North Korea Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands

The land of today's North Korea appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 22 different states, among them Korea, Koguryo, Empire of Japan, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, Silla.

North Korea

Explore the history of North Korea in the interactive map

Compare 1000 with today

Who ruled the land of North Korea, map by map

Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.

Historic cities in North Korea

• Kaesong

Famous people of North Korea

Questions

Which empires and states ruled the territory of North Korea?

On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern North Korea belonged to Korea, Koguryo, Empire of Japan, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, Silla, Gojoseon, along with 16 other states.

What was North Korea part of in 1000?

On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's North Korea lay within Korea.

What was North Korea part of in 1500?

On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's North Korea lay within Korea.

What was North Korea part of in 1900?

On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's North Korea lay within Korea.

Further reading

• History of North Korea in Encyclopaedia Britannica
• History of North Korea on Wikipedia

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.