Korean History Proficiency Test - Basic key terms

The earliest Korean state, traditionally founded in 2333 BCE by Dangun and later centered in the Liaoning and northwestern Korean peninsula region until its defeat by Han China in 108 BCE.

The legendary founder of Gojoseon, said to be born of a heavenly father and a bear-turned-woman; his story appears in the Samguk Yusa and symbolizes early Korean state formation.

Large stone burial monuments of the Korean Bronze Age, found in great numbers across the peninsula; Korea holds a large share of the world's dolmens and they indicate ranked societies.

The period from roughly 1500 to 300 BCE marked by bronze tools, dolmen burials, and the rise of chiefdoms; associated with the spread of the Mumun pottery culture.

Administrative districts established by Han China after conquering Gojoseon in 108 BCE, including Lelang; their influence shaped early Korean politics and trade before being absorbed by growing local states.

A northern Korean kingdom founded around 37 BCE, known for its warrior culture and territorial expansion; it controlled Manchuria and northern Korea until its defeat by a Silla–Tang alliance in 668 CE.

A southwestern Korean kingdom founded around 18 BCE, renowned for its cultural achievements and maritime trade with China and Japan; it fell to the Silla–Tang alliance in 660 CE.

A southeastern Korean kingdom that grew from a chiefdom confederacy, unified the peninsula with Tang help in 668 CE, and later developed a distinctive Buddhist culture during the Unified Silla period.

A confederation of small polities in the Nakdong River basin from the first to sixth centuries CE, famous for iron production and trade; it was absorbed by Silla.

The era from roughly the first century BCE to 668 CE when Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla competed for dominance on the Korean peninsula, developing centralized states and rich aristocratic cultures.

A military pact formed in the seventh century between Silla and Tang China that defeated Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668, enabling Silla to unify the peninsula south of the Taedong River.

The period from 668 to 935 when Silla ruled most of the Korean peninsula from Gyeongju, marked by Buddhist patronage, flourishing art, and a centralized bureaucratic state that later fragmented.

An elite youth corps of Silla that trained in martial skills, loyalty, and Buddhist morality; its members became military leaders and officials who helped Silla expand and unify the peninsula.

A state founded in 698 by Goguryeo refugees and Mohe people in Manchuria; it claimed Goguryeo's legacy and flourished until its conquest by the Khitan in 926.

The dynasty founded by Wang Geon in 918 that ruled Korea until 1392, known for its Buddhist culture, celadon ceramics, and the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks.

The founder of Goryeo, who unified the Later Three Kingdoms by 936; his policies of appeasing regional elites and promoting Buddhism shaped the dynasty's governance and social order.

A complete set of Buddhist scriptures carved on over 80,000 wooden printing blocks during Goryeo, housed at Haeinsa Temple; it is a masterpiece of woodblock printing and a UNESCO heritage item.

Green-glazed stoneware produced in Goryeo, celebrated for its jade-like color and inlaid designs; it reflects the dynasty's refined Buddhist-influenced aesthetic and is a major national cultural treasure.

The dynasty founded by Yi Seong-gye in 1392 that ruled Korea until 1910, adopting Neo-Confucianism as state ideology and centralizing government through a civil examination system.

The Korean alphabet, promulgated in 1446 under King Sejong; its systematic phonetic design improved literacy and is celebrated annually on Hangul Day.

The fourth Joseon king, who reigned from 1418 to 1450; he promoted science, literature, and Confucian governance and is best known for creating the Hangul alphabet.

A rationalist form of Confucianism adopted by Joseon as state ideology, emphasizing hierarchical social relations, ritual propriety, and self-cultivation; it shaped politics, education, and family life.

The hereditary elite class of Joseon, comprising scholar-officials who monopolized high office and dominated local society; their privileges declined in the late Joseon period.

A late Joseon intellectual movement emphasizing practical learning, empirical research, and reform of social and economic institutions; scholars like Jeong Yak-yong promoted science and administrative improvement.

An 1894 uprising by peasants and followers of the Donghak religion demanding social equality and anti-corruption; it triggered the Sino-Japanese War and accelerated Joseon's reform efforts.

A series of government reforms from 1894 to 1896, partly driven by Japanese pressure, that abolished slavery and the old class system and modernized taxation, education, and administration in Joseon.

The period from 1910 to 1945 when Japan governed Korea as a colony, imposing assimilation policies, economic exploitation, and repression of Korean language and culture until liberation in 1945.

A nationwide nonviolent protest for Korean independence on March 1, 1919, met with brutal Japanese suppression; it strengthened nationalist movements and led to the founding of the Korean Provisional Government.

A government-in-exile established in Shanghai in 1919 after the March First Movement; it coordinated independence diplomacy and military resistance against Japan until 1945.

Women, many Korean, forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese military during World War II; their testimony and ongoing demands for apology and compensation remain a major historical and diplomatic issue.

A conflict from 1950 to 1953 that began with North Korea's invasion of South Korea; United Nations forces intervened, and an armistice rather than a peace treaty ended the fighting, leaving the peninsula divided.

The 1945 partition of the Korean peninsula along the 38th parallel into Soviet and American occupation zones, which led to separate governments in the north and south by 1948.

The government established in South Korea in 1948, succeeding the American military administration and developing into a democratic republic with a presidential system and a market economy.

A 1960 student-led uprising that forced the resignation of President Syngman Rhee, marking a milestone in South Korea's struggle for democracy and civil liberties.

Mass nationwide protests in 1987 that forced the military government to accept direct presidential elections, a turning point in South Korea's transition to democracy.

A history of the Three Kingdoms compiled in 1145 by Kim Bu-sik under Goryeo royal order; it is the oldest surviving comprehensive Korean historical text and a key source for early history.

A collection of legends, folktales, and historical accounts compiled by the monk Iryeon in the late thirteenth century; it preserves founding myths such as Dangun's and is a vital cultural source.

A Buddhist temple in the mountains of South Gyeongsang Province that houses the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks; it is a UNESCO World Heritage site noted for its preservation architecture.