The Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 700,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BCE, and the Neolithic period began before 6000 BCE, followed by the Bronze Age around 1500 BCE, and the Iron Age begins around 400 BCE. Korea is considered to be one of the oldest continuous civilizations in the world.[1]
According to the Samguk Yusa and other Korean medieval-era records, the Gojoseon (Old Joseon) kingdom was founded in northern Korea and Manchuria by 2333 BCE,[2] and the Jin state forms in southern Korea in the 3rd century BCE. Gojoseon was invaded by Han dynasty in the 1st century BCE. The result of the fall of Gojoseon led to successor warring states, Proto–Three Kingdoms period spans the later Iron Age. Since 1st century, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla grew to control the peninsula and Manchuria as the Three Kingdoms (57 BCE-668 CE) until the unification by Silla in 676. In 698, Dae Jo-yeong established Kingdom of Balhae, which led to the North South States Period (698-926).
In the late 9th century, Silla was divided into the Later Three Kingdoms (892-936), which ended with the unification of the Goryeo Dynasty. During the Goryeo period, laws were codified, a civil service system was introduced, and Buddhism flourished.
In 1392, general Yi Seong-gye established the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) after a coup. King Sejong the Great (1418–1450) implemented numerous administrative, social, economical reforms, established royal authority in the early years of the dynasty, and promulgated Hangul, the Korean alphabet. However, the dynasty was severely weakened during the late 16th and early 17th centuries during the Imjin wars and the Manchu invasions. Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace.
In 18th century, Korea was faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure and rebellions at home, the Joseon Dynasty declined rapidly in the late 19th century. In 1897, Korean Empire (1897–1910) succeeded Joseon Dyansty. However, Imperial Japan forced the Korean Empire to sign the Eulsa Treaty and in 1910 annexed the Korean Empire.[3]
Korean resistance was manifested in the widespread nonviolent March 1st Movement of 1919 during the occupation. Thereafter the greater resistance movments, coordinated by the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in exile, was largely active in neighboring Manchuria, China and Siberia.
After the liberation in 1945, the partition of Korea created the modern two states of North and South Korea. In 1948, new governments were established, the nominally Capitalist South Korea ("Republic of Korea") and Communist North Korea ("Democratic People's Republic of Korea") divided at the 38th parallel. The unresolved tensions of the division surfaced in the Korean War of 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea.
