What is wrong with "Yi Dynasty?"

If you use the term "Yi Dynasty" on your website, you will receive massive amounts of mail of protests from Korea. Here is an example:

And Yi, the name for Joseon Dynasty, is wrong expression. When Korea was under the rule of Japanese imperialism, Japanese government made the name "Yi Dynasty" for denying orthodoxy of Joseon Dynasty. So, you should not use the expression, Yi Dynasty.

If you are familiar with "Lancaster dynasty" or "Hapsburg Dynasty," it sounds strange. Why can the dynastic orthodoxy be denied by "Yi Dynasty?" This mail has no answer.

Why is this term commonly used in the first place? It is because Joseon (Chosun) is used as the diachronic name for Korea. Every time a new dynasty was established, China changed its name: Yin (Shang), Zhou, Qin, Han, etc. And Korea followed the Chinese tradition: Silla, Goryeo and Joseon. Although we use "Korea" diachronically in English, there was no such a word in CJKV (East Asia). For this reason Joseon is adopted as the name including all dynasties, and as a result, the dynasty founded by Yi Seonggye is referred to as "Yi Dynasty" instead of Joseon.

It is not uncommon that dynasties are not called their official names. For example, the Former or Western Han Dynasty was called just "Han," but is called so today, to tell from the Latter or Eastern Han Dynasty or other minor Han dynasties. Koreans seem to suffer from persecution complex.

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