyang; North Korean and some South Korean writers place it in Liaoning, partly reacting to colonial-era Japanese uses of the finds.
Connections (3)
▸Han conquest of Gojoseon created Han commanderies (Lelang and others)Well documented
The connection
With Wiman Joseon gone, Han organized its lands into four commanderies, Lelang, Zhenfan, Lintun and Xuantu, in 108–107 BC. Each was run by appointed governors with Chinese officials, laws and garrisons. Only Lelang endured for long.
When and how
Former Gojoseon lands in northern Korea and southern Manchuria, 108–107 BC.
How we know
The Han shu's geography records, plus excavated Lelang official seals and inscriptions near Pyongyang.
Debates and open questions
Where Zhenfan and Lintun lay is uncertain, and some nationalist historians dispute Lelang's location at Pyongyang.
▸Goguryeo conquered the last of the Han commanderies (Lelang and others)Well documented
The connection
Goguryeo raided the commanderies for centuries, pushing Xuantu northwest. When China fragmented after 300, King Micheon seized Lelang in 313, and Daifang fell soon after, ending some 400 years of Chinese administration on the peninsula and opening the Daedong basin to Goguryeo.
When and how
Pyongyang region, 313–314; King Micheon of Goguryeo, while China's Western Jin was collapsing.
How we know
Samguk sagi and Chinese histories; dated Chinese-style brick tombs show some Lelang residents stayed on under Goguryeo rule.
Debates and open questions
How quickly Goguryeo truly controlled the area, and how Lelang's name was later revived in Liaodong for refugees, are debated.
▸Han commanderies (Lelang and others) were supplied with iron by Samhan: the Mahan, Jinhan and Byeonhan confederaciesWell documented
The connection
Lelang and Daifang drew iron from Byeonhan, where, Chinese records say, iron served as currency and was supplied to the two commanderies. In return, Chinese mirrors, coins and writing brushes flowed south, and contact helped southern chiefs grow richer and better organized.
When and how
Byeonhan region along the Nakdong River, 1st century BC–3rd century AD; trade by sea along the west coast.
How we know
The Records of the Three Kingdoms (about 280) describes the iron trade; Han coins, mirrors and brushes were excavated at Daho-ri and Gimhae.
Debates and open questions
Whether this was trade, tribute or taxation, and how much Chinese contact drove state formation in the south, is debated.