Three Kingdoms

A large number of ancient tribal states, that had appeared after Kochosun, were integrated into the three kingdoms-Koguryo, Baekchae, and Shilla. At first Baekje appeared strong. But Koguryo soon outgrew Baekje and became stronger than any others. However, at last, Shilla, that had been the weakest among the three, became stronger and stronger over time. At last Shilla unified the three kingdoms.

Koguryo
The Koguryo people were strong, brave, and manly. They respected the one who shoots arrow well. As seen in the "hunting picture" (the picture above) they had drawn on the wall of the tombs, the Koguryo people enjoyed hunting and fighting. They developed the strong culture and nation-defense spirit from the wars with China. Having built up the strong armed forces and prospered, Koguryo began to expand its territory towards China. Manchuria was occupied by Koguryo. After Koguryo gained the land in China, Koguryo started to invade to the south. Koguryo fought and found the lands of Shilla and Baekje. Koguryo had the largest territory amond the Three Kingdoms and was a prestigious country in the north-eastern asia.

Baekje
The Baekje people were relatively gentle, pure, and docile. Baekje developed a feminine and elaborate culture. For one thing, they preferred "white" clothes to colorful ones. For another, the crown of Baekje kings reflects its soft, elaborate, and fine culture.

Shilla
Shilla developed a beautiful and florid culture. The Shilla's art work and pottery shows their simplicity. Shilla people liked colorful "silk" clothes and lived in the tiled-roof houses.

In the beginning, Shilla was the weakest among the three kingdoms. But when the Goguryo and Baekje were fighting, weakened, and corrupted, Shilla quickly developed to become a strong country. They created a youth group, named Hwarangdo, to nurture state leaders and military leaders. The promising children from the high class also joined the Hwarangdo and were trained under a strong discipline. By doing so, Shilla built up the strong, brave military forces, and a strong spirit with integrity. In the end, Shilla unified all the three kingdoms under one land and one culture.