Shilla is called the Millennium Kingdom, as it existed for 992 years, almost a millennium. It enjoyed a flourishing Buddhist culture, as well as political independence from the Tang Dynasty of China. Although Unified Shilla was the first nation to bring all kingdoms and tribes together as one, its ruling class became luxurious and settle for the present as time passed.
Wall paintings found in ancient tombs show us the life and culture of the Goguryeo people. In the painting, there are many pictures such as the sun with a three legged crow, the moon, flowers, people, and so on.
The gilt-bronze incense burner is a symbol of Baekje culture. The burner shows the ideal world of Baekje people. It contains Buddhism, Taoism, and Yin-Yang theory. Also it shows their skillful techniques.
Korea has a unique writing system, called "Hangeul". Hangeul was created by King Sejong the Great, in order to promote literacy among the common people. Hangeul was first published on October 9th, 1443 ; a day which became known as "Hangeul Day". Hangeul is a phonemic writing system, which means each symbol corresopnds to a specific sound. Unlike the Roman Alphabet, symbols are assembled into blocks that make up each syllable. Since it was developed with the purpose of being easy to learn, is is logical, concise and efficient.
The Wood block printing in Korea was superior to that of other countries. The UNESCO committee said "The Tripitaka Koreana is one of the most important and most complete Buddhist Scriptures in the world." It is listed in the UNESCO heritage.