Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"When the Mongol empire collapsed in 1353, a new Korean dynasty, the Yi, arose. China considered Korea a client state, and Chinese cultural influences were very strong during this period. The Yi administration was modeled on Chinese bureaucracy, and Buddhism was displaced by the puritanical state religion of Neo-Confucianism. Following state redistribution of land, a new rural aristocracy was created, called the yangban. Although Korea's economic development was hampered by the country's mountainous landscape, a very distinctive Korean culture emerged. The 15th century was a brilliant period in Korean history, and the Confucian state placed a high value on education and learning." [DK Timelines, p. 265] First unified under the Silla kingdom in 676; Reunified in 936 as Koryo; Longest dynasty was Yi dynasty founded by Yi Song-gye in 1392; he moved capital to Seoul; Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910; Japan suppressed protests in 1919; S. Korea restored links with Japan in 1965; Car exports from S. Korea began in 1986; Diplomatic links with China were restored in 1992; In 2003, hundreds of S. Koreans crossed demilitarized zone to visit Pyongyang; [Hart-Davis: DK History, p. 581]