There is archaeological evidence that people were living on the Korean Peninsula around 700,000 years ago, during the Lower Paleolithic. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period begins around 6000 BC. The Jeulmun Pottery Period spans from 3500 BC to 2000 BC.

( Buryeongsa )

Gojoseon was founded in 2333 BC, according to the Dangun legend. It was known as Joseon but is called Gojoseon ("Old Joseon") today to distinguish it from the recent Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The original capital was Asadal, in southern Manchuria, but later moved to today's Pyongyang in North Korea. Gojoseon cultural artifacts and walled cities are found throughout Korea and Manchuria.

Archeological and contemporary written records indicate it likely developed from a federation of walled cities into a centralized state sometime between the 7th and 4th centuries BC, when it declared itself a kingdom and warred with northern Zhou dynasty kingdoms of China.

In 108 BC, the Chinese Han dynasty defeated Gojoseon and installed four commanderies in northern Korea and Manchuria primarily as commercial outposts. By 75 BC, three of those commanderies had fallen to Korean resistance. One commandery remained under Chinese control until 313 AD.

A state called Jin existed in southern Korea prior to Gojoseon's fall, as evidenced by written records and bronze artifacts from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. Jin was followed by the Samhan, three loose confederacies that claimed descent from Jin.

The three kingdoms Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje were founded around the time of Gojoseon's fall. They competed with each other both economically and militarily. Buddhism eventually became the chief religion of all three kingdoms.

Goguryeo was founded in 37 BC by Jumong (posthumously called King Dongmyeongseong). Goguryeo united Buyeo, Okjeo, Dongye and other states in the former Gojoseon territory, and destroyed the last Chinese commandery in 313 AD, controlling northern Korea and Manchuria. Goguryeo was the most dominant power, but was at constant war with the Sui and Tang dynasties of China. Goguryeo's defeat of Sui invasion forces contributed to the collapse of the Sui Dynasty, but the Tang Dynasty continued attacks against Goguryeo.

Baekje was founded in 18 BC by Jumong's third son, Onjo, around modern-day Seoul. It occupied the southwest of the peninsula, and at its height, controlled much of the western half.

Silla was founded by Bak Hyeokgeose in 57 BC. Although later records claim Silla was the oldest of the three kingdoms, it is believed to be the latest to develop into a centralized kingdom.

( The Three Kingdoms of Korea )

Silla emerged as a sea power and battled Japanese pirates, especially during the Unified Silla period. Silla first annexed the smaller Gaya confederacy. By the 660s, Silla formed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty of China to conquer Baekje and later Goguryeo. After repelling Chinese forces, Silla established the first unified state in Korea, often called Unified Silla.

After Silla's unification, former Goguryeo general Dae Joyeong led a group of Koreans to the Jilin area in Manchuria and founded Balhae (698 AD - 926 AD) as the successor to Goguryeo. Eventually, Balhae's territory extended from the Sungari and Amur Rivers in northern Manchuria down to the northern provinces of Korea. Balhae was conquered by the Khitans in 926.

In the late 9th century, Unified Silla gave way to the brief Later Three Kingdoms period. The Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) replaced Silla. Many members of the Balhae ruling class joined the newly founded Goryeo, which established its boundaries to an area slightly larger than the Korean peninsula (See Gando region which is now occupied by the Chinese). During this period, laws were codified, a civil service system was introduced, and Buddhism flourished.

In the 10th and 11th centuries, Korea continued to be plagued by attacks from Jurchen and Khitan tribes on the northern borders. Conflict increased between civil and military officials as the latter were degraded and poorly paid. This led to an uprising by military and forced some military officials to migrate from the country.

In 1238, the Mongolian Empire invaded. After nearly thirty years of war, the two sides signed a treaty that favored the Mongols. In the 1340s, the Mongol Empire declined rapidly due to internal strife, and Korea was able to pursue political reform without Mongol interference. At this time, General Yi Seong-gye distinguished himself by repelling Japan-based pirates, known as Wokou

In 1392, Yi Seong-gye established the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) with a coup, moving the capital to Hanseong (now Seoul) and built Gyeongbokgung Palace.

King Sejong the Great (1418-1450) promulgated Hangul, the Korean alphabet, and reigned over cultural and technological advances. After several weak kings who died or failed to influence Korea, King Seongjong's rule (1457-1494) saw economic and cultural revival.

During the Imjin War (1592 - 1598), Japan made two attempts to invade Korea under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Although both invasions failed, Korea was left with widespread destruction. With the assistance of Ming Chinese troops and the Turtle Ships of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Joseon forces were able to repel the Japanese.

In the 1620s and 1630s Joseon suffered invasion by the Manchu, who eventually conquered Ming China. Korea then enjoyed over two centuries of peace, but isolated itself from the outside world so much that it was often called the "Hermit Kingdom".

The Joseon Dynasty is believed to have been the longest-lived actively ruling dynasty in East Asia.

Beginning in the 1870s, Japan began to force Korea to move out of China's sphere of influence into its own. In 1895, Empress Myeongseong of Korea was assassinated by the Japanese under Miura Goro's directive (Kim et al. 1976). After the Sino-Japanese and the Russo-Japanese War, Japan gained control of Korea. In 1910, Japan forced Korea to sign the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty, although executed by Korean ministers and advisors rather than the Korean head of state, the emperor.

Korean resistance to Japanese brutal occupation was manifested in the massive March 1st Movement of 1919. This movement was suppressed by force and about 7,000 were killed by Japanese soldiers and police. In Manchuria, Korean fighters engaged in frequent battles with the Japanese troops, and in Shanghai, China, a Korean government in exile was formed.

For more than 30 years under the Japanese occupation, Korean culture and economy suffered heavy losses. The Korean language was banned and Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names. Numerous Korean cultural artifacts were destroyed or taken to Japan. To this day, valuable Korean artifacts can often be found in Japanese museums or among private collectors.

During World War II, Koreans were forced to support the Japanese war effort. Tens of thousands of men were conscripted into Japan's military. Approximately 200,000 girls and women, mostly from Korea and China, were conscripted as sex slaves, euphemistically called "comfort women".

Anti-Japanese sentiment is still fairly strong in Korea, as a result of Japanese war crimes and continuing Korean-Japanese disputes

With the defeat of Japan in 1945, the United Nations developed plans for a trusteeship administration, the Soviet Union administering the peninsula north of the 38th parallel and the United States effectively administering the south. The politics of the Cold War resulted in the 1948 establishment of two separate governments. Kim Il Sung became the leader of the North Korean government. Syngman Rhee, a long-time resident of the U.S., was elected as the president of the South.

The Korean War began in June 1950 and lasted until 1953. The North Korean army launched a full-scale attack on the South on June 25, 1950, after years of frequent minor bloody conflicts along the border. The well-equipped and trained North Korean Army easily overwhelmed the South Korean forces, prompting an urgent intervention by the U.S. forces, later reinforced by the U.N. forces. When the allied forces pushed the North Koreans back to the Chinese-North Korean border, the Chinese entered the war. Millions of civilians died and the United States waged a bombing campaign over North Korea that effectively destroyed most cities (Cumings 1997: 298).

The war ended in a cease fire agreement at approximately the same boundary. The two countries never signed a peace treaty. Both Korean states proclaim eventual reunification as a goal, and discourses on a united Korea are very much a part of Korean ethno-cultural identity

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