brief history of korea

1. BRIEF HISTORY OF KOREA
The history of human activity in Korea can be traced far into the
Paleolithic period, about 500,000 years ago. The beginning of
Korean history is often dated to 2333 B.C. when King Tan-gun, a
legendary figure born of the son of Heaven and a woman from a
bear-totem tribe, established the first kingdom named Choson,
literally meaning the "Land of the Morning Calm." While the
historicity of the Tan-gun myth is disputed among scholars, it is
known that ancient Korea was characterized by clan
communities which combined to form small town-states. They
rose and fell so that by the first century B.C., Three Kingdoms,
Koguryo (37 B.C. - A.D. 688), Paekche (18 B.C. - A.D. 660) and
Shilla (57 B.C. - A.D. 935), had emerged on the Korean Peninsula
and part of what is now known as Manchuria.

2. • In the late 19th century, Korea became the focus of
intense competition among imperialist nations such
as China, Russia or Japan. In 1910, Japan annexed
Korea and instituted colonial rule, bringing the
Choson Dynasty to an end and with it traditional
Korea. National liberation occurred in 1945 but was
soon followed by territorial division. The Republic
of Korea in the South has a democratic government,
while the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in
the North is ruled by a Communist regime.

3. Ever since Shilla unified the peninsula in 668, Korea
has been ruled by a single government and has
maintained its political independence and cultural
and ethnic identity in spite of frequent foreign
invasions. Both Koryo (918-1392) and Choson (1392-
1910) Dynasties consolidated their dynastic power
and flourished culturally, while repelling intruders like
the Khitans, Mongols, Manchus or Japanese.

4. • Korea's History
• The Ko Choson
• The Three Kingdoms
• The Parhae Kingdom
• Unified Shilla
• Koryo Dynasty
• CHOSON DYNASTIES
• Early Choson Period
• Late Choson Period
• Challenges of Modernization
• CHOSON DYNASTIES
• Early Choson Period
• Late Choson Period
• Challenges of Modernization

6. Korea
• Description
• Korea is a region in East Asia. Since 1948 it has been divided
between two distinct sovereign states,
• North Korea and South Korea. Korea consists of the Korean
Peninsula, Jeju Island, and several minor islands near the
peninsula. Wikipedia
• Founded: 3 October 2333 BC
• Area: 219,155 km²
• Population: 77 million (2017)
• Destinations: Seoul, Busan, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, Incheon, Gyeongju-si,

7. • South Korea
• South Korea, an East Asian nation on the southern half of the Korean
Peninsula, shares one of the world’s most heavily militarized borders with
North Korea. It’s equally known for its green, hilly countryside dotted with
cherry trees and centuries-old Buddhist temples, plus its coastal fishing
villages, sub-tropical islands and high-tech cities such as Seoul, the capital.
• President: Moon Jae-in Trending
• Capital: Seoul
• Dialing code: +82
• Currency: South Korean won
• Points of interest: Gyeongbokgung Palace, N Seoul Tower,

8. • North Korea
• Description
• North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a
country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula,
with Pyongyang the capital and the largest city in the country. Wikipedia
• Supreme leader: Kim Jong-un Trending
• Capital: Pyongyang
• Population: 25.49 million (2017) World Bank
• Points of interest: Paektu Mountain, Mount Kumgang, MORE
• Government: Dictatorship, Juche, Socialist state, One-party state

9. •Seoul
• Capital of South Korea
• Description
• Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a huge metropolis where
modern skyscrapers, high-tech subways and pop culture meet
Buddhist temples, palaces and street markets. Notable
attractions include futuristic Dongdaemun Design Plaza, a
convention hall with curving architecture and a rooftop park;
Gyeongbokgung Palace, which once had more than 7,000
rooms; and Jogyesa Temple, site of ancient locust and pine
trees.

10. •Jeju-do
• Province of South Korea
• Description
• Jeju province encompasses the South Korean island of Jeju in
the Korea Strait. It's known for its beach resorts and volcanic
landscape of craters and cavelike lava tubes. Hallasan
Mountain, a dormant volcano, features hiking trails, a crater
lake at the 1,950m summit and nearby Gwaneumsa Temple.
The Geomunoreum Lava Tube System includes 7km-long
Manjanggul Cave, created centuries ago when Hallasan was
still active.

11. • Busan
• City in South Korea
• Description
• Busan, a large port city in South Korea, is known for its
beaches, mountains and temples. Busy Haeundae
Beach features the Sea Life Aquarium, plus a Folk
Square with traditional games such as tug-of-war, while
Gwangalli Beach has many bars and views of modern
Diamond Bridge. Beomeosa Temple, a Buddhist shrine
founded in 678 A.D., is at the base of Geumjeong
Mountain, which has hiking trails.

12. • Incheon
• City in South Korea
• Description
• Incheon, a South Korean city bordering the capital of Seoul,
has long been a transportation hub. The ultramodern,
massive Incheon International Airport, with railway
connections to Seoul, features a casino, spa and golf course.
Yeonan Pier, close to the popular Incheon Fish Market, is the
starting point for many boat tours. Incheon is also known for
its beach-lined islands, including Yeongjong and Muui-dong.

13. • Jeju-si
• City in South Korea
• Description
• Jeju City, on Jejudo Island, is the capital of South
Korea's Jeju Province. In the city, Sinsan Park has
displays of marine animals at Jeju Folklore and Natural
History Museum. Jejuhyanggyo Confucian School
houses ancestral tablets and offers calligraphy classes.
On the coast, Yongduam Haesu Spa Land has seawater
saunas. Nearby, divers at the dragon-shaped Yongduam
Rock collect seafood using traditional methods.

14. •Gyeongju-si
• City in South Korea
• Description
• Gyeongju, historically known as Seorabeol, is a
coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North
Gyeongsang Province in South Korea.

15. • Pyongyang
• Capital of North Korea
• Pyongyang, P'yŏngyang or Pyeongyang, is the capital and largest
city of North Korea. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River
about 109 kilometres upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea.
According to the 2008 population census, it has a population of
3,255,288. It is a directly-administered city with equal status to
North Korean provinces. Pyongyang is considered the oldest city in
Korea. It was the capital of various Korean kingdoms, including
Gojoseon, Goguryeo and Goryeo.

16. • Wonsan
• City in North Korea
• Description
• Wŏnsan, previously known as Wŏnsanjin, Port Lazarev,
and Gensan, is a port city and naval base located in
Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side
of the Korean Peninsula, on Sea of Japan and the
provincial capital. The port was opened by occupying
Japanese forces in 1880

17. • Heaven Lake
• Crater lake in Asia
• Description
• Heaven Lake is a crater lake on the border between
China and North Korea. It lies within a caldera atop
the volcanic Changbai Mountain, a part of the
Baekdudaegan mountain range and the Changbai
mountain range.

18. •Sinuiju
• City in North Korea
• Description
• Sinŭiju; Sinŭiju-si, known before 1925 in English as
Yeng Byen City is a city in North Korea which faces
Dandong, China across the international border of
the Yalu River. It is the capital of North P'yŏngan
province

19. • Kaesŏng
• City in North Korea
• Description
• Kaesong is a city in North Hwanghae Province in the
southern part of North Korea, a former Directly
Governed City and the capital of Korea during the
Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty.

20. • Hyangsan
• Description
• Hyangsan County is a kun, or county, in North P'yŏngan
province, North Korea. It was established, following the
division of Korea, from portions of Nyŏngbyŏn county.
The area of Myohyangsan mountain, which stands on
the county's border, has been developed as a tourist
destination.

21. Ancient history OF korea
• Korea, located on a large peninsula on the eastern coast of the Asian
mainland, has been inhabited since Neolithic times. The first recognisable
political state was Gojoseon, which existed in the second half of the first
millennium BCE. From the 1st century BCE to the 7th century CE the
peninsula was dominated by the kingdoms of Baekje, Goguryeo and Silla,
along with the Gayaconfederacy in a period known as the Three Kingdoms
period. Silla, with significant Chinese aid, would eventually conquer all of
the other Korean states and form the Unified Silla Kingdom which ruled
until 935 CE. From the 10th century CE, the peninsula was ruled by
the Goryeo kingdom until Korea's independence was brought to an end by
the Mongol invasions of the 13th century CE.
• Close cultural and political ties were maintained with China, albeit with
significant periods of conflict between the two areas. Japan was another
trading partner and was also involved in Korean cultural exchange. Ancient
Korea has provided many unique contributions to world culture including
the invention of movable metal type printing, superb celadon ceramics, the
exquisite gold crowns of Silla, the oldest astronomical observatory in Asia,
fine gilt-bronze Buddhist figurines, stone pagodas, hanji, the most prized
paper in the world, and the ondol underfloor heating system.

22. People’s Republic of Korea
• The People's Republic of Korea (PRK) was a short-
lived provisional government that was organized at the time
of the surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of World
War II. It was proclaimed on September 12, 1945, as Korea
was being divided into two occupation zones, with the Soviet
Union occupying the north, and the United States occupying
the south. Based on a network of people's committees, it
presented a program of radical social change. In the south,
the US military government outlawed the PRK on December
12, 1945, while in the north, the Soviet authorities co-opted
the committees into the structure of the
emerging Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North
Korea.

23. Republic of Korea
• In 1948, these areas became the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, in the north,
and The Republic of Korea, or ROK, in the south.
The strip of land, or buffer zone, between North
and South Korea is called the Korean Demilitarized
Zone, or DMZ. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula
roughly in half.

24. Constitution of South Korea
• The Constitution of the Republic of Korea is the
basic law of South Korea. It was promulgated on
July 17, 1948, and was last revised on October 29,
1987

25. Constitution of North Korea
• The Socialist Constitution of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea is the constitution of
North Korea. It was approved by the 6th Supreme
People's Assembly at its first session on 27
December 1972, and has been amended and
supplemented in 1998, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2016 and
2019

26. Constitution.
• The government of the Republic of Korea was launched on August
15, 1948. Three months earlier, the first members (198) of the
National Assembly had been elected in the country’s first
general election held under UN supervision. On July 17 of the
same year, the first National Assembly promulgated the
Constitution. Its members elected Rhee Syngman as the first
President on July 20. Rhee Syngman was widely known both in
and out of the country as a leader of the country’s
independence movement. The 3rd UN General Assembly held in
Paris in December of that year passed a resolution that the
government established in the south of the 38th parallel was the
only legitimate government on the Korean Peninsula.

27. • The country’s Constitution was promulgated on July 17, 1948
after a month and half of work for its enactment. The government
observes it as a national holiday. The first amendment to the
Constitution was made in July 1952, while the 9th and last
amendment was passed by referendum on October 27, 1987. The
country’s Constitution adopts liberal democracy as the basic
principle of governance. The Constitution guarantees the
people’s freedom and rights under various laws. It also
guarantees equal opportunities in all sectors, including politics,
economy, society and culture, and recognizes the necessity of
establishing a welfare state. The Constitution also stipulates that
all people have the obligation to pay taxes, engage in national
defense, educate their children, and work.
The Constitution states that the country should endeavor to
maintain international peace. It stipulates that international
treaties signed by the country and generally accepted
international laws have the same effects as domestic laws. Under
the Constitution, the status of aliens is guaranteed in accordance
with international laws and treaties.

28. Education system in Korea
• The school system in Korea consists of six years of
primary or elementary school, three years of
middle school, three years of high school, and two
years of junior college or four years of college or
university. Korean children must attend classes
from primary school to middle school.

29. Educational Philosophy
• The Korean culture and philosophies have always
been highly influenced by the Chinese Confucius
school of thought. “Confucianism has provided
these countries with high levels of social capital in
the form of strong family structure and norms of
frugality, hard work, and a high valuation
of education.”

30. Aims of Education
• The aims of education at the high school level are
stated as "to foster each student's personality and
ability needed to preserve and strengthen the
backbone of the nation; to develop students'
knowledge and skills to prepare them for jobs
needed in society; to promote each student's
autonomy, emotional development, and critical
thinking abilities to be brought to bear in and out of
school; and to improve physical strength and foster
a sound mind."

31. Korean literature
• Is the body of literature produced by Koreans,
mostly in the Korean language and sometimes
in Classical Chinese. For much of Korea's 1,500
years of literary history, it was written in Hanja. It is
commonly divided into classical and modern
periods, although this distinction is sometimes
unclear. Korea is home to the world's first metal and
copper type, the world's earliest known printed
document and the world's first featural script.

32. Classical poetry
• Classical Korean literature has its roots in traditional folk beliefs
and folk tales of the Korean peninsula. There are four major
traditional poetic forms: hyangga ("native songs"); pyolgok
("special songs"), or changga ("long poems"); sijo ("current
melodies"); and kasa ("verses"). Other poetic forms that flourished
briefly include the kyonggi-style, in the 14th and 15th centuries,
and the akchang ("words for songs") in the 15th century. The most
representative akchang is Yongbi och'on ka (1445–47; Songs of
Flying Dragons), a cycle compiled in praise of the founding of the Yi
dynasty. Korean poetry originally was meant to be sung, and its
forms and styles reflect its melodic origins. The basis of its prosody
is a line of alternating groups of three or four syllables, which is
probably the most natural rhythm to the language.
• One famous earliest poetry or lyric song was the Gonghuin
(Konghu-in) by Yeo-ok during Gojoseon.

33. Hyangga
• Hyangga (hangul: 향가, hanja: 鄕 歌) was written in Korean using
modified hanja in a system that is called idu (hangul: 이두, hanja: 吏 讀), literally
"clerk's writings." Specifically, the variety of idu used to write hyangga was
sometimes called "hyangchal". Idu was a system using hanja characters to express
Korean. The key to the system was to use some hanja characters for their intended
purpose, their meaning, and others for their pronunciation, ignoring
their pictographic meaning. On the surface, it appears to be a complicated, even
incomprehensible system, but after using the system one becomes comfortable
with certain characters consistently standing for Korean words.
• Hyangga was the first uniquely Korean form of poetry. Only twenty five survive.
The Samguk Yusa contains 14 poems and the "Gyunyeojeon", a set of biographies
of prominent monks, contains eleven poems. Both these classic works were written
much after the Unified Silla, in the subsequent Goryeo dynasty, yet the poems in
the Samguk Yusa appear to be based on no-longer-extant records actually from the
Silla period.
• Hyangga are characterized by a number of formal rules. The poems may consist of
four, eight or ten lines. The ten-line poems are the most developed, structured into
three sections with four, four, and two lines respectively. Many of the ten-line
poems were written by Buddhist monks, and Buddhist themes predominate the
poems. Another dominant theme was "death". Many of the poems are eulogies to
monks, to warriors, and to family members.

34. Goryeo songs
• The Goryeo period was marked by a growing use of hanja characters. Hyangga
largely disappeared as a form of Korean literature, and "Goryeo gayo" (hangul: 고
려가요, literally "Goryeo songs") became more popular. Most of the Goryeo songs
were transmitted orally and many survived into the Joseon period, when some of
them were written down using hangul.
• The poetic form of the Goryeo songs is known as pyolgok or changga (hangul: 별곡
). It flourished during the middle and late Koryo dynasty. It is characterized by a
refrain either in the middle or at the end of each stanza. The refrain establishes a
mood or tone that carries the melody and spirit of the poem or links a poem
composed of discrete parts with differing contents. The theme of most of these
anonymous poems is love, the joys and torments of which are expressed in frank
and powerful language. The poems were sung to musical accompaniments chiefly
by women entertainers, known as kisaeng. There are two distinct
forms: dallyeonche (단련체)and yeonjanche (연잔체). The former is a shorter form
in which the entire poem was put into a single stanza, whereas the latter is a more
extended form in which the poem is put into several stanzas. The Goryeo songs are
characterized by their lack of clear form, and by their increased length. Most are
direct in their nature, and cover aspects of common life.

35. Sijo and Gasa
• See also: Sijo and Gasa (poetry)
• Sijo and gasa are closely linked to the development of hangul in the early
Joseon period. As hangul was created, akjang was developed as a way to
note musical scores using the Korean script. King Sejong himself is credited
with a compilation of Buddhist songs.
• Sijo (literally current tune) was common in the Joseon period. Although its
poetic form was established in the late Goryeo period, it did not become
popular until the Joseon period. Many of the sijo reflected Confucian
thought; the theme of loyalty is common. Sijo are characterized by a
structure of three stanzas of four feet each. Each foot contains three to four
syllables except on the third stanza, where the 1st foot is supposed to have
3 syllables and the 2nd foot can have as many as seven. Sijo are thought to
have been popular with common people.
• Gasa is a form of verse, although its content can include more than the
expression of individual sentiment, such as moral admonitions. Gasa is a
simple form of verse, with twinned feet of three or four syllables each.
Some regard gasa a form of essay. Common themes in gasa were nature,
the virtues of gentlemen, or love between man and woman
.

36. Prose
• Main article: Chinese-language literature in Korea
• Korean prose literature can be divided into
narratives, fiction, and literary miscellany.
Narratives include myths, legends, and folktales
found in the written records. The principal sources
of these narratives are the two great historical
records compiled in Classical Chinese during the
Koryo era: Samguk sagi (1146; "Historical Record of
the Three Kingdoms") and Samguk yusa (1285;
"Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms").

37. Fiction
• Korean fiction can be classified in various ways.
First, there is Korean fiction written in Chinese and
that written in Korean. Second, there are the short
works of one volume, "medium" works of about 10
volumes, and long works of more than 10 volumes.
Third, there are works of yangban writers and those
of common writers.

38. Oral literature
• Oral literature includes all texts that were orally transmitted from
generation to generation until the invention of Hangul (han'gul)--ballads,
legends, mask plays, puppet-show texts, and p'ansori ("story singing") texts.
• In spite of the highly developed literary activity from early in Korean history,
song lyrics were not recorded until the invention of Hangul (han'gul). These
orally transmitted texts are categorized as ballads and are classified
according to singer (male or female), subject matter (prayer, labour, leisure),
and regional singing style (capital area, western, and southern). The songs
of many living performers, some of whom have been designated as
"intangible national treasures" by the South Korean government, are still
being recorded.
• Legends include all those folk stories handed down orally and not recorded
in any of the written records. These legends were for long the principal
form of literary entertainment enjoyed by the common people. They deal
with personified animals, elaborate tricks, the participation of the gods in
human affairs, and the origin of the universe.

39. The early Joseon period
• Yongbi eocheonga (hangul: 용비어천가, hanja: 龍飛御天歌) literally means
"Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven". It was compiled during the reign
of Sejong the Great as an official recognition of the Joseon dynasty and its
ancestral heritage as the forerunners of Joseon, the Golden Age of Korea.
The Songs were composed through the efforts of a committee
of Confucian philologists and literati in the form of 125 cantos.
• This compilation was the first piece of Korean text to depart from a long
history reliant on Chinese characters and be recorded in Hangul, the first
and official alphabet of Korea. There are several underlying themes in
addition to the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty which are of significant
importance to understanding the events that provoked the creation of
these poems: linear events that took place in China, the apotheosis of
virtuous Kings proceeding the fall of the Goryeo Dynasty, and Confucian
political and philosophical ideologies of the era in rejection to Buddhism.
Each of the poems included in the work convey deep-seated feelings of
nationalism and a proud proclamation of cultural independence from
the Mongol empire.

40. The late Joseon period
• Modern Korean literature developed against the background of
the Joseon Dynasty's fall. This first period of modern Korean
literature is often called the "enlightenment". This period was to a
large extent influenced by the 1894 Gabo Reforms which
introduced Western-style schools and newspapers emerged. Many
newspapers published sijo, gasa, or even serial novels and led to
the emergence of professional writers. Sinchesi (hangul: 신체시,
literally "new poetry") was established, and contributed to the
formation of modern free verse poetry which is
called Jayusi (hangul: 자유시). Sinchesi abandoned the
fixed metaphor found in classical Korean poetry, influenced by the
French vers libre.
• Many biographical works were published in the late Joseon period
where the main character was often depicted as a hero. These
works cultivated patriotism and national consciousness.[1]

41. Modern literature
• Modern Korean literature gradually developed under the influence of
Western cultural contacts based on trade and economic
development.[2] The first printed work of fiction in Korean was John
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (in Korean: 천로역정 Cheonno-yeokjeong),
translated by James Scarth Gale (1893).
• Christian religion found its way into Korea, culminating in the first complete
edition of the Bible in Korean published in 1910. However, it was mostly
Western aesthetic schools that influenced Korean literature. Music and
classical poetry, formerly considered one as part of changgok, were
increasingly perceived as old-fashioned and out of date.
• Modern literature is often linked with the development of hangul, which
helped increase working class literacy rates. Hangul reached its peak of
popularity in the second half of the 19th century, resulting in a major
renaissance. Sinsoseol, for instance, are novels written in hangul.

42. Korean Literature during Japanese
Rule
• During the period of Japanese imperial rule (1910–1945), Japanese
literature has deep connections with the establishment of modern
literature in Korea due to some of the founders of modern literature in
Korea having come from Korean students who had studied in Japan during
the Meiji period. Their representatives are Choe Nam-seon and Yi Kwang-
su. Many expressions of the late Joseon period, with their focus on self-
reliance and independence, were no longer possible. Ernest
Bethell's Taehan Maeil Shinbo (大韓每日申報) provided for Korean writers
a brief opportunity of artistic expression free from censorship, from July
1904 till May 1909, but after control of the paper was seized by the
Government-General uncensored Korean publishing became
impossible.[citation needed] With the Samil Movement in 1919 came a new form
of Korean literature. Many writers exhibited a more positive attitude, trying
to cope with the national situation at the time. Literature focused on self-
discovery, and increasingly on concrete reality. Artistic endeavors were
supported by new nationalist newspapers.

43. Korean literature abroad
• Until the 1980s Korean literature was largely unknown
outside of the peninsula. The kind of works translated
has become increasingly diverse, and the quality of the
translations has improved.*[4] Flowers of
Fire (1974)[5] was one of the first anthologies of Korean
literature published in English. In non-English-speaking
countries there are fewer Korean works translated,
though LTI Korea has also promoted translations in
German, Spanish, French and Polish. The increased
popularity of Korean film has increased interest in
Korean mass market literature, particularly in Japan and
China.