Kaesong

Timeline

1. 1371–1374Kaesong royal palace and Mangledae · Hwanghae North ProvinceAround 1371 King Gongmin personally ruled from Kaesong, rectifying the palace guard and reforming the jeonchaek system; Mangledae and Manwoldae were sites for deliberation and excursions. The capital maintained the Three Offices and Six Ministries and the relay station system, the Yecheon River shipping was unobstructed, and merchants gathered, showing a brief revival during the reform period.
2. 1375–1377Kaesong inner city · Hwanghae North ProvinceAfter King Gongmin's murder, coups were frequent in the Kaesong court; King U was young, powerful ministers usurped rule, and the inner city was heavily guarded. Between 1375 and 1377, factions led by figures such as Yi Myeongdeok and Im Chun contended; capital security tightened and eased, but market trade and Buddhist ceremonies continued, and the city's functions did not fully halt.
3. 1378–1380Kaesong Banjeongjeon market district · Hwanghae North ProvinceBy 1378–1380, Kaesong's population still exceeded 100,000; in market districts such as Banjeongjeon, merchants traded, exporting ginseng, furs, porcelain, and books. Ming envoys came and went through Kaesong's relay stations, and the city's status as Goryeo's political and economic hub remained, but powerful-faction separatism and strained frontier defense already foreshadowed the dynasty's end.