Korea: From 3000 BC to 1945 AD

Korea: From 3000 BC to 700 AD First people arrived in Korea in around 3000 BC from what is now Manchuria and Mongolia Tan’gun the father of Korea united tribes into Kingdom of Chosun in 2333 BC A series of kingdoms rose and fell Eventually three major kingdoms arose Paekche, Silla, and Koguryo (a culture which is claimed to be both Korean and Chinese) Confucianism and Buddhism were introduced to Korea, from China, during this time In the 6 th Century, Korean scholars travelled to Japan and helped to introduce Confucianism, Buddhism, and the Chinese written language there

Korea: 700 AD to 1388 AD With the help of the Chinese the Silla dynasty conquered all of Korea By 918 AD Silla had fallen to a new kingdom called Koryo. The Koryo Period lasted until During this time Koryo resisted several attempts by the Chinese at military subjugation. In 1231, the Mongols invaded and conquered Korea. It was also during this time that Koreans invented movable wooden type used for printing. Threatened by raiders from the north and pirates from Japan, Koryo fell to a coup by General Yi Song-gye in 1388

Korea: 1392 AD to 1627 AD The Kingdom of Chosun was established in 1392 Seoul was built to be the new capital Korea became a tribute state of Ming China In 1466 King Sejong oversaw the creation of a written language for the expression of Korean called Hangeul. From Japanese armies attacked and conquered large portions of the Korean peninsula before retreating back to Japan. From , the Manchus attacked and conquered large parts of Korea. Korea became a part of the Manchu Empire but was allowed to keep its King and royal court. The first Europeans came to Korea in 1627

Korea: 1628 AD – 1884 AD In the late 1860’s and 1870’s the French and Americans attempted to establish relations with Korea by sending soldiers to force Korea to open to Western influence. Korea was able to hold of the foreign interventions and declared itself closed to all outsiders in However, in 1876 Japan sent warships to Korea and forced Korea to establish diplomatic relations with Japan. In 1882, Korea signed a treaty with the United States. During this time, Korea sent missions to Japan and the US to learn about the Western world. Koreans, who wanted to open up and learn form the Western world were known a Progressives and hired Japanese instructors to train their army, created the Korean postal system, and designed the Korean national flag. Progressives were generally pro-Japan and anti-China. The primary reasons for this were that Japan was seen as becoming modern and China was seen as backward. Japan still had a degree of independence from the West and had been able to maintain its pride where China was being humiliated.

Korea: In 1884, Korean reactionaries called in China to aid them in abolishing the Progressive government. In 1894, Tonghak rebels, defeated government forces. The Korean government asked for China to send soldiers to help quell the rebellion. Japan, worried that China would take over Korea and lead to its occupation by Western powers, especially Russia, sent soldiers. The Tonghak rebels were quickly defeated by Korean, Chinese, and Japanese forces. Japan forced Korea to sign treaties allowing the Japanese trading and security rights in Korea.

Korea: 1896 AD to 1905 AD The defeat of the Tonghak allowed the Japanese to force Korea to put Progressives back in charge. The Progressives: –Abolished the Confucian Civil Service System –Created a modern judicial system –Modernized the Police system –Freed public slaves –Made selling slaves illegal Russia and Japan maneuvered against each other for influence in Korea. At this time many advocates for reform began to push for Korean nationalism and independence. Among them was Syngman Rhee. Schools and hospitals were founded and smallpox vaccines were given. Telegraphs, telephones, electric lights, and railways were built. After the defeat of Russia in 1904 by the Japanese, Japan forced Korea to sign a Treaty of Protection with Japan in This was effectively the end of Korean Independence.

Korea:1905 AD AD After battling Korean rebels Japan annexed Korea in Koreans lost many of their rights, schools and newspapers were closed, the teaching of Korean history was banned, and anti-Japanese activities were punished. Japanese farmers moved to Korea and took people’s land. Much rice was exported to Japan leaving Koreans short on the food necessary to feed their own people. In 1919, Korean leaders signed a Declaration of Independence. The Japanese cracked down hard on Korean nationalists and many moved to Shanghai to continue their work. Dr. Syngman Rhee was elected their leader. Beginning in 1921, bands of Koreans joined together to form the Korean Army for National Restoration, attacking into northern Korea from Manchuria.

Dr. Syngman Rhee Born March 26, 1875 Member of aristocratic family Graduated from George Washington University and Princeton University Elected President of Provisional Government in 1919 and served until his impeachment for misuse of authority in Rhee continued to work for Korean Independence. In 1933 he went to Switzerland to try and arrange international support from the League of Nations. That failing, he moved to the United States where he continued to write books and articles and worked to convince Americans of the Korean right to independence.

Korea: To Independence While some Koreans fought the Japanese from Manchuria or agitated against them from Shanghai, most Koreans stayed in Korea and lived their daily lives. As World War II progressed, thousands of Koreans were pressed into military service and were forced to become guards at prisoner of war camps and as police in areas rear of the front lines. Untold numbers of Korean women were taken by the Japanese army and used as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers serving in many different parts of Asia. Still other Koreans worked willingly with the Japanese to run Korea. Some did so out of greed, some out of the need to provide for their families, some out of the desire to help as many people as possible, and still others out of simple practicality.

Post World War II At the Cairo Conference in 1943, China, Great Britain, and the United States all agreed that Korea should become an independent nation at the end of the war. At the end of the war, when the Japanese Emperor agreed to the surrender, Korea became an independent nation. By this time, the Soviet Union had sent troops into northern Korea. The US sent troops into southern Korea and they agreed to meet at the 38 th parallel. In the mean time, the Soviets recognized the Five Provinces People’s Committee as the government of Korea. The US refused to recognize the government Five Provinces Government or the Provisional Government in Exile as the government of South Korea. Instead, it created a military government under the US Army. During this time, political parties were founded, Japanese troops were disarmed and sent back to Japan, and the Americans and Soviets began to discuss how to resolve the question of governing Korea.

Korea: one nation, two governments In 1945, the Soviets and Americans agreed to a five year trusteeship plan, in which the two halves of Korea would be rebuilt, and by 1950 the final governmental questions would have been resolved. Koreans reacted violently to this arrangement and began demonstrating for immediate independence. In the South these demonstrations continued for sometime, but in the North they were quashed by Communists under Soviet pressure. Throughout the country, Nationalists and Communists had violent clashes. By 1947, the US had established relative democratic government agencies and began to turn over the running of the affairs of the southern half of the country to Koreans. It is important to note that many of the men who ran South Korea in the early years were men who had worked for the Japanese prior to There were practical reasons for this. Most educated Koreans had worked for the Japanese in one way or another and they were the people who had the practical knowledge to run the day to day operations of the country. During Japan’s rule there had not been free and equal access to education and thus Japanese collaborators were needed until a new generation of Korean nationalists could be given the training necessary to rule the nation.

North Korea and South Korea By 1946, Kim Il-Sung and the Communists had created a government in North Korea called People’s Assembly of North Korea. With the help of the Soviets, Kim had eliminated most of the nationalist and religious groups in the North. In 1947, the US appealed to the UN to help solve the question of government in Korea. The UN sent a mission to help supervise elections. The Soviets and North Koreans refused to accept the UN mission. The elections went ahead anyway. Dr. Syngman Rhee was elected President of the Republic of Korea on May 10, In August of 1949, the North Koreans carried out their own election and elected Kim Il-Sung as Premier.