Samguk Yusa Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Samguk Yusa | |
|---|---|
| Korean Name | |
| Revised Romanization | |
| McCune-Reischauer | |
| Hangul | 삼국 유사 |
| Hanja | 三國遺事 |
The text was written in Classical Chinese (as used in writing by literate Koreans at that time) by the Buddhist monk Ilyon (1206-1289) at the end of the 13th century, a century after the Samguk Sagi.
Unlike the more factually-oriented Samguk Sagi, Ilyon focused more on the various folklores, legends, and biographies. Many of the founding legends of the various kingdoms in Korean history are recorded in this book. Ilyon covered the legends of all the kingdoms of Korean nation. This includes Ancient Joseon, Wiman Joseon, Buyeo, Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and Gaya.
Some claim that this is the first written record of Dangun, the mythic founder of Ancient Joseon (Go-Joseon), and his founding of the Korean nation. The mythical nature of the account of Dangun has led some people to believe that the existence of Ancient Joseon in the 24th century BCE is more legend than factual history. Some historians say that the story of Dangun was already recorded by historians during the latter Silla period, but the lack of currently-existing historical records (many of the Silla based records were destoryed during the Mongol invasions of Korea in the 13th and 14th centuries) can neither corroborate nor disprove the factual existence of Ancient Joseon. Nevertheless, Samguk Yusa is the oldest existing record today of Dangun.