Hermit Kingdom
name for Korea that reflected its isolationist policies; shut out from rest of the world
Ancient Choson
(4000 - 53 B.C.) clans of families from northern China who used terrace farming and made tools from bronze and iron; Korea's original name
Three Kingdoms
the kingdoms formed in the peninsula of Korea by 300 A.D. after great unrest(political instability)
Koguryo
tribal people of Northeast Korea
Paekche
Korean kingdom in the Southwest
Silla Kingdom
Southeast/East Coast of Korea that unified it and was allied with China
Similarities of the Three Kingdoms
well developed agriculture
central authoritarian government
class system
strong military
religion (chinese)
Unified Silla
(668 - 892 A.D) One of the three kingdoms that united Korea by using Chinese systems; had mandatory work for peasants to keep them busy(so they wouldn't revolt); Tax systems, feudal and social system, military
homogeneous society
people share a common culture and language; similar ethnic and cultural backgrounds(Korea)
Major Physical Features of Korea
Mountains(take up over 70% of Korea; T'aebaek Range), Plains, and its Coastline(peninsula, fishing)
Korea's First Golden Age
During Unified Silla, Koreans became advanced is literature, arts, architecture, and trade with other countries.
900 A.D. in Korea(Mess Again)
Korea is a mess again, with upper class refusing to pay taxes, the lower class rebels; peasants revolt.
Traditional History(Korea)
When "Korea becomes Korea". Weird name because it would usually be called "Ancient History", but Korea did not have any written history before 1000 B.C
Imperial History
"a land of empires foreign and domestic"; period of time when Korean Dynasties were ruled under tribute of other nations(Mongols, Manchus, and Japan)
Koryo Dynasty
Korean dynasty that ruled from 918 - 1392 A.D and the dynasty where "Korea" gets its name from; was conquered by Mongols(Genghis Khan and Mongol Horde) in 1250s, but was allowed to rule themselves as long as they payed tribute; mongols brought chinese language; civil service exams but mostly only for sons of aristocrats; peak of Buddhist influence
Yi(Choson) Dynasty
(1392 - 1910 A.D) Ruled Korea as the second "Golden Age"; when Confucianism and Buddhism(Confucianism was the main religion) became popular; King Sejong reduced the alphabet from 20,000 to 28 characters --> made writing and reading accessible to more people; was ruled under tribute by the Japanese in 1500's and ruled under tribute by Manchus in 1600's
Modern History Korea
Period of time that includes; Hermit Kingdom again, forced to be open to the West, Japanese Occupation, and Division of Korea/Korean War
The west wants Korea to open its doors in 1800's because...
US and Europe wanted to sell cheap manufactured goods
Japanese wanted to occupy Korea so.....
they could get cheap Korean Labor to defeat the Manchus
Japanese Occupation led to improvements in...
Factories, Road, Railroads built on cheap korean labor(used Korean labor for their own benefits)
Japanese Occupation caused...
Koreans to change their names to Japanese names; Japan to be the only official/legal language; used Koreans to help them fight in WWII
annex
add a territory to an existing state or country
March 1st Movement
On March 1st, 1919, Korean nationalists held a huge, peaceful demonstration to demand independence. The Japanese responded by killing 2,000 Koreans and jailing 19,000 more.
Japanese Occupation ended because...
US dropped two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
After WWII...
Japan surrenders and Korea becomes divided
Both USA and USSR want Korea, so...
Korea is divided at the 38th parallel and the USSR gets N.Korea while the US gets S.Korea
Korean War
1950 - 1953; North Korea invades South Korea with surprise attack; USA asks UN to declare war on North Korea; US/UN/South Korean Soldiers fight against China/North Korea; ended with agreement on 38th parallel; about 4 million people died
N.K and S.K are technically still at war because....
neither side has signed a peace treaty, they only have not had direct contact since 1953
Climate of Korea
Temperate Climate with hot summers and cold winters. North Korea has harsher winters which allow South Korea to have better farming
Mountains in North Korea
Rich in mineral sources like iron, coal, lead, and copper. Rivers flowing out the mountains are also a good source of hydroelectric power
Chinese influence on Korea
Buddhist missionaries carried Chinese ideas to Korea, Chinese refugees fled to Korea in times of disorder, and many Koreans went to study Chinese and Confucianism in China. Koreans believed spirits resided in natural objects, like the Chinese, with the most popular spirit being the mountain god.
Wang Kon
First ruler of Koryo Dynasty and encouraged culture and the arts.
King Sejong
1443, Korea's most celebrated ruler decided to replace/simplify the complex Chinese system of writing. Developed hangul which was more how speaking sounds but using symbols; encouraged advances in agriculture, government, science, music, medicine, and astronomy.
1592 Invasion from Japan
Tried to attack China by way of Korea, fought for 6 years until China helped Korea defeat the Japanese
Isolationism
A policy of avoiding political or military involvement with other countries; for almost 200 years Korea closed off its ports to foreigners(and banned christianity)
Richard Kim
Author of autobiographical novel "Lost Names"; told story about how he had to change his name when he was little during Japanese Occupation
Armistice
An agreement to stop fighting
South Korea Government
Started as authoritarian then gradually became more democratic, capitalist, and republican;
South Korea Economy
-growing steadily
-capitalist economy with close gov ties
-many global econ ties
-produce high tech stuff that helps economy
-exports many goods
-economy is diversified
-GDP is 48x larger than North Korea
-environment suffered bc of fast growing economy
South Korea Society
New middle class; people work at jobs instead of farms = more people in cities; women gained more rights; Confucianism still popular among households
North Korea Government
Communist dictatorship built by Kim Il-Sung; juche - self-reliance; isolated the country from other communist nations and built industry for own use
North Korea Economy
command economy; more industrialized and urbanized but still far behind the south; progress lost of 1995 bc of flood, droughts, and famine - forced N.K to increase trade
Korea's Future
some koreans hope to reunite, but each side is suspicious of the other; especially with N.K's current missile threats and nuclear weapons