or T'aejo
born 1335
died 1408
Founder of the Korean Chos 014F; n dynasty (13921910).
A military leader in the Kory 014F; dynasty, he rose through the ranks by battling invading forces. He defeated his rivals and drove out the last king of the Kory 014F; dynasty, taking the throne in 1392. He established his capital at Hanyang (now Seoul). He and his successors redistributed land, which had been concentrated in the hands of a few high-ranking bureaucrats, throughout the various levels of officialdom. In a break with the past, he made Neo-Confucianism the state religion, replacing Buddhism. Farming was made the centre of the economy. In foreign relations, he maintained a close relationship with China's Ming dynasty .