By: Katherine, Marquis, Virginia, and Christa

Koreans played role in dynastic struggles that preoccupied people of Northern China In 109 B.C.E., earliest Korean kingdom, Choson, was conquered by Han emperor Wudi Centuries of warfare between 3 Korean kingdoms weakened each without giving power to any Internal strife left Korea vulnerable to attacks Tang strategists hit on idea of taking advantage of Korean divisions Striking alliance with rulers of Silla kingdom

Chinese put an end to long-lived dynasty that played key role in Korea’s early development Periodically, common people rose up against ruling class Most uprising were local and ruthlessly repressed by armies of ruling class Weakened both Silla, and Koryo regimes, they contributed to fall of both dynasties After a century and a half of conflict and turmoil, the Yi dynasty was established in 1392 and ended in 1910

4 B.C.E. people moved into Korean peninsula begun to acquire sedentary farming and metalworking techniques Aristocratic families were divided into several ranks tat neither socialized with eachother Buddhist salvationist teaching gave the hope for bliss in the afterlife

The Korean peninsula is an extension of the Chinese mainland The three kingdoms that made up the Korean peninsula were Koguryo, Silla, and Paekche Next to three bodies of water, Gulf of West Korea, Yellow Sea, and Sea of Japan It was between China and Japan

Buddhism supplied the key links between korea and the successors of the Han dynasty. Korean elite favored buddhism and confucianism. Kumsong’s capital was crowded with an buddhist temples. Buddhist monks were in attendance of rulers and royal families. Schools of buddhism were chinese.

Chinese influences were controlled by a tiny elite, the aristocratic families who dominated Korea's political, economic, and social life. Trade with China and Japan was intended to serve their desires. Aristocrats controlled manufacturing and commerce, thus hampering the development of artisan and trader classes. All groups beneath the aristocracy in the social scale served them. They included government officials, commoners (mainly peasants), and the low born, who worked as virtual slaves in a wide range of work.