Country history · Asia

History of North Korea

19 recorded states lay in what is now North Korea, from Gojoseon (700 BCE). 6 of them have a full profile, and 10 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)4 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

8th century BCE

  1. Gojoseon700 BCE – 108 BCE · kingdom

3rd century BCE

  1. Dongye200 BCE – 400 CE · chiefdom
  2. Okjeo200 BCE – 56 CE · chiefdom

1st century BCE

  1. Eastern Buyeo86 BCE – 22 CE · kingdom
  2. Silla57 BCE – 935 CE · profile
  3. Goguryeo37 BCE – 668 CE · profile

7th century

  1. Balhae698 CE – 926 CE · profile

10th century

  1. Taebong901 CE – 918 CE · kingdom
  2. Liao dynasty916 CE – 1125 CE · profile
  3. Goryeo918 CE – 1392 CE · profile
  4. Dongdan926 CE – 982 CE · kingdom
  5. Dingan938 CE – 986 CE · kingdom

13th century

  1. Eastern Xia1215 CE – 1233 CE · kingdom

14th century

  1. Joseon1392 CE – 1897 CE · profile

19th century

  1. Korean Empire1897 CE – 1910 CE · kingdom

20th century

  1. Korea under Japanese rule1910 CE – 1945 CE · colony
  2. People's Republic of Korea1945 CE – 1946 CE · republic
  3. Soviet Civil Administration1945 CE – 1948 CE · other
  4. Provisional People's Committee for North Korea1946 CE – 1948 CE · other

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Korea and Japan → States of China, Tibet and Mongolia → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of North Korea. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/north-korea
MLA
“History of North Korea.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/north-korea. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of North Korea.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/north-korea.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of North Korea’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/north-korea (Accessed: ).