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History of South Korea

A republic on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and one of the Four Asian Tigers.. 5 eras, 918 CE to today.

Goryeo, 918 CE–1392 Draft, not yet reviewed

Goryeo was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. The name Korea is derived from the name of Goryeo. Throughout its existence, Goryeo, alongside Unified Silla, was known to be the Golden Age of Buddhism in Korea. A final proposed attack against the Ming dynasty resulted in a coup d'état led by General Yi Sŏnggye that ended the Goryeo dynasty.

Seat of power: Kaesong

Rulers

Joseon, 1392–1897 Draft, not yet reviewed

Joseon was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in 1897. Neo-Confucianism was installed as the new state's ideology. The kingdom was severely weakened by failed Japanese invasions in 1592 and 1598, which were followed by invasions by the Later Jin dynasty in 1627 and the Qing dynasty in 1636-1637.

Seat of power: Hanseongbu

Rulers

Korean Empire, 1897–1910 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Korean Empire was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. During this period, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwangmu Reform, a partial modernization and westernization of Korea's military, economy, land system, education system, and various industries. In 1905, the Korean Empire became a protectorate of the Empire of Japan.

Seat of power: Hanseongbu

Rulers

Korea under Japanese rule, 1910–1945 Draft, not yet reviewed

From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan as a colony under the name Chōsen, the Japanese reading of Joseon. After forcing Emperor Gojong to abdicate in 1907, Japan formally annexed Korea with the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1910. While Korea's economy grew under Japan, scholars argue that many of the infrastructure projects were designed to extract resources from the peninsula, and not to benefit its people. Beginning in 1939 and during World War II, Japan mobilized around 5.4 million Koreans to support its war effort.

Seat of power: Keijō

Rulers

Republic of Korea, 1948 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

After negotiations on reunification failed, the southern zone became the Republic of Korea in August 1948, while the northern zone became the Soviet-aligned Democratic People's Republic of Korea the following month. The Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice and left three million Koreans dead and the economy in ruins. South Korea endured a series of dictatorships punctuated by coups, revolutions, and violent uprisings, but also experienced a soaring economy and one of the fastest rises in average GDP per capita, leading to its emergence as one of the Four Asian Tigers. The June Democratic Struggle of 1987 ended authoritarian rule and led to the establishment of the current Sixth Republic.

Seat of power: Seoul

Rulers

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.