Unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea

The unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea was completed in 676 CE when the kingdom of Silla, after allying with Tang dynasty China to conquer its rivals Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668, then turned on its former Tang ally and expelled Chinese forces from the Korean peninsula south of the Taedong River. The unification campaign culminated in Silla's naval victory over Tang forces at the Battle of Gibeolpo in 676, securing Silla's control over most of the peninsula and establishing the Unified Silla period that followed. This unification is regarded by Korean historians as the foundational moment of a shared Korean political and cultural identity, ending centuries of division among the competing Three Kingdoms and establishing patterns of Buddhist culture, Tang-influenced administration and territorial extent that shaped subsequent Korean dynasties for centuries afterward.