Timeline of Korean history
This is a timeline of the history of Korea. Some dates prior to the 6th century are speculative or approximate.
Prehistory
Early history
- 15-10th century BC: Beginning of the Bronze age.[3]
- 400 BC: Beginning of the Iron age.
- 300 BC: Establishment of Jin in southern Korean peninsula.
Proto-Three Kingdoms
- 57 BC: Traditional date for the founding of Silla by Bak Hyeokgeose.
- 18 BC: Traditional date for the founding of Baekje by Onjo.
Three Kingdoms
- 42: Traditional date for the founding of Gaya by Suro.
- 53: Goguryeo becomes a centralized kingdom under Taejo's reign.
- 234: Baekje becomes a centralized kingdom under Goi's reign.
- 313: Goguryeo destroys Lelang commandery.
- 356: Silla becomes a centralized kingdom under Naemul's reign.
- 384: Chimnyu of Baekje officially adopts Buddhism.
- 392: Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo begins his reign, expanding Goguryeo into a major regional power.
- 433: Baekje and Silla form an alliance against Goguryeo's aggression.
- 475: Goguryeo attacks Baekje and captures Hanseong (modern day Seoul). Baekje moves its capital south to Ungjin (modern day Gongju), and again to Sabi (modern day Buyeo) in 523.
- 494: Last remains of Buyeo absorbed by Goguryeo.
- 553: Silla attacks Baekje, breaking the alliance.
- 562: Silla completes annexation of Gaya.
- 598: First of a series of major Sui Dynasty attacks in the Goguryeo-Sui Wars, which ends in 614 in a costly defeat for Sui.
- 612: Goguryeo repulses second Sui invasion at the Salsu.
- 648: Silla establishes alliance with Tang.
- 660: Baekje falls to the Silla-Tang forces.
- 668: Goguryeo falls to the Silla-Tang forces.
North South States Period and Later Three Kingdoms
- 676: Silla repels Chinese alliance forces from Korean peninsula, completes unification of much of the Three Kingdoms.
- 698: The founding of Balhae by former Goguryeo general Dae Joyeong.
- 892: Silla begins to lose control of parts of the peninsula as the brief Later Three Kingdoms period begins.
- 900: Hubaekje ("Later Baekje") established in the southwest of the peninsula.
- 901: Taebong ("Later Goguryeo") established in the northwest of the peninsula.
- 926: Balhae falls to Khitan forces.
- 935: Silla formally surrenders to Goryeo.
- 936: Hubaekje formally surrenders to Goryeo.
Goryeo
- 936: Goryeo completes the reunification of the Later Three Kingdoms, absorbing the remainder of Hubaekje and parts of former Balhae territory.
- 956: Emperor Gwangjong forces major land and slavery reforms, and in 958 implements civil service examinations.
- 993: The first of three Goryeo-Khitan Wars.
- 1010: The Second Goryeo-Khitan War ravages the northern border.
- 1018: The Third Goryeo-Khitan War, Khitan successfully repelled.
- 1033: Goryeo builds the Cheonri Jangseong (lit. "Thousand Li Wall"), a massive wall running along the northern border.
- 1234: Choi Yun-ui's Sangjeong Gogeum Yemun is published, world's first metal-block printed text.
- 1251: Goryeo completes the Tripitaka Koreana, the most comprehensive and oldest intact version of the Buddhist canon in Chinese script.
- 1270: Goryeo signs a peace treaty with the Mongols, beginning an 80-year period of suzerainty. The Sambyeolcho Rebellion lasts for three more years.
- 1388: General Yi Seonggye, ordered to engage China in a border dispute, turns his troops against the Goryeo court.
Joseon
- 1392: Yi Seonggye is crowned king, officially beginning the Joseon Dynasty.
- 1396: Capital moved to Hanyang. (modern day Seoul)
- 1402: Paper currency initiated.
- 1408: High military service examination system created.
- 1446: The Hangul alphabet, created 3 years earlier, is promulgated by King Sejong the Great.
- 1592: The Japanese invasion of Korea begins under the command of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Admiral Yi Sun-Sin employs the Turtle ship to repel Japanese naval forces.
- 1653: Dutch ship, with Captain Hendrick Hamel, wrecked on Jeju Island.
- 1791: Persecution of Catholicism begins.
- 1864: Gojong ascends the throne with his father, Daewongun, as Regent.
- 1876: Korean ports are formally opened under the Treaty of Ganghwa with Imperial Japan.
- 1884: Kim Okgyun leads the Gapsin coup. In 3 days, Chinese forces are able to overwhelm the Progressives and their Japanese supporters.
Korean Empire
- 1897: 20 February. King Gojong returns to the his palace after 1 year of refuge at the Russian legation.
- 1905: Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905. Korea became the protectorate of Imperial Japan.
- 1907: 18 July. Gojong was abdicated in favour of his son, Sunjong by Imperial Japan.
- 1910: 29 August. The Japan-Korea Treaty of 1910 started the annexation of the Korean Empire by Imperial Japan.
Japanese Colonial rule
- 1916: The final wave of Uibyeong rebels is defeated by Japanese forces.
- 1919: March 1st Movement. Spurred by the sudden and mysterious death of Gojong. Declaration of Korean Independence. Nation-wide peaceful demonstrations are crushed by Japanese military and police forces after two months. Governor-General Hasegawa resigns.
- 1919: Saito Makoto appointed as third Governor-General of Korea. The period of "cultural policy" begins.
- 1920: Battle of Cheongsanri, Korean independence Army, led by Kim Jwa-jin, victory.
- 1932: Korean independence activist Lee Bong Chang fails in his attempt to assassinate Emperor Hirohito in Tokyo.
- 1932: Korean independence activist Yun Bong Gil bombs Japanese Military gathering in Shanghai.
- 1938: Governor-General of Korea begins Soshi-kamei (Order to Japanese-style name changes) policy.
Division of Korea
- 1945: South Korea created a franchise to raise money and funds to recover.
- 1945: 6 September, Establishment of Peoples Republic of Korea with Yuh Woon-Hyung, but 1946 February, US Army breaks it and Yuh Woon Hyung is murdered.
- 1946: US-USSR Joint-Commission on the formation of a Korean Government reaches an impasse. The Joint-commission is dissolved as the Cold War begins.
- 1948: 10 May. UN sponsored elections are held in South Korea.
- 1948: 15 August. Establishment of the Republic of Korea with Syngman Rhee as President.
- 1948: 09 September. Establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with Kim Il-sung as Premier.
- 1949: The murder of Kim Gu. Kim Gu was a Korean independence activist who believed in, and fought for, a unified Korea. He strongly objected to the formation of a separate South Korean state. He was shot in his home by a South Korean Army lieutenant.
- 1950: August. UN Forces are driven back to South-east corner of the Korean Peninsula (The Pusan Perimeter).
- 1950: September. UN Troops make an Amphibious Landing at Inchon.
- 1950: November. Chinese Forces enter the war
- 1961: 16 May. Military forces, headed by General Park Chung Hee, overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea in what is known as the Military Coup d'état of 16 May
- 1961: 12 November. Summit conference for normalization of Kor-Japanese relations
- 1962: start of the first Five-year plans of South Korea
- 1967: start of the second Five-year plans of South Korea
- 1968: 21 January. An unsuccessful attempt of North Korean commandos to assassinate president Park Chung Hee- the Blue House Raid.
- 1968: 1 April. Establishment of the Pohang Iron and Steel Company
- 1968: 5 December. Proclamation of the National Education Charter
- 1972: start of the third Five-year plans of South Korea
- 1972: 12 August. The first Red Cross talks between North and South Korea are held.
- 1972: President Park Chung Hee declares Emergency Martial Law and changes Constitution in August, which may allow him to become the permanent ruler. This is similar to Gojong of the Korean Empire stating his country's governmental system as 'autocratic' in the constitution- for greater leadership and less opposition.
- 1974: 15 August. Assassination of first lady Yuk Young-soo by self-proclaimed North Korean Mun Segwang.
- 1976: 18 August. The Axe Murder Incident in Panmunjom, Joint Security Area. Triggers former North Korean leader Kim il-sung's first official apology to the South.
- 1976: 12 October: Discontinuation of rice imports, accomplishment of total self-sufficiency in rice by the 'Unification Rice'
- 1977: start of the fourth Five-year plans of South Korea
- 1977: 22 December. Celebration of achievement of 10 billion dollars gained by exports.
- 1978: 26 October. Detection of 3rd underground tunnel. Made by North Korea to attack South Korea.
- 1978: 10 December. Achievement of 1,117 US dollars as GNP.
- 1979: American president Jimmy Carter visits Korea. Threatens Park by stating he would reduce the US forces in Korea if he does not stop the ongoing Nuclear Weapons Development project.
- 1979: 26 October, President Park Chung Hee is assassinated by chief of KCIA, Kim Jaegyu(Assassination of Park Chung Hee).
- 1980: Gwangju massacre. Martial Law is declared throughout the nation. The city of Gwangju becomes a battleground between dissenters and the Armed Forces (18–27 May). Some reports claim over 100 casualties.
- 1990: 11 September: South Korea and the USSR establish diplomatic relations.
- 1991: 17 September: North Korea (DPRK) and South Korea (ROK) join the United Nations (UN).
- 1992: 24 August: South Korea and the People's Republic of China (PRC) establish diplomatic relations.
- 1998: Taepodong-1, a two-stage intermediate-range ballistic missile is developed and tested by the DPRK. End of the Arduous March. It is possible that up to 3.5 million people did not survive the 'march'.
- 1999: The DPRK promises to freeze long-range missile tests.
- 2004: The DPRK reaffirms moratorium.
- 2005: The DPRK fires short-range missile into the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
- 2007: The second summit between DPRK and ROK leaders is held, with Roh Moo-hyun representing the south and Kim Jong Il the north. The DPRK fires short-range missile into the Sea of Japan.
- 2010: North Korea launches missile and attacks Korean Pohang class corvette, ROKS Cheonan. 46 Korean soldiers die because of the attack. At November, North Korean army rains artillery fire on Yeon-Pyeong-Do island. The DPRK conducts, yet again, another nuclear test.
- 2011: Kim Jong Il dies, Kim Jong un takes over as the Supreme Leader of North Korea. The National Intelligence Service discovers Communist spies who have been working underground for the DPRK for almost 10 years. One of the members was a former Democratic Party representative. Their mission was to influence the party named above and extract military secret information.
- 2012: 13 April: The Kim Regime of the DPRK tested a rocket, officially called "Unha-3", an expendable launch system developed from the Soviet Scud rockets. The rocket was to send a satellite, called "Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3", into orbit. The rocket failed to launch the satellite and fell into the Yellow Sea. The mission ultimately ended in complete failure.
- 2012: 12 December: DPRK has successful launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 it was launched from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground. A South Korean military official cited 3 stage success. DPRK confirmed.
- 2013: 8 December: Jang Song Thaek, uncle of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, was ousted from all powerful posts on various charges. The official Korean Central News Agency said the political bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea stripped Jang of all posts, depriving him of all titles and expelling him and removing his name from the party.[5]
- 2013: 12 December: North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, executes his Uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, as a "traitor for all ages." Jang Son-Thaek's execution was said to be set up by his own wife, Kim Kyong-hui, Late Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il's sister. Jang Song-Thaek was considered to be the most powerful official in the DPRK Regime.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ Carter J. Eckert, el., "Korea, Old and New: History", 1990, pp. 2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
- "An extreme manifestation of nationalism and the family cult was the revival of interest in Tangun, the mythical founder of the first Korean state... Most textbooks and professional historians, however, treat him as a myth."
- "Although Kija may have truly existed as a historical figure, Tangun is more problematical."
- "Most [Korean historians] treat the [Tangun] myth as a later creation."
- "The Tangun myth became more popular with groups that wanted Korea to be independent; the Kija myth was more useful to those who wanted to show that Korea had a strong affinity to China."
- "If a choice is to be made between them, one is faced with the fact that the Tangun, with his supernatural origin, is more clearly a mythological figure than Kija."
- ↑ Park Suk-mu (2008-02-05). "Where from Korean bronze age" (in Korean). Weekly Kyunghyang.
- ↑ http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Korea.html
- ↑ (2013-12-08, 11:53 PM). "N. Korean media confirm leader's uncle Jang Song Thaek ousted". UPI News. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/12/08/N-Korean-media-confirm-leaders-uncle-Jang-Song-Thaek-ousted/UPI-21031386564795/
- ↑ Johee Cho (2013-12-12) Seoul, Korea. "North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Executed His 'Worse Than a Dog' Uncle". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/International/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-executed-worse-dog/story?id=21189463
External links
