By this time, Gojoseon had adopted Iron Age culture, developed agriculture and various handicrafts, and increased its military strength. Their leader, Wiman, acceded to the throne in 194 BCE and Gojoseon expanded its territory under his rule. Towards the end of the 3rd century, the Qin dynasty was replaced by the Han dynasty in China, creating a period of social upheaval. They established a solid system of rule, backed by high-ranking retainers and military officers. By the 3rd century BCE, kings such as King Bu and King Jun had become powerful and bequeathed the throne to their sons. Gojoseon fostered an independent culture in Liaoning, China and along the Daedonggang River. The two factions jointly upheld Dangun Wanggeom as their chief priest and political leader. The tribes that played a central role in the establishment of Gojoseon, which emerged as the first recognizable state of the Korean people, believed in the King of Heaven and worshipped bears, respectively. The strongest clan leaders started merging many clans into one, and these groups very gradually developed into early states. With the development of the Bronze Age culture, a society emerged in which the head of a clan exercised great influence. Historic sites associated with the Bronze Age are found in Liaoning and Jilin provinces, China and across the Korean Peninsula. The Bronze Age started around the 10th century BCE on the Korean Peninsula and the 15th century BCE in Manchuria. This multifunctional tool dates back to the Paleolithic period, which was discovered in Jeongok-ri, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do. One of the most representative features of the Neolithic Age is comb-patterned pottery, examples of which have been found all across the Korean Peninsula, including in Amsadong, Seoul, in Namgyeong, Pyongyang, and in Suga-ri, Gimhae.

They started settling down permanently in places and formed clan societies. People started farming, cultivating cereals such as millet, and used polished stone tools. In Korea, the Neolithic Age began around 8,000 BCE. The early inhabitants of the peninsula survived by hunting animals and collecting edible plants in groups. Representative historic sites associated with the Paleolithic Age, when people made tools of animal horns and chipped stone tools, include the Komun Moru ruins in Sangwon, Pyeongannam-do, the Jeongok-ri Site in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do, the Seokjangri Prehistory Site in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, and the Durubong Cave Site in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do.

The history of the Korean nation began in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula when people started settling there 700,000 years ago. This comb-pattern vessel with a pointy bottom was discovered in Amsa-dong, Seoul, a representative historic site of the Neolithic Age.

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