| Korea's Four Golden Ages Professor Mason's original Theory of the Framework of Korean History |
| 600–800 Late 3-Kingdoms, Early Unified Shilla 800-935 First Dark Age collapse and civil war 940 – 1200 Early Goryeo Dynasty 1200-1390 Second Dark Age corruption, Mongol Invasion 1392 – 1592 Early Joseon Dynasty 1592-1600s Third Dark Age invasions by Japanese & Manchu 1700s-1800s Recovery, Peace but socio-political stagnation 1894-1987 Fourth Dark Age Rebellion, Japanese Colonization, division & war, dictatorships 1988 – ???? Modern South Korea North Korea |
| The UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites associated with Korea's Ages Prehistoric: Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites (2000) 1st GA: 600–800 Complex of Koguryo Tombs (2004, North Korea) Baekje Historic Areas (2015) Gyeongju Historic Areas (2000) Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea (2018) Seokgur-am Grotto and Bulguk-sa Temple (1995) 800-935 First Dark Age collapse and civil war None 2nd GA: 940–1200 Early Goryeo Dynasty Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong (2013, North Korea) Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea (2018) 2nd DA: 1200-1390 Gaya-san Haein-sa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks (1995) 3rd GA: 1392 – 1592 Jongmyo Shrine (1995) Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (2009) Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong (2010) Seowon, Neo-Confucian Academies of Korea (2019) 3rd DA: 1592-1600s None Recovery Era: 1700s-1800s Namhan Sanseong Mountain-Fortress (2014) Changdeok-gung Palace Complex (1997) Hwaseong Castle (1997) 4th DA: 1894-1987 None 4th GA: 1988–???? None |