Throughout 5,000 history of Korea, Goguryeo is meaningful,
and Significant to all Korean.
A leading power during the Three Kingdoms period, Goguryeo occupied
the present territory of North Korea and also held sway over
the vast Manchurian region for some 700 years until the late 7th century AD.
By the 4th century, Goguryeo had been firmly established as a powerful kingdom and
frequently clashed with China, while successfully containing its southern rivals.
VII. THE GROWTH AND TRIBULATIONS OF MODERN KOREA
In the latter Choson period, Korea could not keep up with the social and economic developments of modernization and was invaded by Japan, endangering Korea's rights as a nation.
Reform movements for modernization were promoted by enlightened officials and the intelligentsia. But these enlightenment movements were not smoothly carried out as a result of opposition by conservative forces and intervention by world powers. Furthermore, a peasant movement rose up in resistance to aggressions by feudalistic and imperialistic powers, but failed as a result of stern suppression by the government and Japan.
Although political and social reforms on an institutional level were implemented very slowly, Korea was not idle in accepting and utilizing modern civilization. This soon set the framework for today's Korean society, techniques and theories.
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