9,500 BC Sumerians

begin farming

Palaeolithic  Period

700,000 years ago hominids in Korea

8,000 BC

2,500 BC Great Pyramids of Egypt built

1,600 - 1027 Shang Dynasty China

Zhou Dynasty  122 - 256 BC China

Jeulmun Pottery Period 8,000 BC - 1,500 BC

raised-clay pattern Yungimun pottery

2333 BC legendary date of founding of Korea by Dangun

580 BC Siddhārtha Gautama spreads Buddhism

Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC

Battle of Cannae 216 BC

350 BC Daoism in China

Gojoseon  古朝鮮  1,500 BC - 105 BC

Gojoseon was the first Korean kingdom. According to the Samguk Yusa and other Korean medieval-era records,Gojoseon was founded in 2333 BC by the legendary Dangun, said to be descended from the Lord of Heaven.

The people of Gojoseon were the descendants of migrating Altaic tribes that settled in Manchuria, far eastern China north of the Yangtze River, and the Korean Peninsula

105BC

Puyo

200 BC

In modern day  North Korea and southern Manchuria,

494 AD

merges with Goguryeo

108 BC

The Four Commanderies of Han China in Korea

Han Dynasty China 206 BC - 220 AD

Sam Han 100 AD confederacies of Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan

Mahan merges into Baekje, Jinhan into Silla and Byeonhan into the Gaya confederacy

Sui Dynasty 581 - 619

Tang Dynasty

Silla 新羅  57 BC

Gaya confederacy annexed 572

Baekje  百濟

18 BC

conqured by Silla-Tang forces in 660 AD

Goguryeo 高句麗

37 BC

height of power under Gwanggaeto the Great 374-413 AD

Buddhism adopted 372

Battle of Salsu 612 major defeat of Sui Army by Goguryeo

conqured by Silla-Tang forces in 668 AD

Puyo

494 AD

merges with Goguryeo

end of Han Commanderies

313 AD

 Silla drove the Tang forces out of the peninsula by 676 to achieve unification of most of the Three Kingdoms

751 Bulguksa temple built

End of Silla 935 AD

Balhae  渤海 698 Northern Korea and Manchuria

founded by Dae Jo-young, a former Goguryeo general

926 defeated by the Khitans in 926, and most of its northern territories were absorbed into the Liao Dynasty while the southern parts were absorbed into Goryeo.

The Later Three Kingdoms (892 - 936)

Consisting of Silla, Hubaekje ("Later Baekje"), and Taebong (also known as Hugoguryeo, "Later Goguryeo"). The latter two, established as Unified Silla declined in power, were viewed as heirs to the earlier Three Kingdoms of Korea. Taebong (Later Goguryeo) was originally led by Gung Ye, a Buddhist monk who founded Later Goguryeo

Goryeo 高麗國 918

Celadon industry flourished in 12th and 13th century

1231 the Mongols began its campaigns against Korea

1392

Sino-Japanese War 1894-95

Joseon 朝鮮王朝 1392

King Taejo moved the capital to modern-day Seoul)

Hangul alphabet was invented by King Sejong in 1443

Imjin War Japanese invasions 1592-1598

1627 Manchu Invasion

Donghak Revolution of 1894

1910

Japanese occupation 1910

1910 Japan effectively annexed Korea by the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty.

Liberation rallies against Japanese invaders took place nationwide on 1 March 1919, This movement was suppressed by force and about 7,000 were killed

1920 Battle of Cheongsanri between the Imperial Japanese Army and Korean armed groups in a densely-wooded region of eastern Manchuria

1930s Worship at Japanese Shinto shrines was made compulsory. The school curriculum was radically modified to eliminate teaching in the Korean language and history within Korea. Korean language was banned and Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names

1945

People's Republic of Korea August and September 1945

The Japanese occupation authorities requested that a government be established to ensure the safety of their persons and property after the occupation ended. Under the leadership of Yeo Un-hyeon, the newly-formed PRK set up people's committees throughout the country to coordinate the transition to independence. Shortly after the American landing in September 1945, the new United States Army Military Government in Korea, which controlled the peninsula south of the 38th parallel, abolished the PRK government by military decree

 U.S. trusteeship over South Korea

September 8, 1945

 Soviet trusteeship over North Korea 1945

August 15, 1948 First Republic of South Korea

Syngman Rhee  president

Cheju Uprising beginning on April 3, 1948. Between 14,000 and 30,000 individuals were killed in fighting between various factions on the island lasted until May of 1949

June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea

Battle of Incheon September 15, 1950

October 19, 1950 China enters the war

July 27, 1953 end of Korean War

Student revolt in 1960 against Syngman Rhee

1960

September 9, 1948 Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established under Kim Il-Sung

1954–56 three-year plan repaired the massive damage caused by the war and brought industrial production back to pre-war levels.

Kim Il-sung advanced Juche "self-reliance" 1955 displacing Marxism-Leninism.

North Korea was the second most industrialized nation in East Asia, trailing only Japan.

oil shock of 1974 slows down North Korea's economy

North Korea defaults on foreign loans

1994 Kim Il-sung dieds, Kim Jong-il, succeeded him as General-Secretary of the Korean Workers Party.

1996- 99 large-scale famine leaves600–900,000 people dead

Feb. 10, 2005 North Korea declares it has nuclear weapons

October 9th, 2006 North Korea successfully detonated a nuclear device

2006 Taepodong-2 ICBM missle launched

Second Republic of South Korea 1960

Chang Myon prime minister

1961

military coup d'état Major General Park Chung-hee

1963

1963 Third Republic of South Korea

president Park Chung-hee

1965 Relations with Japan were normalized

Koreans troops sent to Vietnam

1972

 1972- 79 Fourth Republic of South Korea

president Park Chung-hee

Park promulgated emergency decrees in 1974 and 1975 which led to the jailing of hundreds of dissidents

October 26, 1979, Park was gunned down by Kim Jae-kyu, the director of the KCIA

 Fifth Republic of South Korea 1979 - 1987

government controlled by Major General Chun Doo-hwan'

Gwangju Democratization Movement May 18 to May 27, 1980

1987 - present Sixth Republic of South Korea

1987 Roh Tae-woo elected president by popular vote

1992, Kim Young-sam was elected president

1997 IMF crisis Kim Dae-jung  elected president

2000 Kim Dae-jung was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

2002 Roh Moo-hyun elected president