<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">This question is impossible to answer, since there is no documentary or archaeological evidence that the Gojoseon kingdom actually existed, at least in the form of a state that had diplomatic relations with other states. If "Gojoseon" actually existed, it was most likely a tribe or a tribal federation and therefore would not have come to the attention of Ashoka. We don't even have any evidence for diplomatic contact between "Gojoseon" and any of the states in China that existed before the Qin unified China. (There is also no reliable evidence that King Ashoka knew anything about the various states in China in the 3rd century B.C.E., when he was on the throne. If he and his court didn't know about the existence of the various states of China, it is highly unlikely he would have heard of tribal federations farther east. ) <div><br></div><div>Don Baker</div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On 4-Jun-08, at 6:40 AM, Kenneth G. Corwin wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" background="none" style="font-family:arial;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;width:100%;"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><p>Dear colleagues,</p><div> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p>Would anyone happen to be aware of diplomatic or religious contacts or exchanges between the Ashokan empire and the Gojoseon kingdom, specifically, to what extent, if any, such contacts or exchanges existed, and their nature? Or know of a particular paper or text that might describe or touch on such contacts?</p><div> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p>I would imagine that King Ashoka, or at least his foreign and trade ministers, would have been well aware of Gojoseon, and it was Ashokan policy to spread Buddhim throughout the known world.</p><div> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p>Respectfully,</p><p>Kenneth G. Corwin</p><div> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></td></tr></tbody></table></blockquote></div><br><div apple-content-edited="true"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Donald Baker</div><div>Department of Asian Studies</div><div>University of British Columbia</div><div>Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2 Canada</div><div><a href="mailto:dbaker@interchange.ubc.ca">dbaker@interchange.ubc.ca</a></div><div><br></div></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br></div></body></html>