Korea

Korea is a region of the Korean Peninsula located in East Asia. It is the home of the Korean people.

Contents [hide]

1 Overview

2 Brief History

3 Related Illustrations

4 Related Article

5 Language in Other Languages

Overview

Korea is a region of the Korean Peninsula located in East Asia. It is the home of the Korean people.

The English name Korea derives from the medieval dynasty Goryeo (高麗), and is now used only as an external name. The internal name and the names of the countries of the East Asian cultural sphere are now exclusively Joseon (朝鮮) or Hanguk (韓国).

The region is a divided state, and although it shares the same language and ethnicity, there are still two separate states, one in the north and one in the south.

In this region, North Korea (DPRK) in the north is a socialist totalitarian state, originally formed in the areas occupied by the Soviet Union after 1945, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south is a parliamentary democracy, originally formed in the areas occupied by the Allied Forces, particularly the United States. This had a major impact on the Korean peninsula region, tearing it apart politically, economically, diplomatically, militarily and culturally; it became the frontline of the Cold War in the 20th century, and The Korean War, which was fought so fiercely in the 1950s, is still under a "truce" even in the 21st century, and tensions remain high, as war could resume at any time.

The Korean region has a traditional culture by the Korean people and a varied natural environment stretching 1,000 km from north to south, and has developed a long history as part of East Asia, being mutually influenced by neighbouring regions such as China, Manchuria or Japan.

For more information on the geographical environment, see the article Korean Peninsula; for more information on contemporary history, see the articles on the respective countries.

Brief History

In prehistoric times, the region was inhabited by Paleolithic peoples, and rice cultivation gradually took root. Around the 1st century BC, Wiman Joseon was established by people who migrated from the Chinese areas. Later, it came under the rule of the Han (漢) dynasty, which ruined Wiman Joseon. At the same time, there were three Han (三韓, or Samhan) states in the south that were not under the control of the Han dynasty.

Around the 4th century AD, the Koguryo (Goguryeo) moved southwards from Manchuria. The Three Han, consisting of Mahan, Jinhan and Byeonhan, which existed as a loosely connected group of tribal states in the southern part of the peninsula, were established separately into the Baekje (Paekche), Silla (Silra) and Gaya confederacy (Gara) as countries. At this time, Buddhism and other advanced cultures from the continent were introduced, and the culture of the Three Kingdoms period flourished.

In the 660s A.D., Baekje in the south was attacked by the combined forces of the Silla and Tang dynasties, and in response, Wa (now Japan), a friendly country across the sea to the east, came to Baekje's aid, but was defeated in the Battle of Baekgang and Baekje fell. Goguryeo was also attacked and overthrown by Silla and Tang during the same period, and from the 7th to the 9th century Silla ruled the peninsula as a unified entity. At the end of the 9th century, Silla's national power waned and the rise of the Later Goguryeo and Later Baekje led to the Later Three Kingdoms period.

In the 10th century, Goryeo, the successor to Goguryeo, overthrew Silla and unified the peninsula. The Goryeo dynasty was established. However, it fell under the pressure of the Mongols in the 12th century and became a pro-Yuan dynasty (Mongol Empire) regime.

The decline of the Yuan dynasty led to the revival of the Goryeo dynasty. Later, at the end of the 14th century, Yi Seong-gye (some say he was a king of the Jurchen people) ) defeated the Goryeo and unified the peninsula, establishing 'Joseon' under the Yi clan. From this period, Confucianism spread and science, technology and culture advanced. The reign of King Taejong, the third king, saw the invention of the world's first copper-plate typography, and the reign of the next four kings, King Sejong, saw the birth of Hangeul, the alphabet most widely used by Koreans today. In the 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified Japan, invaded Korea and most of the country was devastated. With the support of the Ming dynasty, under the command of Yi Sun-sin, Joseon drove out the Japanese and recovered its lands. In the 17th century, with the unification of China under the Qing dynasty, Joseon switched its tribute to the Qing dynasty, and domestically, the privileged yangban (Korean nobility) came to power.

In the 19th century, the wave of imperialism swept across East Asia, and Joseon was forced to navigate a difficult course in this context. In 1894, the Sino-Japanese War broke out between Japan and the Qing dynasty over the issue of Korean independence and diplomatic policy. Joseon left the Cefeng system and joined the system of sovereign states, and changed its name to the Korean Empire in 1897.

However, the conflict between Imperial Russia, which sought to increase its influence southwards from Manchuria, and Japan, which opposed it, resulted in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, which again turned the Korean peninsula into a battlefield. As a result of this war, Japan increased its influence on the Korean peninsula, and following the Second Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905, Korea was made a protectorate of Japan and then annexed in 1910.

Thereafter, the Korean peninsula was subjected to colonial rule by the Japanese Empire. In 1919, the March 1st Movement led by the pro-independence protesters took place, but was suppressed.

After Japan's defeat in World War II, in 1945, the US and the Soviet Union moved in and established South and North Korea, dividing the peninsula into North and South. From 1950, The Korean War broke out and the peninsula was again violently overrun; an armistice was signed in 1953 and tensions and confrontations have continued ever since.

Since the 1970s, South Korea's economic development has been driven by a system of development dictatorship, but a democratic movement in the 1980s led to the establishment of the Sixth Republic, based on a democratic constitution.