7 key facts

1. c. 700,000 BCE: Stone tools from sites like Seokjang-ri show early human activity.
2. Paleolithic: Cave sites reveal hunting and gathering with chipped stone implements.
3. c. 8000 BCE: Pottery fragments mark the start of Neolithic culture.
4. Neolithic: Farming and fishing communities spread along coasts and river valleys.
5. c. 1000 BCE: Bronze daggers and mirrors indicate new elites and ritual practices.
6. Iron Age: Agriculture intensifies; tribal polities emerge across the peninsula.
7. Myths: Stories of Dangun and founding legends link prehistoric memory to historic states.

Paleolithic Korea

The earliest evidence of habitation in Korea comes from Paleolithic sites where stone tools, hearths, and animal bones demonstrate hunting and gathering economies. Groups moved seasonally, following herds and rivers. Archaeological layers from caves such as Seokjang-ri and Jeongok-ri highlight long periods of occupation.

Though small in scale, these communities laid the foundation for later adaptation. Fire use, simple dwellings, and burial sites suggest both survival strategies and the beginnings of symbolic culture.

Neolithic transition

Around 8000 BCE, pottery fragments mark a shift toward settled life. The Jeulmun pottery tradition, with comb-pattern decoration, is a hallmark of Korea’s Neolithic period. Villages emerged along coasts and river valleys, where fishing, shell gathering, and early farming supported larger, more stable communities.

Houses were pit dwellings with hearths; stone tools became polished rather than chipped. Ritual items and figurines suggest increasing social complexity and shared belief systems. These communities interacted with neighbouring cultures in Northeast Asia, exchanging techniques and symbolic motifs.

Bronze Age culture

By the first millennium BCE, bronze technology transformed society. Ritual daggers, mirrors, and bells found in burials point to emerging elites who legitimised power through ceremony. Bronze items were often prestige goods, distinguishing leaders from common farmers.

Agricultural advances—particularly millet and rice cultivation—supported population growth. Settlements expanded, defensive walls appeared, and social hierarchies deepened. The Bronze Age created the conditions for tribal polities that later evolved into early states.

Early myths & legends

Prehistoric memory was woven into myth. The most famous legend, the story of Dangun, recounts the founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BCE. Though symbolic, it reflects how Koreans connected ancestry, landscape, and divine mandate. Other myths tie mountains, rivers, and animals to sacred origins.

These narratives were preserved orally, then recorded in texts like the Samguk Yusa. They reveal how prehistoric experiences of survival and community were reimagined as national origins, linking the distant past with later dynasties.

Legacy of prehistory korea

Prehistoric Korea provides the deep background to later history. From stone tools to bronze rituals, from hunters to early farmers, the peninsula’s communities developed technologies, identities, and myths that underpinned historic states. Archaeological discoveries continue to reshape our understanding, connecting ancient lifeways to Korea’s enduring cultural heritage.

For the next stage, see the Early Korean States & Colonies chapter, where tribal societies gave way to organised polities.

FAQ — Prehistory Korea

When did humans first live on the Korean peninsula?

Stone tools dating back to around 700,000 BCE indicate early habitation in Korea.

What defines Korea’s Neolithic period?

The use of comb-pattern pottery (Jeulmun) and the shift to settled farming and fishing communities.

Why is the Bronze Age important?

It introduced prestige goods, ritual practices, and social hierarchies that paved the way for early states.

Further reading

• Wikipedia — Prehistoric Korea
• Encyclopaedia Britannica — Korea: Prehistory
• Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea
• UNESCO World Heritage — Republic of Korea