Ko·re·a (k?-r???, kô-, k?-) A peninsula and former country of eastern Asia between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. Site of an ancient civilization dating to the 12th century bc, the peninsula was united as a kingdom in the 7th century ad and despite a Mongol invasion (13th century) remained unified until the Japanese occupation of 1910 to 1945. After World War II the Soviet- and US-occupied territories formed separate republics, and a North Korean invasion of the south led to the Korean War (1950-1953). The peninsula is now divided between North Korea and South Korea.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Korea (k??ri??) n (Placename) a former country in E Asia, now divided into two separate countries, North Korea and South Korea. Korea occupied the peninsula between the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and the Yellow Sea: an isolated vassal of Manchu China for three centuries until the opening of ports to Japanese trade in 1876; gained independence in 1895; annexed to Japan in 1910 and divided in 1945 into two occupation zones (Russian in the north, American in the south), which became North Korea and South Korea in 1948. Japanese name (1910?45): Chosen See North Korea, South KoreaCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Ko?re?a (k??ri ?) n. 1. a former country in E Asia, on a peninsula SE of Manchuria and between the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea: a kingdom prior to 1910; under Japanese rule 1910?45. 2. Democratic People’s Republic of, official name of North Korea. 3. Republic of, official name of South Korea. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.