Chun () was the last king of Old Chosŏn or in some scenarios, Kija Chosŏn. He was forcibly succeeded by Wiman (Weiman), whose usurpation of the throne began the dynasty of Wiman Chosŏn of Old Chosŏn.
Identity The genealogy of King Chun is currently disputed by modern historians. In native Korean records, there is no mention of a name "Chun" that ruled over Old Chosŏn.
In Chinese accounts such as the Book of the Later Han, it states that Chun was the last king of Kija Chosŏn, a possible second dynasty that began after Kija (Jizi) founded the dynasty.
Usurpation by Wiman According to the Chinese text Book of the Later Han, Wiman entered Old Chosŏn as a refugee, and submitted to King Chun. Chun granted Wiman's request to serve as a commander of the western borders.
The Book of the Later Han describes Wiman revolting against King Chun's Kija Chosŏn, and successfully usurping the throne to found his new dynasty, the Wiman Chosŏn.
Alleged exile to Mahan confederacy Sometime around 194–193 BCE after Wiman's revolt, King Chun and his followers headed down into the southern part of the Korean peninsula. According to the myth, the Mahan confederacy was founded and King Chun became its first sovereign.
However, the original source, the Book of the Later Han's claim did not clearly state which kingdom of Korea King Chun established, with it being described as the "King of Han (韓王)". It was only associated with Mahan based on later assumptions such as geographical proximity.
Currently, historians from both Koreas (North and South) suspect an attempt of sinicization (similar to Jinhan with Qin dynasty; see Jinhan confederacy's misconceptions) and reject the existence of Jizi (Kija) and Kija Chosŏn within history of Korea, thus in turn, rejecting the stories found about King Chun (the supposed last ruler of Kija Chosŏn) and his alleged exile to Mahan confederacy. Since Wiman Chosŏn's existence is considered more likely than Kija Chosŏn, and that Wiman did overthrow the previous dynasty, it is deduced that a king of the original dynasty (Old Chosŏn) met the same demise as Chun and may have been exiled as well.
See also List of Korean monarchs History of Korea
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