Korean Peninsula History South Korea

The Korean Peninsula is located in the eastern tip of the Asian Continent along with other East Asian countries China and Japan. Its total area is 222,135㎢: South Korea has 99,461㎢ (41% of the land) and North Korea has 122,762㎢ (55% of the land). The Korean Peninsula borders Manchuria of China and the Maritime Province of Siberia of Russia over the Yalu and the Tumen to the north, Japan over the East Sea and South Sea to the east and north and the mainland China over the West Sea to the west.

with distinct four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, as it is in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Spring is warm with an average temperature of 15~19℃℃ and summer is hot with an average temperature of 30℃℃. Autumn is warm with an average temperature of 11~19℃℃, but the difference between daily highs and lows is big. Winter is cold and dry with an average temperature of 6~7℃℃ and has heavy snow depending on the region.

Korean Peninsula In History
Prehistoric times began on the Korean Peninsula about 700,000 years ago when people started to settle down on the Korean Peninsula. In 2,000 BC, the Bronze Culture was introduced to the peninsula, leading to the establishment of Gojoseon, the first of several kingdoms in Korea’s history. After Gojoseon perished in BC 108, the Three Nations emerged. After the Three Nations were united by United Silla Kingdom and when the United Silla Kingdom collapsed, Goryeo Kingdom was created.

Goryeo Kingdom perished at the end of the 14th century. For the next 500 years, the Joseon Dynasty ruled the Korean Peninsula. Joseon was forcefully opened to the outside world by the Japanese in 1876and colonized by Japan with the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty in 1910. After liberalization in 1945, the Republic of Korea was founded. However, the Korean Peninsula was divided into South and North Koreas following the Korean War in 1950. Today, the two Koreas are engaged in various exchange programs to prepare for a re-unification.