Joseon dynasty

The Joseon dynasty Gwanghaegun Annals (1609) describe a UFO-like sighting in Yangyang: a 'round, glowing object' rose from the ground, shining white, blue, and red, then split in two and vanished. The K-drama 'My Love from the Star' was inspired by this record.

Yi Hwang (Toegye), the greatest Confucian scholar of the Joseon dynasty, removed the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children from his family genealogy, fearing his concubine's son would face discrimination. That distinction has been absent ever since.

Yi Hwang (Toegye), a great Confucian scholar of the Joseon dynasty, found his white mourning robe patched with red cloth by his mentally ill wife. He wore it to the funeral anyway, telling mourners: "Red wards off evil spirits—my wife meant well."

During the Joseon dynasty, hunters in Hamgyeong strapped wooden planks called 'seolma' (雪馬)—an early form of ski—to their feet and charged down snowy slopes to spear tigers. Related artifacts are estimated to be 2,000–3,000 years old.

In 1503, Joseon developed cupellation — a technology to extract silver from lead ore — which was transmitted to Japan. Japan went on to produce 30% of the worlds silver, using this wealth to build national power, which ultimately returned as the Imjin War.