The name Korea is an exonym, although it was derived from a historical kingdom name, Goryeo (Revised Romanization) or Koryŏ (McCune–Reischauer). Goryeo was the shortened name officially adopted by Goguryeo in the 5th century and the name of its 10th-century successor state Goryeo.
Goguryeo (also spelled as Koguryŏ) was also known as Goryeo (also spelled as Koryŏ), and it eventually became the source of the modern name of Korea.
During the first half of the 1st millennium, Korea was divided between three states, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, together known as the Three Kingdoms of Korea. In the second half of the 1st millennium, Silla defeated and conquered Baekje and Goguryeo, leading to the "Unified Silla" period.
In 1897, Joseon changed its name to the Korean Empire (Daehan Jeguk) and pushed ahead with reforms and an open-door policy, but it was too late. Japan soon won major victories in its wars against the Qing dynasty and Russia, emerged as a strong power in Northeast Asia, and took steps to annex Joseon.
'Joseon(조선)' is a country that has been destroyed and does not exist at present. In a modern society divided into South and North Korea(북한), there is only North Korea that calls itself Joseon. The official name of Korea (남한, South Korea) is Republic of Korea.
The name Korea is an exonym, derived from Goryeo or Koryŏ. Both North Korea and South Korea use the name in English. However, in the Korean language, the two Koreas use different terms to refer to the nominally unified nation: Joseon (조선, 朝鮮) in North Korea and Hanguk (한국, 韓國) in South Korea.
During the Joseon era, some believed that fraternal twins were bad luck. One of the twins had to be eliminated and it was usually the girl, since a woman was considered less worthy and certainly could not inherit the throne. Sometimes the female infant was given away, sometimes she was left to die.
China's hegemony over Korea ended with its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. The Joseon Kingdom was renamed "The Korean Empire," but in fact, it had fallen under Japanese control; with Korean Emperor Gojong eventually being forced to abdicate his throne.
Japanese rule over Korea ended on 2 September 1945 with the surrender of Japan in World War II. The armed forces of the United States and the Soviet Union subsequently occupied this region.
Unified Silla lasted for 267 years until falling to Goryeo, under the leadership King Gyeongsun, in 935. Joseon, born out of the collapsed Goryeo in 1392, also ruled the entire peninsula, that rule lasting until Japan annexed Korea in 1910. The period of Japanese colonization lasted until 1945.
When Japan was defeated in World War II, Soviet forces took control of the North, and American forces took control of the South, with the 38th parallel as the agreed-upon dividing line. South Korea is independent as of August 15, 1945, and North Korea as of September 9, 1945.
The modern and contemporary history of Korea is characterized by the establishment of the Korean Empire (1897–1910), Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945), liberation from Japan (1945), U.S. and Soviet military governments in Korea (1945–1948), and the Korean War (1950–1953).
Archaeologists believe the ancestors of today's Koreans came from Mongolia and Siberia. Korea's first kingdom was Old Chosun, which ruled the northwest and parts of China for more than 22 centuries. In 108 B.C. it was overthrown by Chinese armies, and three new kingdoms emerged: Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla.
Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910-1945. For the first ten years Japan ruled directly through the military, and any Korean dissent was ruthlessly crushed.
Originally, several tribes and clans settled in the Korean Peninsula. There was the Koguryo to the north, who developed a hunting culture, the Okcho and Ye clans to the east, who formed a fishing and trading culture, and the Chinhan, Mahan, and Pyonhan clans to the south, who formed an agricultural lifestyle.
Korean Empire (1897–1910)
China's hegemony over Korea ended with its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. The Joseon Kingdom was renamed "The Korean Empire," but in fact, it had fallen under Japanese control.
Technically, 1897 marks the end of the Joseon period, as the official name of the empire was changed.
Hur suggests: Hideyoshi targeted Korea because he thought his military forces would easily subjugate it; and Hideyoshi envisioned that such an easy military campaign would help him consolidate his fledgling regime poised to control a complex web of local power blocs in Japan.
He mobilized all the feudal lords in Japan and invaded Joseon (present-day Korea and North Korea) twice between 1592 and 1598. The objective was to conquer the Ming Dynasty (present-day China). The Japanese occupied Hanseong (present-day Seoul) and advanced farther.
The absence of US troops was mainly due to a miscalculation of when Japan would surrender. To restrict the USSR from seizing the entire peninsula, the US suggested a temporary division of the Korean peninsula between the US and USSR.
Joseon engaged in the policy of maintaining friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty of China since its founding. On every occasion that the nation needed to determine an important matter, Joseon informed Ming and sought its acknowledgement.
One would expect that women at the time lived in daily fear of divorce, but in actuality, divorces were rarely granted. The government did its utmost to prevent divorce because of the ideological importance of chas- tity. A woman was expected to remain chaste even after her husband died and not to remarry.
As these two Kim clans descend from different patrilineages, a Gimhae Kim and a Gyeongju Kim can marry. Before the 1997 Constitutional Court decision, however, two members of the 4 million Gimhae Kim could not marry, regardless of the distance of their relationship. ... For centuries, South Korea has had a law ...
Jang Ok-jeong (장옥정), also known as Hui-bin Jang (장희빈), was an exceptional beauty in the Joseon Dynasty who was the only person recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty about her beautiful features.