History Of Korea

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Korea’s legendary founder, Dangun, established an ancient state which is now known modernly as Pyongyang, located in modern day North Korea. He is known for uniting the people during 2333 B.C. Koreans currently celebrate Dangun Day every October 3rd, known as National Foundation Day, which is supposedly the birthday of this god-like figure. There is no evidence that he actually existed, yet Koreans believe in this original founder of their country.
It is thought that the ancient Koreans had migrated from Manchuria, Mongolia, and Siberia, to the Korean Peninsula. Many of the prehistoric people were believed to be hunters, fishermen, and farmers. These people were thought to practice shamanism, which is refers to beliefs and practices that are connected with communicating with the spirit realm and energies around it. There are many variations of these beliefs, and with the Koreans they focused a lot on worshipping the spirits connected to nature. Many of these practices are still implemented in daily life to this day. These people migrated to the peninsula around the late Stone Age known as the Neolithic era in 6000 B.C., driving out the Asians that lived there throughout the Paleolithic times, which was the early stone age. As the Koreans built their civilization, much of their development was influenced by China.
The Han dynasty created its four territories in the northern half of the Korean peninsula in 108 B.C., announcing the start of Korea’s recorded history. From there, the Koreans recaptured three of the territories from the Chinese, leaving out Lalang. Lalang, being left under Chinese control, is the reason the Koreans have acquired many Chinese techniques, such as writing with Chinese characters, religion ideas, governme...

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...n half became the Republic of Korea. The United States and Soviet Union agreed to control the two parts of Korea until a government was established, with USA occupying the south and the U.S.S.R. in the north. However, by 1947, tensions led to a breakdown of negotiations over the divided Koreas. About a year later, a pro-U.S. government established in Seoul (resting in the south) and a pro-Soviet goverment established in the northern state of Pyongyang. Extreme tensions rose and North Korea even tried to forcefully unite the peninsula along with the Soviets in 1950. The two sides faught, and ended exactly as it had began. Rough estimates of divided territories were formed at the line of cease-fire which still exist as boundary lines today. Since that division, North and South Korea have developed very separately, with highly different economic and political systems.

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