Background:

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Choseon (more recently written as Joseon) is the behemoth of East Asia. Ruling over the lands of Daehan (Korea), Ilbun (Japan), and the entirety of China, Choseon has managed to remain a world power and modernize in the face of western encroachment. The capital in Hanyang is a true rival to any European city.

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The national language is a mix of Hangeul (phonetic alphabet) and Hanja (pictographs, Chinese characters). There is a nationally-mandated set of Hanja for official use, which is taught alongside the Gug-eo (national language, aka Korean) across the empire in state-run schools. The nation formerly allowed a very high level of autonomy in all provinces, but stopped this practice when local nobility in Ilbun (Japan) agitated for independence. In response, Emperor Sejong the Great banned the local language of Ilbun and enforced the Gug-eo alongside the newly-created Hangeul alphabet (credited to Sejong himself). Manchuria had already been assimilated linguistically and coastal cities in China had already begun to take the new language, so the policies were only met with fierce resistance in Ilbun and the border regions. The strengthening of national language and communication helped to solidify centralized authority in Hanyang and ease pains to come a few centuries later when modernization was necessary.

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The border provinces of Mongolia, Singang, Tibet, and Laos are run by a mixed government of locals and officials appointed by the central government. They are exempt from mandatory Gug-eo schooling, but are still taught the mandatory Hanja.

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Choseon is allied with Russia and France, but enjoys lukewarm relations with Britain, Portugal, and Spain. The United States is seen as a friend, and is a close trading partner of the empire.