A Brief History of Korea: From Ancient Kingdoms to Modern Korea

Read information boards in Korea and unfamiliar names and dates keep arriving. Joseon, Goryeo, Silla, the Imjin War, the colonial period. This article is a map that lays those names out once, in order.

The aim is not to memorise anything. It is to have the sequence. With the sequence in place, most signs explain themselves.

Four things to know first

Nearly every palace is Joseon
Joseon existed for 518 years, from 1392 to 1910. Most palaces, royal tombs and academies you will see belong to it.
Gyeongju is Silla
The Three Kingdoms period is generally taken from the fourth century through to Silla's unification.
'Korea' comes from Goryeo
Goryeo was founded in 918, unified the Later Three Kingdoms in 936, and lasted 474 years to 1392.
Modern history is three dates
1910, 1945, 1950 — the start of colonial rule, liberation, and the war.

The whole sequence

One table holds it. Each row's title opens that period on its own.

Period	Dates	In one line
Gojoseon	to 108 BC	The first state in Korean history. It ends with the Han conquest in 108 BC.
The Three Kingdoms	4th–7th c.	Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla side by side. What survives in Gyeongju is this era.
Unified Silla	mid-7th c. on	Silla unifies the three, and the Northern and Southern States period with Balhae follows.
Goryeo	918–1392	34 kings, 474 years. The English name "Korea" comes from it.
Joseon	1392–1910	518 years. Most of what you visit belongs to this dynasty.
The Korean Empire	1897–1910	Joseon's last thirteen years. A king becomes an emperor; Western buildings appear in a palace.
Japanese colonial rule	1910–1945	Thirty-five years of colonial government.
Liberation and modern Korea	1945–1948	Liberation, and the three years that led to division.
The Korean War	1950–1953	Armistice on 27 July 1953 — not an end to the war.

The dates rest on these: Gojoseon ended in 108 BC when Han destroyed Wiman Joseon and established the Lelang commandery; the Three Kingdoms period is generally taken from the fourth century to Silla's unification; what followed unification is the Northern and Southern States period of Balhae and Silla; Goryeo ran 474 years from 918 to 1392; Joseon 518 years from 1392 to 1910; the Korean Empire from 12 October 1897 to 29 August 1910; colonial rule for the 35 years 1910–1945; liberation on 15 August 1945; and the Korean War began on 25 June 1950 and was halted by the armistice of 27 July 1953.

The three things most often confused

First, "Joseon" appears twice. Gojoseon and the Joseon dynasty are different states about two thousand years apart. The later one deliberately took the earlier one's name.

Second, "Goryeo" and "Goguryeo" are also different. Goguryeo was one of the Three Kingdoms; Goryeo was founded much later, in 918. The names resemble each other because Goryeo inherited Goguryeo's.

Third, the Korean Empire is not a different country from Joseon. It is the same royal house under a changed name and a changed title, normally treated as Joseon's final phase.

Where to go for each period

Which places carry which era divides up quite cleanly.

Gojoseon and the Three Kingdoms → the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, and Gyeongju, which is a Silla city in its entirety.
Unified Silla → Bulguksa and Seokguram on Tohamsan, Gyeongju.
Goryeo → almost no buildings survive, so museums are the only route. Its capital, Gaegyeong, is in North Korea.
Joseon → Seoul's five palaces, Jongmyo, the royal tombs, and the city wall.
The Korean Empire → Deoksugung.
The colonial period → Seodaemun Prison History Hall, the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History.
The war and the division → the War Memorial of Korea, and the DMZ.

Three days in Seoul fill up on Joseon and the modern period alone. Add a day in Gyeongju and the Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla come in with it.

Going in by person and event

With the sequence in place, the individual entries are next. These are the names you will meet most often.

King Sejong the Great — the king on the banknote and the statue in Gwanghwamun
The creation of Hangul — why you can read the signs after a few days
The Imjin War — the "destroyed during the Imjin War" on every palace sign
Admiral Yi Sun-sin — the other statue in Gwanghwamun Square
The March 1st Movement — why 1 March is a public holiday
Gyeongbokgung — how to read the palace you are most likely to visit

If you pick one museum for the whole trip, make it the National Museum of Korea. It is the only place where the table above can be walked as a sequence of rooms, so going on your first day makes everything afterwards easier.

Where Korean history sits in one place

Frequently asked questions

Which period matters most for a visitor?

Joseon (1392–1910). Most palaces, royal tombs and Confucian academies you will see belong to it. If you go to Gyeongju, add the Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla.

Are 'Gojoseon' and 'Joseon' the same country?

No. They are separated by roughly two thousand years, and the later dynasty deliberately took the earlier name.

What is the difference between 'Goryeo' and 'Goguryeo'?

Goguryeo was one of the Three Kingdoms; Goryeo was a separate dynasty founded in 918. The names are similar because Goryeo inherited Goguryeo's name.

If I only visit one museum, which should it be?

The National Museum of Korea. It runs from prehistory and antiquity through to the Korean Empire in order, so the sites you meet later all find their place.

Is the Korean War over?

The armistice of 27 July 1953 halted it. That is a ceasefire rather than an end to the war, and the state has continued since.