Page 63 - South Korea & Japan: Temples, Shrines & Seaside Treasures

Dangun actually existed, but like Britain’s King Arthur, he is a well-loved national symbol and
Q]P\`PY_Wd ]PQP]PYNPO TY [Z[`WL] N`W_`]P 4_ T^ XZ]P WTVPWd _SL_ 6Z]PL bL^ ʭ]^_ [Z[`WL_PO O`]TYR
the late Stone Age as the earliest pottery fragments that have been found date back to about
8,000 BC.

The Three Kingdoms

As the Iron Age began (roughly 400 BC) the agricultural communities on the Korean Peninsula
began banding together as loosely-organized states. In time, these states formed federations
that became known as the Three Kingdoms: Goguryeo (founded in 37 BC), Baekje (18 BC),
and Silla (57 BC). Each of these kingdoms left their mark on Korean history. For example,
2ZR`]dPZ bL^ _SP ʭ]^_ _Z LOZ[_ -`OOST^X L^ L ^_L_P ]PWTRTZY -LPVUP M]Z`RS_ NWZ^P N`W_`]LW
ties with China and naval prowess, but their power and territory drew the attention of China’s
Tang Dynasty, who attacked in 660 AD. It was up to the last kingdom, Silla, to drive out the
Chinese, which they did in 676.

After the war with the Tang, Silla remained the dominant power in southern Korea. In the
north, a former Goguryeo general took over the old territory. Because of this north-south
division, some historians call this time “the North and South States Period”. And even today,
South Korea tends to identify with Silla while North Korea tends to reference Goguryeo.

Goryeo Dynasty Unification

It wasn’t until 200 years later—in 918—that the two states were united under a single ruler,
the charismatic Taejo Wang Geon (whose name sometimes appears in English as Wang
Kon). Born to a prosperous merchant family in Goguryeo, he took advantage of internal
ʭRS_TYR TY >TWWL _Z ^PTeP [ZbP] LYO QZ`YO ST^ ZbY OdYL^_d ?SP YPb VTYROZX bL^ VYZbY L^
Goryeo—which is the origin of the word “Korea”—and had more or less the same boundaries
as present-day North and South Korea combined. For these reasons, the Goryeo dynasty is
usually seen as the start of modern Korea.

Once in power, Taejo Wang Geon set about reconciling the two former rival states with
leniency and tact. Instead of punishing the defeated Silla, he sought alliances with the local
clans, allowed the Silla nobles to keep their place in society, and even married a Silla princess
to ensure their royal line did not die out. This policy of reconciliation through diplomatic
measures—plus his work in codifying laws and promoting Buddhism—gave his dynasty a
stable foundation that would last four centuries.

Middle Ages and Mongols

In the early 1300s, Korean society was mostly stable, prosperous, and orderly. Citizens had
a place in the social order based on rank, with the aristocratic elite at the top, the military
and scholarly classes in the middle, and peasantry (mostly farmers) as the lower class.
At the bottom were slaves and the cheonmin (an outcast group of butchers, tanners, and
entertainers). Culturally, the country drew inspiration from China. There was a great deal
ZQ _]LOP MP_bPPY _SP _bZ YL_TZY^ LYO bSTWP -`OOST^X bL^ _SP ZʯNTLW ]PWTRTZY TY 6Z]PL
Chinese-style Confucianism was also practiced and respected.

63