The Lower Paleolithic era in the Korean Peninsula began roughly half a million y

ears ago.[1][2][3] The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC,[4]
and the Neolithic period began after 6000 BC, followed by the Bronze Age by 800
BC,[5][6][7] and the Iron Age around 400 BC.
According to the mythic account recounted in the Samguk Yusa, the Gojoseon (Old
Joseon) kingdom was founded in northern Korea and Manchuria in 2333 BC.[8][9][10
] The Gija Joseon was purportedly founded in 12th century BC, and its existence
and role have been controversial in the modern era.[11] The written historical r
ecord on Gojoseon can be found from early 7th century BC.[12][13] The Jin state
was formed in southern Korea by the 3rd century BC. In the 2nd century BC, Gija
Joseon was replaced by Wiman Joseon which fell to the Han China near the end of
the century. This resulted in the fall of Gojoseon and led to succeeding warring
states, the Proto Three Kingdoms period that spanned the later Iron Age.
Since the 1st century, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla grew to control the peninsula
and Manchuria as the Three Kingdoms (57 BC
668 AD) until unification by Silla in
676. In 698, Dae Jo-yeong established Balhae in old territories of Goguryeo,[14]
[15] 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 unif
ication by Wang Geon's Goryeo dynasty. Meanwhile, Balhae fell after an invasion
by the Khitan Liao dynasty and the refugees including the last crown prince emig
rated to Goryeo, where the crown prince was warmly welcomed and included into th
e ruling family by Wang Geon, thus unifying the two successor states of Goguryeo
.[16][17] During the Goryeo period, laws were codified, a civil service system w
as introduced, and culture influenced by Buddhism flourished. However, Mongol in
vasions in the 13th century brought Goryeo under its influence until the mid-14t
h century.[18][19]
In 1392, General Yi Seong-gye established the Joseon dynasty (1392 1910) after a cou
p that overthrew the Goryeo dynasty in 1388. King Sejong the Great (1418 1450) imple
mented numerous administrative, social, scientific, and economical reforms, esta
blished royal authority in the early years of the dynasty, and promulgated Hangu
l, the Korean alphabet.
After enjoying a period of peace for nearly two centuries, the Joseon dynasty fa
ced foreign invasions and internal fractional strifes, beginning in 1592 until 1
637. Henceforth, Joseon gradually became more and more isolationist and stagnant
. By the mid 19th century, with the country unwilling to modernize, and encroach
ment of European powers, Joseon Korea was forced to sign unequal treaties with f
oreign powers. After the assassination of Empress Myeongseong in 1895, Donghak R
ebellions of 1894-1895, and Gabo Reforms of 1894 to 1896, the Korean Empire (189
7 1910) came into existence and a brief but rapid period of social reform and modern
ization occurred. However, in 1905, the Korean Empire was forced to sign a prote
ctorate treaty and in 1910 Japan annexed the Korean Empire, though all treaties
involved were later deemed to be invalid.[20]
Korean resistance was manifested in the widespread nonviolent March 1st Movement
of 1919. Thereafter the resistance movements, coordinated by the Provisional Go
vernment of the Republic of Korea in exile, were largely active in neighboring M
anchuria, China and Siberia. Figures from these exile organizations would become
important in post WWII Korea.
After the end of WW2 in 1945, the country was divided into a northern area, prot
ected by the Soviets, and a southern area protected primarily by the United Stat
es. In 1948, when the powers failed to agree on the formation of a single govern
ment, this partition became the modern states of North and South Korea. The peni
nsula was divided at the 38th Parallel: the "Republic of Korea" was created in t
he south with the backing of the US and Western Europe and the "Democratic Peopl
e's Republic of Korea" in the north with the backing of the Soviets and the comm

unist People's Republic of China. The new primer of North Korea, Kim il-Sung lau
nched the Korean War in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the country under Communis
t rule. After immense material and human destruction, the conflict ended with a
cease-fire in 1953, but the two nations officially remain at war because a peace
treaty was never signed. Both states were accepted into the United Nations in 1
991.
While both countries were essentially under military rule after the war, South K
orea eventually liberalized, and since 1987 the country has had a competitive el
ectoral system. The South Korean economy has prospered, and the country is now c
onsidered to be fully developed with a similar per capita economic standing to W
estern Europe, Japan, and the United States.
North Korea has maintained militarized Communist dictatorship rule, but the syst
em has evolved into a somewhat monarchical system with leadership passed thru th
e Kim family. A cult of personality has been maintained and a somewhat divine st
atus is assigned to its rulers. Economically, North Korea has remained heavily d
ependent on foreign aid, and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, that ai
d fell precipitously, and the economic situation has been quite marginal since.