Silla, Choson, and Koryu:

 

Founder: Tan’gun

 

He developed the native culture and traditions. His father was a god and his mother was a bear.

Korea is located on a peninsula that comes off of Northeast Asia that comes close to the Japanese islands. It is very mountainous and it is not easy to farm here so most of the civilizations have to rely on trade. Early Korea was like Japan in that it had clans governing it. The Han conquered most of Korea and put in a militarized government. They eventually made federations and they later broke apart into three civilizations known as the Silla, Koryu and Choson. When the Silla took control they made many Buddhist monasteries and bronze sculptures. They also developed a phonetic writing based off of chinese characters. After the Silla had weakened, a leader named Wang Kon took control and started a dynasty called the Koryu. They used the same government as China at this time. They also were divided between aristocrats and the general population. The Koryu made lots of pottery and other artwork. They also made thousands of wooden blocks with Buddhist scripture on them. Over 80,000 wooden blocks remain today. In 1238 the Mongols came into Korea and demanded 20,000 horses, clothing for 1 million soldiers and many children to be used as slaves. The Mongols rule lasted until 1360 when the Mongol empire was destroyed. In 1392 some military leaders overthrew the Koryu. They established the Choson which would last for 518 years.(Perry)