Human settlement on the Korean Peninsula can be traced back to the Paleolithic era about 600,000 years ago. The earliest state developed when a league of several tribes came together to form the Gojoseon (Old Joseon) Kingdom around the 10th century BCE.  Gojoseon fell to an invasion by the Han Dynasty of China in 108 BCE, after which there emerged various walled tribal states.

As their political power strengthened, these tribal states developed into the Three Kingdoms: Goguryeo (37 BCE-668 CE), Baekje (18 BCE-660 CE) and Silla (57 BCE-935 CE). These three kingdoms developed different cultures, affected by different environments.

Unified Silla and Balhae

In the mid-seventh century, Silla defeated Baekje and Goguryeo to unite the territories of the former Three Kingdoms and laid the foundation for a united nation. To the north in Manchuria, refugees from Goguryeo established the nation of Balhae, which carried on the cultural tradition of Goguryeo over the next 200 years

Goryeo

As Silla weakened, there emerged the Later Three Kingdoms period, during which Silla struggled with Later Baekje and Later Goguryeo, and in the process, the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) was established by Wang Geon to reunite the nations and overcome the injustices of Silla society. Wang Geon named his kingdom Goryeo, from which the modern name Korea is derived. It achieved a sophisticated culture represented by cheongja or blue-green celadon and a flourishing Buddhist tradition.

Joseon

In the late Goryeo period, a warlord named Yi Seong-gye led a coup against what he saw to be a corrupt regime. He and his army were eventually able to topple the Goryeo regime and seize sovereignty for themselves, establishing the Joseon Kingdom in 1392.

The early rulers of Joseon, in order to counter the dominant Buddhist influence during the Goryeo period, supported Confucianism as the guiding philosophy of the kingdom. The Joseon rulers governed the kingdom with a well-balanced political system.

From the early 17th century, liberal-minded scholars strongly recommended agricultural improvements along with sweeping reforms in land distribution.

Japanese Occupation and Independence Movement

In 1910, after wars against China and Russia, Japan forcibly annexed Korea by political subterfuge and violence, bringing the Joseon Kingdom to an end. Koreans were forced to accept Japanese colonial rule. Colonial rule stimulated the patriotism of Koreans and the fury of Korean intellectuals against Japan's official assimilation policy.

On March 1, 1919, a peaceful demonstration calling for independence spread nationwide and was ruthlessly suppressed. This inspired the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai in November 1919. While lacking unity or any authority, the Provisional Government promoted armed struggles and other forms of resistance against the Japanese both at home and abroad, especially in Manchuria. Koreans labored under colonial rule until the end of World War II in 1945.

Founding of the Republic of Korea

Korea rejoiced at Japan’s defeat by the Allied nations. However, their joy was short lived. Liberation did not instantly bring about the independence for which the Koreans had fought so fiercely. Rather, the country was  divided by ideological differences, resulting from the emerging Cold War. Subsequently in 1948, the Republic of Korea was established in the South and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the North

A special ceremony inaugurating the Republic
of Korea Government on August 15, 1948