Chapter 3: Korean Geography

Although Japan is not far from the southern tip of the Korean peninsula, in ancient times, events on the peninsula were affected far more by the civilizations and political developments on the contiguous Asian continent than by those in Japan. Because the Yalu and Tumen rivers have long been recognized as the border between Korea and China, some assume that these rivers have always constituted Korea's northern limits. However, this was not the case in ancient times. Neither river was considered sacrosanct by the ancient tribes that dotted the plains of Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. Because the rivers freeze in the winter, large armies were able to traverse them with ease. Even when the rivers were not frozen, armies build ships to cross them.
Now, let us investigate ancient Korea, the origin of Korean martial arts, and the development of Taekwondo.