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Since the prehistoric
age(some million years ago), the ancestors of the Korean people
have lived throughout Manchuria and on
the Korean peninsula in East Asia, and also migrated
from the Altai Mountains to the peninsula. They have developed a
stone, bronze
and iron since then.
The first formation
of the Korean nation by historical record dates back to 2,333
B.C., when Dangun(ÓªÏÖ), the legendary son of the Heavenly God
and a woman from a bear-totem tribe, established the first Korean
kingdom, "GoJoseon(ͯðÈàØ/"Ko-Chosun or Old Joseon
: 2,333 B.C.¡108 B.C.,)" in the heart of present Manchuria.
From that time, Korean kingdoms had ruled almost all the areas
of Manchuria until the Goguryeo Kingdom fell to the Tang-Silla
ally in A.D. 668. Now in the 21st century, it has been over
5,000 years since the "birth" of Korea.
Ancient
Korea was characterized by clan communities that combined to
form small town-states. The rise of Buyeo(Üýæ®, Puyo) was seen
in Manchuria along with a lot of nomadic countries, Dongye(ÔÔçØ),
Okjeo(èªîÁ), and many other tribes of Korean, Mongolian, and
Chinese origin. In the southern part of Korea, tribal leagues
of the Three Han(Jinhan/òãùÛ, Byeonhan/ܧùÛ, Mahan/Ø©ùÛ) gradually
developed to the stage of state building.
The
town-states gradually united into tribal leagues with complex
political structures, which eventually grew into kingdoms. Among
various tribal leagues, Goguryeo(37 B.C.¡A.D. 668), situated
in Manchuria, was the first to mature into a kingdom.
From
the 1st century A.D., three ancient kingdoms emerged with Goguryeo,
followed by Baekje and Silla. Goguryeo developed in Manchuria
and in the north of the Korean peninsula and Baekje along the
Han River, Silla in Gyeongju along the Nakdong River.
The origin of the Goguryeo race was in and around Buyeo
near Nongan(ÒÜäÌ) and Changchun(íþõð) in the Jilin Province. Go,
Ju-momg(ÍÔñ¹ÙÕ, Ju-mong meaning a good bowman became King
Dongmyeongseong), founded Goguryeo (37 B.C.¡668 A.D.) with
his capital in Jolbon(ðïÜâ, present Huanren(ü¸ìÒ), Liaoning
Province, China). Goguryeo grew independently as a state while
fighting against a lot of Korean tribes and Chinese 'Han' countries.
Baekje (18 B.C.¡660 A.D.) began as a small nation of
Mahan and King Onjo(è®ðÔèÝ, the third son of Goguryeo's King
Dongmyeongseong) established it in Wirye-seong Castle(present
Seoul) in 18 B.C. These people were chiefly immigrants from
Buyeo and Goguryeo. Baekje, which grew out of a town-state located
south of the Hangang river in the vicinity of present-day Seoul,
was another confederated kingdom similar to Goguryeo.
Silla
Kingdom(57 B.C.¡935 A.D.) founded by Pak Hyeokgeose, located
in the south-eastern part of the peninsula, was initially
the weakest and most undeveloped of the three Kingdoms.
Three
kingdoms continuously contested for supremacy. During the earlier
period, Goguryeo fought Silla and Baekje, and proved herself
to be the strongest. At one point. in the 6th century, Silla allied
with Baekje to balance against Goguryeo.
By the first
century, Goguryeo was firmly established as a state power and
Goguryeo's aggressive troops continued conquering neighboring
tribes one after another. In this process, Goguryeo annexed
Puyo and destroyed Nangnang to occupy the Liaodong area in Manchuria.
During the reign of King Gwanggaeto the Great, Goguryeo conquered
a vast territory as far as all parts of Manchuria, some parts
of Hebei(ùÁÝÁ), East Mongolia, and the Maritime Provinces of
Siberia(æÍúñ¶), expelling nomadic countries and Chinese "Han"
countries. While Goguryeo was fighting against China, In the
4th century, Baekje amassed power and developed into a centralized,
aristocratic state during the reign of King Geunchogo, and
came into conflict with Goguryeo in the late 4th century. Then
came the growth of Silla with a more fully organized state power.
King Muryeol of Silla, allied with
the Tang Empire of China, attacked and conquered Baekje in 660
and later, also destroyed Goguryeo in 668. Silla finally unified
all Korea, thereby marking the first national unity in Korean
history by defeating 200,000 Tang soldiers in Maeso-seong Fortress(Yeoncheon-gun,
Gyeonggi Province) in 675 and wiping out Tang's navy in
Gibeolpo(Janghang Port, Chungnam Province) in 676.
Three
Kingdoms developed highly sophisticated state organizations,
adopting Confucian and Buddhist hierarchical structures with
the king at the pinnacle. State codes were promulgated to initiate
a legal system to rule the people. The Three Kingdoms were competing
with each other in strengthening Buddhist-Confucian state power,
in effort toward serious territorial expansion.
Afterwards,
Silla and Balhae(Úýú, Bohai, 698¡926) opened an era of
peaceful reign in Korea called "Balhae-Silla Period or
the Period of South-North Nation" for some 200 years, sometimes
introducing culture from Chinese Tang and having much cultural
effect on Wae(èÞ, Japan)
After this period, came Goryeo(ÍÔÕò,
the successor country of Goguryeo lasting for 500 years from 918¡1392)
and Joseon(ðÈàØ, 1392¡1910, the successor of Gojoseon or Kochosun<ͯðÈàØ,
Old Joseon>). Then came
the period of Japanese
Colonisatino(1910¡1945) and finally the Republic of Korea(1945¡present).
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