The Entire History of Korea | FULL Documentary

This is my growing collection of history books and resources I personally recommend: https://www.amazon.com/shop/historify/list/3QH8KRDCJMAK4

Archaeological sites dating from approximately 20,000 to 8,000 years ago are extremely scarce on the Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, while pottery (such as Jomon pottery) appeared in the Japanese archipelago and the Amur River basin as early as 16,000 to 15,000 years ago, the Neolithic period on the Korean Peninsula—marked by the widespread emergence of pottery (such as Comb-pattern pottery)—did not begin until much later, around 8,000 years ago. Approximately 7,300 years ago, the Kikai Caldera, located in the waters off Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan, produced a massive super-eruption (generating the Koya pyroclastic flow and Kikai-Akahoya volcanic ash). Immediately following this super-eruption, the number of archaeological sites on the Korean Peninsula increased significantly, and pottery types previously unseen in the region—such as "raised-relief pattern pottery" and vessels bearing characteristics closely resembling Japanese Jomon pottery (like Todoroki-style pottery)—began to appear in the archaeological record.
A political entity known as "Kara" (or "Gaya") began to emerge in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula around the turn of the era (circa the 1st century AD). This region experienced a golden age of trade during the 3rd and 4th centuries; backed by immense iron production capacity, it flourished as an international trade hub connecting the Japanese archipelago (Wa) with regions such as the Lelang Commandery in China. However, the Kara/Gaya entity ceased to exist after Geumgwan Gaya was conquered by Silla in 532 and Daegaya met the same fate in 562. In 2022, a study was conducted in South Korea on human skeletal remains excavated from the Daeseong-dong tumuli대성동 고분군 in Gimhae김해 and the Yuhari shell mound유하리 패총—sites located in the region associated with Kara/Gaya( Moderndy’s Gyeongsangnam-do)during the 4th and 5th centuries. Genetic analysis revealed Jomon-period DNA in all eight sets of remains, with two of them displaying genetic profiles very similar to those of modern Japanese people.
In other words, this means that the Jomon people began settling in the southern Korean Peninsula approximately 7,300 years ago, and subsequently intermixed with people arriving from the north.
According to the "Annals of Silla" in the Samguk Sagi삼국사기 (compiled in 1145)—Korea's oldest historical record—King Talhae Isageum 탈해 이사금(the fourth monarch, reigning from 57 to 80 AD) was born from a "large egg" laid by the queen of the Kingdom of Tabana다바나국, a land said to lie "one thousand li or Old Korean mile to the northeast of Wa." However, the birth of an egg rather than a human infant was deemed an ill omen; consequently, the egg was wrapped in silk cloth, placed in an iron chest, and cast adrift upon the sea.
The egg, encased in an iron chest, drifted across the Tsushima Strait and washed ashore in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula (at Ajinpo阿珍浦 on the east coast of Silla). When an old woman opened the chest that had landed on the shore, an intelligent-looking boy (Talhae) emerged from within. Talhae Isageum탈해 이사금 was exceptionally bright; he became the son-in-law of Silla's second monarch (King Namhae남해 차차웅) and eventually ascended to the throne as the kingdom's fourth monarch through his own merit. He became the progenitor of the "Seok석" clan, one of the three major royal lineages of Silla (Park, Seok, and Kim). It is speculated that the land of Tapana (Tabana-goku) corresponds to either Tamana in Higo Province (present-day Tamana, Kumamoto Prefecture) or the regions of Tanba (northern Kyoto Prefecture/eastern Hyogo Prefecture) or Tajima (northern Hyogo Prefecture).

Baekje백제 was a state established by the Buyeo people부여족 in the region known as Mahan마한, having originated from Goguryeo고구려. Mahan was originally an area where Jomon-descended Wa people, migrants from China, and others intermingled; it was there that the Buyeo people founded the kingdom of Baekje. Baekje and Japan engaged in a mutual exchange of warriors, intellectuals, and artisans. Artifacts such as tableware used by Chinese people have been discovered at Baekje archaeological sites, proving that the Chinese transmitted cutting-edge technologies of the time—such as architectural techniques—to Baekje.
The people who transmitted Chinese culture from Baekje to Japan were a mixed group of Chinese and Baekje individuals; however, those who sought asylum in Japan following the fall of Baekje were Baekje people. They were treated with great respect by the Yamato Court. The Gwanggaeto Stele광개토대왕비 of Goguryeo records details such as the conflicts between the Yamato Court and Goguryeo during that era. After the fall of Goguryeo, the people established a state called Balhae발해(698~926) in the north and maintained close diplomatic ties with the Yamato Court.

While it has long been said that culture was transmitted to Japan from the Korean Peninsula, rice cultivation actually began in the Japanese archipelago earlier than on the peninsula. Furthermore, regarding rice genetics, Japanese rice varieties possess two specific genetic types found in China, whereas rice from the Korean Peninsula possesses only one. This suggests that there was direct human migration from China to Japan, with the rice genetics serving as evidence of this. Additionally, a banquet custom found in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, bears a striking resemblance to the "Poon Choi" (basin feast) of the Hakka people in southern China (such as Guangdong and Fujian provinces); notably, the Chinese dialect spoken by the Hakka today is considered the closest to the original Chinese language used by the Han people.
Incidentally, the pronunciation of Chinese characters in the Hakka language bears a striking resemblance to their pronunciation in Japanese—differing completely from modern Mandarin. In other words, ancient China, Korea, and Japan were not the fixed nation-states we know today; rather, it was an era characterized by the mutual sharing of information and a surprisingly high level of human mobility.Even within the Japanese archipelago, the Yamato Court's rule extended only as far as western Japan; the regions from Kanto northward consisted of a group of independent states—analogous to Wales, Scotland, and Ireland in the British context. While terms like "Han Chinese" and "Korean people" are used today, the modern concept of "ethnicity民族" (or "nation/people国家or人民") expressed by these Chinese characters was actually coined by the Japanese in the late 19th century to translate Western ideas; prior to that, the concept of "ethnicity民族" did not even exist in the Far East. It was a concept that Chinese and Korean students studying in Japan during the late 19th century took back to their home countries, where it subsequently became established. Today, these Japanese-coined Sino-Japanese terms or Chinese words made in Japan account for anywhere from 5% to 20% of everyday conversation in China and the Korean Peninsula, and in certain specialized fields, they make up more than 70% of the vocabulary. The terms "People's" (*Jinmin人民) and "Republic" (共和国*) in the name "People's Republic of China中華人民共和国" are also Japanese-coined Sino-Japanese terms.Only 中華 is original Chinese word. In other words, the Chinese government uses Japanese-coined terms for the majority of its own country's name.
According to a study on history textbooks conducted at Stanford University—which involved South Korean scholars—South Korea's history education is characterized by excessive nationalism. The curriculum focuses heavily on the period of the Japanese annexation of Korea, framing the narrative in stark, binary terms of good versus evil—portraying Japan as the villain and Korea as the virtuous party. Furthermore, the study suggests a lack of interest in the history of other nations or international historical contexts, making it difficult for South Koreans to grasp historical perspectives shared by the international community.

So, next time, I will explain the relationship between the history of the Joseon Dynasty in the late 19th century and the global situation.
To be continued.

Excelent video 👌

Thank you for making this. Its the best Korean history video I've found thus far. I've been needing to learn this since my Girlfriend, who is korean, started to tell me about it.

Hi! I'm doing research on Korea for a school project, and I was wondering if there were any primary sources you used for this video that you could send me the link to? This video was such a great way for me to get a general knowledge on Korean history!

as a KOREAN! THANKS!!!

Awesome video! This makes me want to visit Korea. ❤

Great info, easy to follow! Subscribed ❤