Korean History Proficiency Test - Basic cheat sheet

Paleolithic sites: Komunmoru (Yeoncheon, ~700,000 BP claimed), Seokjangni (Gongju), Jeongokni handaxes; tools were chipped stone, and people lived in caves or open-air camps as hunter-gatherers.

Neolithic (roughly 8000–1500 BCE): comb-pattern pottery (jeulmun), early farming of millet and barley, fishing and shellfish gathering; Amsadong and Baengnyeongdo are representative sites.

Bronze Age (roughly 1500–300 BCE): plain coarse pottery (minmun), Megalithic dolmens (goindol) and stone cist tombs; leadership emerges with rice farming and bronze daggers.

Iron Age: narrow bronze daggers, iron tools, and pit dwellings with central hearths; Chinese records (Wei Zhi) describe walled-town states (seong-eup) and tribal confederacies.

Gojoseon: mythic founder Dangun (2333 BCE traditionally); records note a code of law (Beomgeum 8 articles) and titles such as seon-u, dae-ro, and pye-ga.

Buyeo: founded in the Songhua River basin; features such as yeonggo (harvest festival), dongmaeng, and the 12-grade official rank system; later split into Northern and Eastern Buyeo.

Goguryeo's early state formation: Jumong (Dongmyeong) founded it in 37 BCE in the Hun River basin; King Taejo (53–146) consolidated tribes and adopted the title 'king'.

Samhan: Mahan (54 polities), Jinhan (12), and Byeonhan (12) in the southern peninsula; Mahan's chief was called sinji, and Sodo, later Baekje, emerged from Mahan.

Goguryeo: King Sosurim (371–384) adopted Buddhism (372) and established Taehak (national academy); King Gwanggaeto the Great expanded territory; King Jangsu moved the capital to Pyongyang in 427.

Baekje: King Geunchogo (346–375) centralized power and adopted Buddhism in 384 under King Chimnyu; Baekje transmitted Buddhism and culture to Japan (e.g., Ajikgi and Wangin traditions).

Silla: King Beopheung adopted Buddhism (527) and promulgated the yulryeong (law code); King Jinheung expanded territory with the Hwarang and erected monuments (e.g., Bukhansan stele).

Gaya: a confederacy of polities (Geumgwan Gaya, Daegaya) with iron production and maritime trade; absorbed by Silla in 562 after the Silla–Baekje–Tang alliance.

The Silla–Tang alliance defeated Baekje (660) and Goguryeo (668); Silla then expelled Tang forces in a war ending around 676, unifying the peninsula south of the Taedong River.

Unified Silla governance: the jikgwan (office rank) system, the golpum (bone rank) system, and the Hwarang corps; Buddhism became state ideology (e.g., Wonhyo, Uisang, and the Avatamsaka school).

Balhae (698–926) was founded by Dae Jo-yeong (Go) after Goguryeo's fall; it was called 'Haedong Seongguk' and had a three-tier capital; it fell to the Khitan in 926.

Later Three Kingdoms: Gyeon Hwon founded Later Baekje (900) and Gung Ye founded Later Goguryeo/Taebong (901); Wang Geon (Taejo) founded Goryeo in 918 and unified in 936.

Founded in 918 by Wang Geon (Taejo); capital at Gaegyeong (modern Kaesong); adopted Buddhism as state religion and Confucianism as political ideology.

Taejo's 'Ten Injunctions' (Hunyo 10 articles) advised on governance, Buddhism, and the geomantic principle (pungsu) of maintaining the capital.

Central government: 2 Seong (Sangseo-seong, Jungseo-seong), 6 Bu, and the 3 Seong (Jaechu, Munha, Seungseon) and the 3 Sa (Eumsaek, Seon-gwan, Heonbu); the 9 Bu and 12 Mok existed as local administration.

Military rule (1170–1270): the coup of generals Jeong Jung-bu and Yi Ui-bang; the later regime of Choe Chung-heon and successors; the 'Mang-i' (slaves) and military rebellions (e.g., Kim Bo-dang's 1176 rebellion).

Mongol invasions (from 1231): Goryeo resisted for decades; the Tripitaka Koreana (Palman Daejanggyeong) was carved in the 13th century (1236–1251) as a Buddhist appeal for protection; the capital later moved to Ganghwa Island.

Culture: celadon (cheongja) with sanggam inlay; Goryeo Buddhist paintings; the metal movable type (Jikji, 1377, printed at Heungdeoksa) predates Gutenberg's press.

Goryeo's Tripitaka: the first carving (11th century) was destroyed by the Mongols; the second (Palman Daejanggyeong) is preserved at Haeinsa Temple (Janggyeong Panjeon).

Late Goryeo: the rise of neo-Confucian scholars (e.g., An Hyang, Yi Saek, Jeong Mong-ju); the coup of Yi Seong-gye (1388) and the founding of Joseon in 1392.

Founded in 1392 by Yi Seong-gye (Taejo); the capital moved to Hanyang (Seoul) in 1394; the state adopted neo-Confucianism as its governing ideology.

King Sejong (1418–1450) promulgated Hunminjeongeum (the Korean alphabet) in 1443 (published 1446); other achievements include Jikji (Jiphyeonjeon scholars), the Jang Yeong-sil inventions, and the 1434 calendar.

Governance: the State Council (Uijeongbu), the Six Ministries (Yukjo), the Three Offices (Samsa: Sahonbu, Saganwon, Hongmungwan), and the yangban civil-service exams (gwageo).

Society: the yangban elite, commoners (sangmin), and slaves (nobi); the hyangyak (local covenant) and the seowon (private academies) shaped local society.

Factional politics (bun dang): the Sarim vs. Hungu conflict; the literati purges (sahwa) of 1498, 1504, 1519, and 1545; later splits into Easterners (Namin) and Westerners (Seoin).

Japanese invasions (Imjin War, 1592–1598): Admiral Yi Sun-sin's victories (Hansando, Myeongnyang) and the turtle ship (geobukseon); the war devastated the peninsula and led to the rise of the Manchu threat.

Culture: the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (Joseon Wangjo Sillok, UNESCO Memory of the World), Uigwe (royal protocols), and the Jikji (Buddhist text, 1377).

Late Joseon: the Silhak (practical learning) scholars (e.g., Jeong Yak-yong, Yu Hyeong-won), the emergence of a merchant class, and the 1894 Donghak Peasant Revolution.

Seclusion policy (18th–19th c.) limited foreign trade; the 1866 General Sherman incident and the 1871 Sinmiyangyo (US expedition to Ganghwa) tested Korea's isolation.

The 1876 Treaty of Ganghwa (Japan–Korea) opened three ports (Busan, Wonsan, Incheon) and granted extraterritoriality; it marked the start of unequal treaties.

The 1882 Imo Incident (soldiers' revolt) led to the Treaty of Jemulpo (1882) and Chinese influence; the 1884 Gapsin Coup by reformists (Kim Ok-gyun) failed after Chinese intervention.

The 1894 Donghak Peasant Revolution (Jeon Bong-jun) demanded social reform; the Gabo Reforms (1894–95) abolished slavery and the gwageo system and reorganized government.

The 1895 Eulmi Incident (assassination of Queen Min) and the 1896 Agwan Pacheon (King Gojong's refuge in the Russian legation) deepened foreign interference.

The 1897 declaration of the Korean Empire (Daehan Jeguk) by Gojong; the 1905 Eulsa Treaty made Korea a Japanese protectorate; the 1907 Hague Secret Emissary Affair protested it.

The 1910 Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty formally colonized Korea; the 1919 March First Movement (Samil Undong) was a nationwide peaceful protest for independence.

Modernization: the Gwangmu Reform (1897–1904), the establishment of modern schools and the Independence Club (Dok립협회, 1896), and the 1898 Seoul municipal reforms.

Colonial governance: the Government-General of Korea (Chōsen Sōtokufu) ruled by decree; the 1910s military rule (budan seiji) gave way to the 1920s 'cultural rule' (bunka seiji) after the March First Movement.

The March First Movement (1919): a nationwide peaceful demonstration; the Declaration of Independence was read on March 1, 1919; it led to the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai (April 1919).

The Korean Provisional Government (Im Si-jeong, Kim Gu, Syngman Rhee) organized the independence movement; the 1940 Korean Liberation Army (Gwangbokgun) merged with the Chinese forces.

The 1920 Battle of Cheongsanri (Kim Jwa-jin) and the 1920 Battle of Bongo-dong were major victories of the Korean independence army in Manchuria.

The 1929 Gwangju Student Movement and the 1926 June 10th Movement (Sunjong's funeral) were anti-colonial protests; the 1930s saw the rise of socialist and labor movements.

The 1930s–40s wartime mobilization: the 1938 National Mobilization Law, forced labor, and the comfort women system; the 1940s conscription of Koreans into the Japanese military.

The 1945 liberation (August 15) followed Japan's surrender; Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into US and Soviet occupation zones.

Post-liberation: the 1945 Moscow Conference trusteeship plan, the 1946 Joint US–Soviet Commission, and the 1948 UN-supervised elections in the South (May 10) leading to the Republic of Korea (August 15, 1948).

The Republic of Korea was founded on August 15, 1948, with Syngman Rhee as the first president; the 1948 Constitution established a presidential system (later amended).

The Korean War (1950–1953) began with North Korea's invasion on June 25, 1950; the 1953 Armistice Agreement (Panmunjom) created the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The 1960 April 19 Revolution (4.19) overthrew the Rhee government after the 1960 Rigged Election (3.15); the short-lived Second Republic (Chang Myon) followed.

The 1961 May 16 Military Coup (Park Chung-hee) led to the Third Republic; the 1972 Yushin Constitution (October 1972) centralized power and restricted civil liberties.

The 1979 assassination of Park Chung-hee (October 26) and the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement (May 18) were pivotal; the 1987 June Democratic Struggle forced the 1987 Constitution (direct presidential elections).

The 1988 Seoul Olympics symbolized democratization and economic growth; the 1997 financial crisis led to an IMF bailout and structural reforms.

The 2000 inter-Korean summit (Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il) produced the June 15 Joint Declaration; the 2018 Panmunjom summit (Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un) followed.

Contemporary: the 2016–2017 impeachment of President Park Geun-hye (candlelight protests) and the 2017 election of Moon Jae-in; the 2022 election of Yoon Suk Yeol.

Key figures: Dangun (Gojoseon founder), Jumong (Goguryeo), King Gwanggaeto, King Sejong, Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Jeong Yak-yong (Silhak), and Kim Gu (independence leader).

Cultural heritage: Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto (UNESCO), Haeinsa Janggyeong Panjeon (Tripitaka Koreana), Jongmyo Shrine, Changdeokgung Palace, and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.

Intangible heritage: Jongmyo Jerye (royal ancestral rites) and Jongmyo Jeryeak (ritual music), pansori, and the Gangneung Danoje festival (UNESCO).

Chronology anchors: Gojoseon (2333 BCE traditional), Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo 37 BCE, Baekje 18 BCE, Silla 57 BCE), Unified Silla (676), Goryeo (918), Joseon (1392), Korean Empire (1897), Annexation (1910), Liberation (1945), ROK (1948).

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (Joseon Wangjo Sillok) and the Uigwe are UNESCO Memory of the World records; the Jikji (1377) is the oldest extant metal-type printed book.

The Hangeul alphabet (Hunminjeongeum) was promulgated in 1446; the Hunminjeongeum Haerye (explanatory text) is a UNESCO Memory of the World item.

Dolmens (goindol) in Korea are concentrated in the Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa areas (UNESCO); they date to the Bronze Age.

National holidays and commemorations: March 1 (Independence Movement Day), August 15 (Liberation Day), October 3 (National Foundation Day), and June 6 (Memorial Day).