history of Korea

History of Korea

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the history of Korea, up to the division of Korea in 1945. See History of North

The Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 700,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BCE, and the Neolithic period began before 6000 BCE, followed by the Bronze Age around 1500 BCE, and the Iron Age begins around 400 BCE. Korea is considered to be one of the oldest continuous civilizations in the world.[1]

According to the Samguk Yusa and other Korean medieval-era records, the Gojoseon (Old Joseon) kingdom was founded in northern Korea and Manchuria by 2333 BCE,[2] and the Jin state forms in southern Korea in the 3rd century BCE. Gojoseon was invaded by Han dynasty in the 1st century BCE which resulted in the fall of Gojoseon later led to successor warring states, Proto–Three Kingdoms period spans the later Iron Age. Since 1st century, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla grew to control the peninsula and Manchuria as the Three Kingdoms (57 BCE-668 CE) until the unification

by Silla in 676. In 698, Dae Jo-yeong established Kingdom of Balhae, 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 unification of the Goryeo Dynasty. During the Goryeo period, laws were codified, a civil service system was introduced, and Buddhism flourished.

In 1392, general Yi Seong-gye established the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) after a coup.

King Sejong the Great (1418–1450) implemented numerous administrative, social, economical reforms, established royal authority in the early years of the dynasty, and promulgated Hangul, the Korean alphabet.

In 18th century, Korea was faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure and rebellions at home, the Joseon Dynasty declined rapidly in the late 19th century. In 1897, Korean Empire (1897–1910) succeeded Joseon Dyansty. However, Imperial Japan forced the Korean Empire to sign the Eulsa Treaty and in 1910 annexed the Korean Empire.[3]

Korean resistance was manifested in the widespread nonviolent March 1st Movement of 1919 during the occupation. Thereafter the greater resistance movements, coordinated by

the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in exile, was largely active in neighboring Manchuria, China and Siberia.

After the liberation in 1945, the partition of Korea created the modern two states of North and South Korea. In 1948, new governments were established, the nominally Capitalist South

Korea ("Republic of Korea") and Communist North Korea ("Democratic People's Republic of Korea") divided at the 38th parallel. The unresolved tensions of the division surfaced in the Korean War of 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea.

韩国在人类历史活动

可追溯远至旧石器时

代以前，大约50万

年。开始时，韩国的

历史往往是追溯至公

元前2333年，那时谈

郡，一个传奇人物的部

落出生的儿子天地图

腾一个女人从熊市中，

建立了第一个王国命

名的朝鲜，字面意思是

土地的“早晨的平静。

“虽然历史性的神话郯

郡是学者之间的争议，

这是众所周知的古代

朝鲜的国家的特色是

结合家族社区，形成小

城镇-。他们上涨，下

跌688）那么到了公元

前一世纪，三国，高句

丽（公元前37 -公元，

百济（公元前18年-公

元660年）和新罗（公

元前57年-公元935），

有一部分出现在朝鲜

半岛和什么是现在称

为满洲。

自

从

668

年

新

罗

统一朝鲜半岛，韩国已经由单

一的政府统治，并一直保持着

族群认同尽管频繁外来侵略

的，政治独立和文化。这两个

高丽（918-1392）和朝鲜

（1392-1910）时期巩固了他们的

王朝权力和繁荣文化，同时还

是日本击退入侵者，如契丹人，

蒙古人，满族人。

在19世纪末，韩国成为日本的

重点，俄罗斯或中国，帝国主

义国家之间竞争激烈等。1910

年，日本吞并韩国和实行殖民

统治，使朝鲜王朝的结束，与

它传统的韩国。发生在1945年

全国解放不久，但随后因领土

分裂。在南韩国有一个民主的

政府，而人民民主共和国境内

的北朝鲜是一个共产主义政权

所统治。

The Seasons of Korea

1) Spring

Spring in the Korean Peninsula comes with the arrival of the swallow, a migratory bird from the south, and the blooming of cherry blossoms in the last part of March or early April along the

southern coast and nearby islands. It begins in the middle of April in the central part of the country, and in the last part of April in the north. By April, a thaw sets in, and streams swell as ice breaks up, and spring rain comes in drizzles. Rainfall increases gradually during March, April and May. This rainfall is slight, but it is adequate for preparing seedbeds for rice, sowing spring vegetables, and planting summer crops such as barley and soybeans. Spring winds are characterized by varied direction. The early spring has more gusty and dusty winds from the northwest, and as summer approaches, moist airstreams start blowing from the south. Spring is rather short, usually little more than two months, April and May, especially in the northern part of Korea.

2) Summer

Summer in Korea is hot and rainy. The season usually begins in June, when the temperature rises above 20 degrees C, in most of Korea except the northern interior, and lasts about four months. The monthly rainfall is generally more than 100 millimeters. Summer is the season of cyclonic storms and monsoonal rains. Especially in July there are many rainy days mingled with short clear spells and less cloudy days. Summer rainfall is characterized by heavy showers, often exceeding 200 millimeters of rainfall in a day, or sometimes more than 300 millimeters. This heavy concentration of rainfall occurs frequently in inland basins where airflows converge. During the summer rainy season, rivers and streams throughout Korea are filled with runoff water from the upper reaches which often causes floods. Abundant rainfall and hot summers are necessary for growing rice. Inadequate rainfall or the late arrival of the rainy season is liable to cause failure of rice crops. There is very little difference between north and south in summer temperature. Temperature differences are greater between the coast and the inland areas than between north and south. The highest temperature, 40 degrees C, was recorded at Taegu and the inland basin on August 1, 1942.

3) Autumn

Autumn is rather short, lasting about two months from October to November. This is the season of transition from the hot and wet summer monsoon to the cold and dry winter monsoon. October brings a decided shift in air mass movements with a dry, continental airstream resulting in clear days. Nights are cool, particularly in the north, where frost normally occurs at this time. The clear autumn days are the most pleasant of the year. Dry and sunny weather is indispensable for rice to ripen and for farmers to reap it. In the central and southern parts of Korea, this is the season for planting winter crops such as barley and wheat.

4) Winter

During the winter the climate contrast between the northern and southern regions is most apparent. A January isothermal map shows that the minus 20 degrees C. line passes the northern inland region while the 4 degrees C. line passes the southern coast. Junggangjin, North Korea, the coldest place on the Korean Peninsula, has a mean temperature of minus 20.8 degrees C. and Jejudo Island has one of 5.2 degrees C. during January, the coldest month. Thus, the north-south difference in January temperatures is about 26 degree C. In the winter of 1933, Junggangjin had the lowest temperature ever recorded in Korea, minus 43.6 degrees C. Winter is characterized as cold and dry with the cold spell generally caused by the influence of the Siberian high pressure cell, a cold and dry air mass. However, due to fluctuations in the high-pressure cell, the northwest winter monsoon is not continuous, allowing calm periods when the weather is milder. Winter in Korea is long, lasting four months in the central and southern regions. Most rivers in North Korea are frozen over for several months. The winter temperature has an important bearing on agriculture. Where the cold is not overly severe, two crops, usually rice and barley, may be grown.

As any Korean will tell you (probably more than once), Korea has four distinct seasons of about equal length. Traditionally, Koreans divided the year into 24 seasons. Each of these seasons has a distinct and surprisingly reliably predictable weather pattern. When I asked the Korean friend who seemed most likely to know when the first snow in Seoul was possible, he thought for thought only for a brief moment before decisively telling me "November 16." Sure enough, on November 18, the first day after the 16th with precipitation, we had mixed rain and snow showers. It's reassuring that one can generally count on the accuracy of a Korean's prediction in response to when will this hot weather end!?

Despite its southerly latitudes, Korea experiences a fairly severe winter. Temperatures in Seoul can dip as low as -20°C (-5°F), though they usually average between 0°C and 10°C (32°F-50°F) in the day and -10°C and 0°C (10°F-32°F) at night. A pattern of three colder days followed by four milder days is fairly consistent from December through February.

Happily, spring comes early with daytime temperatures climbing into the twenties (70s°F) by early April. To the delight of any North American who lives East of the Rockies and north of the Mason-Dixon Line, and who is therefore used to the outdoors being gray and dead for six months of the year, green shoots appear and flowers start opening by mid-March. April, May and June are usually pleasant and warm. July is tropically rainy and hot. August is very hot (33°C/90°F+) and quite humid, and generally without afternoon showers to cool things down. The autumn is sunny and warm into late October. If I had to compare Seoul's weather with that of a North American City, I'd have to say it was similar to New York City's weather, though Seoul is wetter than New York in July and drier the rest of the year.

Temperatures in Busan are somewhat (3-6°C / 5-10°F) milder in winter and much the same as Seoul during the rest of the year. Though Jeju is described by many Koreans as "sub

tropical," they have to wrap the small palm trees up in plastic for the winter. The climate is generally quite dry.

Below is today's forecast for Seoul, Busan, and Daegu. Note that the names used by Qwikcast for the latter two cities use pre-2000 spelling.

History of Korea Part I

A look back at the 5,000 years of Korean history reveals triumphs and tragedies, successes and struggles -- all of which have been instrumental in shaping the Korea and Koreans of today. It is unclear as to exactly when human habitation began on the Korean Peninsula, but the Korean foundation myth dates back to 2333 B.C. when Tan-gun, a mythical half-divine, half-human being, supposedly founded the nation from which all Koreans are descended, providing Koreans with a sense of identity as one people. It seems clear that it was during the Neolithic Age (c. 5000-1000 B.C.) that the nomadic tribes from the continent who were the racial and ethnic ancestors of the modern Korean people came to the Peninsula, although these original tribes intermingled with or were assimilated by other nomadic tribes who were to arrive from the continent later, particularly during the Bronze Age (c. 1000-300 B.C.).

Countless tribal communities and alliances rose and fell until from 18 B.C. to A.D. 668, three highly centralized ancient kingdoms, Koguryo, Paekche and Shilla, emerged and flourished on the Peninsula. Shilla conquered the other two kingdoms to become the sole master of most of the Peninsula. To the north, some survivors from Koguryo established the kingdom of Parhae in 698, which lasted until the 10th century. The Unified Shilla period witnessed a brilliant civilization which achieved rapid developments in the arts, religion, commerce, education and all other fields.

History of Korea Part II

The Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) that immediately followed witnessed a flourishing of Buddhism which had arrived in Korea during the Three Kingdoms era. The period is best known internationally for its famous blue-green inlaid celadon pottery, arguably the finest in the world. It was also during this period that the world's first moveable type was developed.

The year 1392 saw the end of the Koryo Dynasty and the establishment of the Choson Dynasty (1392-1910) by Yi Song-gye, later known as King T'aejo

(r.1392-1398). In 1394, he moved the capital from Song-ak (present day Kae-song) to Hanyang (present day Seoul). Confucianism replaced Buddhism as the main ideological influence, and a rigidly structured, heirarchical social system evolved, dominating the kingdom for five centuries. Choson pursued a rigorous isolationist policy until the late 19th century, earning the nickname "the Hermit Kingdom." Korea's foreign relations were basically limited to China, and as its traditional patron and ally struggled in coping with the West and the rising might of Japan, Choson, already weakened by the increasingly inefficient bureaucracy, became vulnerable to exploitation and was annexed by Japan in 1910.

History of Korea Part III

Korea was finally liberated from Japanese rule at the end of World War II -- but only to become entangled in the fierce Cold War ideological conflict that led to the formation in 1948 of two separate states, the Republic of Korea in the south and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north, divided along the 38th parallel. In 1950, North Korea launched an all-out attack on the Republic of Korea, triggering the Korean War, which raged until 1953. The devastating conflict was ended by an armistice agreement which established the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that now divides the Peninsula.

Reunification remains the long-cherished but elusive goal of all Koreans on both sides of the vigilantly guarded Military Demarcation Line. The fall of Communism in

the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the unification of Germany raised expectations in Korea that unification could be achieved in the not very distant future. Some apparent progress in promoting trust and cooperation between the two halves of the peninsula was made in 1991 and 1992, but the threat of North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons development program undermined such progress.

On June 13th, 2000, South Korean president Kim Dae Jung visited North Korean Worker's Party Chief Kim Jong Il. This astonishing meeting was the first time in 55 years that the leaders of the two nations had met. They talked of the possibility of reunification and arranged for an Independence Day (August 15th) gathering to reunite families separated by the Korean War. They plan to meet again in South Korea in 2001.

Kim Dae Jung was selected as the winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Peace on October 13th.