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Korean History Fun Facts
By Joo-ryang, Digital Producer
To help fathers share more about Korean history with their children growing up in our country, I have prepared a Fun Facts series. Due to ongoing excavations and research, the content of Korean history education is changing significantly, so this will be a great opportunity for fathers to learn facts they may not have known and to read them first before sharing with their children or discussing together. Here comes an interesting history story for dads!
1. It has been there for a very long time.
When asked how long Korean history is, many people might say about five thousand years. That’s true if you consider the founding of the nation as the starting point. However, it is estimated that people have settled on the Korean Peninsula long before the appearance of modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens, possibly as far back as 300,000 to 500,000 years ago.
Half a million years ago? Holy Moly Guacamole!!
Fossils of ancient humans discovered on the Korean Peninsula
[Source: Encyclopedia of Korean Culture] http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/Item/E0003902
2. Do you know Goindol?
Goindol, known as Dolmen in English, is a type of megalithic cultural relic that was widely constructed during the Bronze Age, around 3000 - 4000 BC. You might have seen something similar to the one in the picture below. Some of the stones on top weigh several tons, and since they were made as tombs, ancient human bones are often found inside. Interestingly, more than half of the dolmens in the world are located on the Korean Peninsula. Isn’t it fascinating that Korea has the most megalithic artifacts?
Estimated to be over 30,000 dolmens on the Korean Peninsula
[Source: Wikipedia] https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/고인돌
3. 2020 vs 4420
Have you heard the story of Dangun, who promised to turn a bear and a tiger into humans if they endured eating only mugwort and garlic for 100 days? The nation that Dangun founded is Gojoseon. While there was likely an original Dangun who established the first nation, the term Dangun or Dangun Wanggeom was actually used to refer to the highest ruler during the Gojoseon period. Instead of using the year based on the birth of Jesus Christ, Korea has established a calendar system called Dangi, which is based on the founding of the nation by Dangun. Although we don’t know the exact number of years since the bear became a human, it is determined according to ancient records. For reference, the year 2020 AD corresponds to Dangi 4420!
4. So where are we from?
Have you heard of the Yellow River civilization in China, which is considered one of the four oldest civilizations in the world along with Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley? It is a civilization that dates back at least 4,000 years, and you can see it in the lower left corner of the attached map. However, recent discoveries have revealed remnants of a civilization that existed long before the Yellow River civilization in areas that were once part of Korea. This new ancient civilization, named the Liaohe civilization, has led to research suggesting that Koreans and Chinese, who were previously thought to have different roots, may have actually originated from the same region. The scale of these findings is enormous, so let’s keep an eye on what future research reveals!
Major sites of the Liaohe civilization and estimated locations of Gojoseon
[Source: Hongik Ingan/Global Humanity Blog] http://blog.daum.net/gaundekr/15793850
5. So where are we really from again?
Many believe that our people originated near the warm Lake Baikal before Gojoseon was established. In fact, it is thought that almost all East Asian ethnic groups (Mongoloids) came from that area. Lake Baikal is also the oldest (25-30 million years old!) and largest freshwater lake in the world.
Visitors say it is truly peaceful and beautiful. Many have noted that the appearance of the people and their ancient stories and customs are quite similar to those in Korea, which is fascinating.
Do you have a rough idea of where it is? It’s quite cold in Siberia now, but Lake Baikal is home to the most diverse life forms in the world. I really want to visit our ancient homeland someday!
[Source: Wikipedia] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal
In the next article, I will introduce Part 2 of the Korean History Fun Facts series, which relates to the Era of the Three Kingdoms and the Unified Silla period, known as the Era of the Many States and the North-South States period.
