The history of Joseon is often judged to begin in 2233 BC, when the legendary figure Tangun, the son of the god of heaven and a tribal woman with a bear as a totem, established the country called Joseon (meaning "tranquility"). "The Land of the Morning") the first kingdom of. Since Silla unified the Korean peninsula in 668, despite frequent foreign invasions, Korea has been ruled by a single government and has maintained political independence and cultural and national identity
China's ancient historical books The ancient Korean people were called "Dongyi", which means "archers from the east". They are scattered in Northeast China, the eastern coast of China, north of the Yangtze River and the Korean Peninsula. There is a myth among the Dongyi people that the legendary founder of the country, Tangun, was born from a heavenly father and a woman from a tribe whose totem was a bear. It is said that he began to rule North Korea in 2233 BC, and his descendants ruled in North Korea's "Land of Dawn and Tranquility" for more than 1,000 years until about 1233 BC. Of course, there is still controversy among scholars as to whether the mythical story of Tangun is historically true or not.
When the Zhou Dynasty of China conquered the Yin Dynasty, the Dongyi people began to move to Northeast China and the Korean Peninsula because the climate and geographical conditions there were better. It appears that they remained united, for the great Chinese sages Confucius and Mencius praised their close friendship and observance of etiquette.
During China's Warring States Period, the Dongyi people on the west coast of the Yellow Sea clashed with the Zhou Dynasty people, which led to a large number of them migrating to the south-eastern part of China and the Korean Peninsula. There are other tribes in Dongyi, namely the Yiqi who live in Northeast China and the Sanhan ethnic groups (Chenhan, Mahan, Mouhan) living on the Korean Peninsula. They all belong to the Tungusic tribe and their language belongs to the Altaic language family. When the Yin Dynasty collapsed, the subjects of China's Yin Dynasty, Jizi and their ethnic groups, entered the Korean Peninsula around the 13th century BC, fully introduced the culture of China's Yin Dynasty, and established a Korean regime called Jizi Korea.
About 1,000 years later, the Yan Kingdom located in North China and Northeast China invaded, and ancient Korea lost its territory west of the Liao River in the 3rd century BC. At this time, the Iron Age civilization emerged and China entered the Warring States Period. The princes and countries continued to drive refugees from the Central Plains to the east.
One of the Chinese immigrants, Wei Man, lived in the Korean area and served as a military commander in ancient Korea. Using the Yalu River as a military base, he commanded the army to drive away King Zhun (a descendant of Jizi Korea). South Korea seized power and was called Weiman Korea.
In 109 BC, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty of China (Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty) launched a large army to attack Weiman Korea at the mouth of the Liaohe River by land and sea. Two years later, Weiman Korea was defeated, and China established four governorates in southern Northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, controlling most of Korea. The Han River in southern Korea means "the river of the Han (dynasty) people"; Seoul means "the city of the Han (dynasty) people". Today's Seoul still has the ruins of the "Hanmen" in Chinese. About 400 years after the establishment of these four governors, northern Korea (Goguryeo) became powerful, and the Han Dynasty of China had ended, so the four governors fell in 313 AD during China's Western Jin Dynasty
By the 1st century AD, Goguryeo was firmly established as a nation, expelling Chinese forces from the colonial Lelang County in 313 AD. However, in 342 AD, the capital of Goguryeo fell to the Chinese state of Yan again. While Goguryeo was fighting China, Baekje gathered strength and clashed with Goguryeo at the end of the 4th century. Then Silla grew and developed into a well-organized state.
Goguryeo was the first to adopt Buddhism introduced from China to govern the country in 372 AD. Baekje was the second to adopt Buddhism in 384 AD; Silla was the last to adopt it in 528 AD. adoption. Chinese Buddhist scriptures were also adopted at that time. Goguryeo established an academy to educate the nobles and compiled a 100-chapter history of the country before the introduction of Buddhism. Baekje also wrote its own history before 384 AD, at the beginning of the 4th century. Only Silla set about writing its own history immediately after embracing Buddhism.
In this way, these three countries gradually established national institutions, adopted the hierarchical structure of Confucianism and Buddhism, and placed the king in the supreme position. They promulgated national codes and began to implement the legal system governing the people. In the process, Goguryeo annexed the Buyeo Kingdom and Silla conquered the Gaya Kingdom. The Three Kingdoms actually strengthened the state power that combined Buddhism and Confucianism, thus attempting to carry out serious territorial expansion.
While Silla was establishing friendly relations with China in the Tang Dynasty, Goguryeo was at fierce war with the Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty of China respectively. After Emperor Sui Yang won the battle against the northern nomadic tribes, he attacked Goguryeo with more than 1 million troops. In 612 AD, Goguryeo general Eulji Mundeok held on to the fortifications and withstood Yangdi's army and navy attacks for several months. An ambush in Sa River (Qingchuan River) resulted in the defeat of 300,000 Sui troops. Only 2,700 people escaped, and the Sui Dynasty lost control of North Korea.
In 668 AD, Goguryeo fell. The former general of Goguryeo (Dae Joyoung) formed the Balhae Kingdom and declared himself the successor state of Goguryeo. After the fall of the Balhae Kingdom, many of them (Goguryeo) fled back to the Korean Peninsula and joined the newly established (Koguryo) Kingdom in southern Korea that replaced Silla.
Silla was torn apart by some rebel leaders. Zhenxuan proclaimed its founding in Jeonju (later Baekje) in 900 AD, and Gongyi proclaimed its founding in Kaesong the following year (later Goguryeo). The last rebel leader and a son of a noble family (Wang Jian) ??became Gong Yi's chief minister and an important figure in Korean history. In 918 AD, Wang Jian overthrew Gong Yi's regime in the name of Gong Yi's misbehavior and abuse of power, and sought and received the support of landowners and businessmen. At this time, the political and economic power of landowners and businessmen was far away. than the Silla government in power.
Wang Jian is also a descendant of Goguryeo. He easily launched an attack on Houbaekje in 943 AD and accepted Houbaekje's automatic surrender in 935 AD. The next year, Wang Jian accepted the abdication of the King of Silla (King Jingshun) and obtained national power. So Wang Jian officially changed the name of his (later Goguryeo) country to the (Koguryo) country.
General Yi Chenggui seized the political and military power of Goryeo. Just like Cao Cao in China, he deposed King Chang of Goryeo (reigned 1388-89) at will and installed King Gongrang (reigned 1389-92) at will. bit) as the king of Goryeo. He went on to implement nationwide land reform. Neo-Confucianism became his political capital in fighting against the declining Goryeo monarchy and aristocracy. The last king of Goryeo (King Gongrang) was forced to abdicate, and Li Chenggui's followers established Li Chenggui as king, thus ending the original rule of Wang Jian's Wang family of Goryeo. The ruling period of the Goryeo Kingdom was probably the Northern Song Dynasty, Southern Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty in China. (Li Chenggui) officially changed the country's name to (North Korea) and took Taizu as his reign name. This was the period when the country had the largest territory and the most unified country in the history of North Korea, and was called Lee's Korea. It lasted until it was occupied by Japan in 1910. The ruling period was probably China's Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China established by Sun Yat-sen.
Taejo, who founded the Joseon Dynasty, made outstanding achievements in the battle against the Japanese plunderers. After the plundering of Japanese raiders ceased, Korea opened three ports to trade with Japanese feudal lords and held a canonization ceremony for the Lord of Tsushima who had been engaged in lucrative trade with other upper-class Japanese. However, Japanese liaison officers stationed in these three ports caused trouble from time to time, and the number of Korean fiefdoms was reduced.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi came to power in 1590 after the assassination of Oda Nobunaga, who had temporarily negotiated a truce between Japan's warring feudal lords. The problem facing Toyotomi Hideyoshi was how to weaken the powerful feudal lords in western Japan. With this domestic situation on the verge of breaking out, he turned his attention abroad, concluding that an attack on China would bring the solution needed to achieve a peaceful settlement at home. Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked South Korea to help attack the Ming Dynasty of China, but was refused, so he ordered his generals to invade Korea in 1592.
The Japanese army, equipped with matchlock guns that were unfamiliar to the Korean army, reached Seoul in two weeks. They attempted to invade Korea's granary, Jeolla Province, only to encounter strong resistance from the people in Jinju, led by General Kim Si-min. So they turned to Seoul.
Seonjo and his princes fled to various places in the north and appealed to the Ming emperor to help fight against the invading Japanese army. At that time, there were quarrels among the Japanese generals, and South Korean General Yi Sun-shin commanded a series of brilliant battles in the Korean Strait, sinking many Japanese warships. The iron-clad "turtle ships" modified by General Lee and equipped with turtle-shell decks were able to protect sailors and marines unmatched by any other ship.
China's Ming Dynasty was the suzerain state of North Korea, and during China's anti-Yuan period, North Korea obeyed China's Zhu Yuanzhang and sent troops to attack Mongolia, so the Ming Dynasty did not occupy North Korea's territory.
Now the Ming Dynasty sent troops to help North Korea, led by veteran general Deng Zilong, which forced Japan to fight with the Chinese Ming Dynasty and North Korean coalition forces. Since Admiral Yi Sun-shin controlled the sea, Japan's supply lines and troops were cut off, leaving Japan in an embarrassing situation. The Korean volunteers organized by various provinces in the south harassed them with guerrilla tactics, and disease and malnutrition caused losses to the Japanese army. Under this circumstance, the Chinese Ming Dynasty court came forward to hold peace talks with Japan. By this time, the Japanese troops had lost their fighting spirit and began to retreat.
At the end of the 19th century, the British, Russians and other Europeans forcibly opened the door of Korea, and the Japanese took advantage of it. In 1881, the scope of Japan's aggression expanded, forcing South Korea to open Wonsan Port and Incheon. port. Another demand was for Japan to station a consul in the South Korean capital. During the course of these events, there were two strong opinions among Koreans, one advocating the repelling of "cunning" foreign forces, and the other advocating domestic reforms.
Japan monopolized the Korean market in 1876. Two years later, Japan's First Bank established a branch in Busan, encouraging Japanese businessmen to enter Korea on a large scale. Japanese businessmen could buy rice, soybeans, cowhide, and placer gold at incredibly low prices and earn astonishingly high profits in their own country. South Korea, on the other hand, faces the urgent need to come up with some way to protect its economy. Venting their anger against the Japanese invaders, Korean soldiers attacked the Japanese legation, forcing the Japanese minister and his staff to flee to Inchon at night. Minister Hanabusa, who had managed to escape to Japan, returned to Seoul on August 12, bringing with him 1,500 troops and four warships. After Hanafang broke into the Korean capital, he forced the Korean government to compensate for the losses and agree to the current stationing of Japanese troops in Korea. In the Treaty of Jemulpo, concluded under Japanese coercion, South Korea agreed to Japan's demands, including South Korea's promise to pay 500,000 won (WON) in compensation and to allow Japanese troops to be stationed in the South Korean capital to defend the Japanese legation. The treaty also expanded the scope of Japan's aggressive activities centered on ports such as Pusan, Inchon, and Wonsan.
Although China was attacked by imperial powers, the Qing Dynasty was still the suzerain state of North Korea, so it continued to interfere in North Korea's internal affairs. They reorganized North Korea's government system and appointed members of Min Fei's group who previously held high positions to important positions. China's powerful Li Hongzhang sent his envoys Mu Linde and Ma Jianzhong to South Korea to carry out the task of restructuring South Korea's diplomacy. The Korean army was commanded by Yuan Shikai of the Qing Dynasty, and it was trained in the Chinese style.
In 1908, the Japanese forced the Korean government to set up a land survey office to measure the amount of real estate owned by the royal family. According to this measurement, all the real estate owned by the Crown. Except for palaces and royal mausoleums, they are all classified as government property. The land thus registered was later annexed by the Japanese when they deprived Korea of ??its sovereignty. In 1912, the Governor-General promulgated a law requiring real estate owners to report their land ownership within a specified period, giving Japan's financial institutions the power to recognize all land ownership. At this point, Korea has completely become a Japanese colony.
After the victory of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union occupied the southern and northern parts of the Korean Peninsula respectively, which made the efforts of the North Korean and South Korean people to establish an independent government come to nothing. The United States and the Soviet Union planted two opposing ideologies in areas south and north of the 38th parallel, further exacerbating national divisions. Among the allies, the foreign ministers of the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom met in Moscow on December 15, 1945, and decided to hand over North Korea to the four countries of the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and China as a temporary step before unifying the divided country. South Korea protested at the international imposition of such a decision just four months after North Korea emerged from colonial rule, casting a pall over its people's hopes of establishing an independent government. The determination to oppose and resist foreign rule, no matter what form it takes, is shared by all former colonial peoples.
Based on the actual situation on the peninsula, the establishment of the Government of the Republic of Korea was announced on August 15, 1948, to inherit the legitimacy of the Provisional Government based in Shanghai. The new Korean government cannot eliminate the traces of colonial rule all at once. It faces the urgent task of rebuilding the bankrupt economy left by the Japanese while also facing the chaos of three years after liberation. These two major problems must be solved by a new government with no experience. The task is too arduous.
The ideological confrontation between the North and the South will inevitably lead to tense military confrontation, which is another major burden on the shoulders of the government.
In 1948, the U.S. military government transferred administrative power to the government of the Republic of Korea. Subsequently, the Republic of Korea concluded a provisional military treaty with the United States and established an Economic Cooperation Agency.
In 1948, the United States withdrew its occupying forces from South Korea, leaving only a small group of military advisers. The Soviet Union had previously withdrawn its occupying forces from the northern half of South Korea and established the Democratic People's Republic of Korea there. A number of aid agreements were concluded regarding the Soviet Union's provision of military, economic, technical and cultural assistance to North Korea. China has also established diplomatic relations with North Korea. In 1949, North Korea's communist troops provoked some sporadic small attacks along the 38th parallel.
In the early morning of June 25, 1950 (Sunday), the North Korean army, under the command of Kim Il Sung, crossed the 38th parallel and invaded the unprepared South Korea without issuing any warning or declaring war. This was a fully prepared, all-out attack. Although the South Korean army led by Rhee Syngman fought bravely, it proved to be no match for the North Korean Communist army. The Communist troops marched straight into the Nakdong River near Daegu before being stopped.
The Republic of Korea appeals to the United Nations. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution ordering the Communist troops to withdraw to the 38th parallel and encouraging all member states to provide military support to the Republic of Korea. U.S. troops soon began to arrive, with troops from 15 countries participating.
In October, the Communist Party of China sent troops to intervene, with Peng Dehuai serving as commander-in-chief. The number of troops they invested was so large and their combat effectiveness was so strong that they drove back the 15-nation United Nations coalition. Negotiations finally began in Kaesong in July 1951 and moved to Panmunjeom in November of the same year. Negotiations lasted for two years, and an armistice agreement was reached on July 27, 1953.
Although North Korea is currently lukewarm with China on the surface, it is forced by the international situation and China has to consider its international position, but North Korea is still one of the few allies that is trustworthy.
South Korea and North Korea share the same culture and race. The governments are hostile, but the people should be friendly to each other. This is determined by the power of culture and the bond of blood.