and formed as a successor state to

Goguryeo. During its height, Balhae

controlled most of Manchuria and parts of
the Russian Far East, and was called the
"Prosperous Country in the East".[61] Later
Silla was a golden age of art and culture,[62]
[63][64][65]
 as evidenced by
the Hwangnyongsa, Seokguram, and Emille
Bell. Relationships between Korea and
China remained relatively peaceful during
this time. Later Silla carried on the maritime
prowess of Baekje, which acted like
the Phoenicia of medieval East Asia,[66] and
during the 8th and 9th centuries dominated
the seas of East Asia and the trade
between China, Korea and Japan, most
notably during the time of Jang Bogo; in
addition, Silla people made overseas
communities in China on the Shandong
Peninsula and the mouth of the Yangtze
River.[67][68][69][70] Later Silla was a prosperous
and wealthy country,[71] and its metropolitan
capital of Gyeongju[72] was the fourth largest
city in the world.[73][74][75][76] Buddhism
flourished during this time, and many
Korean Buddhists gained great fame
among Chinese Buddhists[77] and
contributed to Chinese Buddhism,
[78]
 including: Woncheuk, Wonhyo, Uisang, 
Musang,[79][80][81][82] and Kim Gyo-gak, a Silla
prince whose influence made Mount
Jiuhua one of the Four Sacred Mountains of
Chinese Buddhism.[83] However, Later Silla
weakened under internal strife and the
revival of Baekje and Goguryeo, which led
to the Later Three Kingdoms period in the
late 9th century.
Unified dynasties

Changdeok Palace, one of the Five Grand

Palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty and
another UNESCO World Heritage Site
In 936, the Later Three Kingdoms were
united by Wang Geon, a descendant of
Goguryeo nobility,[84] who
established Goryeo as the successor state
of Goguryeo.[18][19][85][86] Balhae had fallen to
the Khitan Empire in 926, and a decade
later the last crown prince of Balhae fled
south to Goryeo, where he was warmly
welcomed and included into the ruling
family by Wang Geon, thus unifying the two
successor nations of Goguryeo.[87] Like Silla,
Goryeo was a highly cultural state, and
invented the metal movable type printing
press.[30][31][32][33][34][88][89][excessive citations] After defeating
the Khitan Empire, which was the most
powerful empire of its time,[90][91] in
the Goryeo–Khitan War, Goryeo
experienced a golden age that lasted a
century, during which the Tripitaka
Koreana was completed and there were
great developments in printing and
publishing, promoting learning and
dispersing knowledge on philos