Editing Samhan (section)

== Etymology ==
"Samhan" became a name for the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea]] beginning in the 7th century.<ref name="kyunghyang" />

According to the ''[[Samguk Sagi]]'' and ''[[Samguk yusa|Samguk Yusa]]'', [[Silla]] implemented a national policy, "Samhan Unification" ({{Korean|삼한일통|三韓一統|labels=no}}), to integrate [[Baekje]] and [[Goguryeo]] refugees. In 1982, a memorial stone dating back to 686 was discovered in [[Cheongju]] with an inscription: "The Three Han were unified and the domain was expanded."<ref name="kyunghyang" /> During the [[Unified Silla|Later Silla]] period, the concepts of Samhan as the ancient confederacies and the Three Kingdoms of Korea were merged.<ref name="kyunghyang" /> In a letter to an imperial tutor of the Tang dynasty, [[Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn]] equated Byeonhan to Baekje, Jinhan to Silla, and Mahan to Goguryeo.<ref name="chosun" /> By the [[Goryeo]] period, Samhan became a common name to refer to all of Korea.<ref name="kyunghyang" /> In his Ten Mandates to his descendants, [[Taejo of Goryeo|Wang Geon]] declared that he had unified the Three Han (Samhan), referring to the Three Kingdoms of Korea.<ref name="kyunghyang" /><ref name="chosun" /> Samhan continued to be a common name for Korea during the [[Joseon]] period and was widely referenced in the [[Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty|Annals of the Joseon Dynasty]].<ref name="kyunghyang" />

In China, the Three Kingdoms of Korea were collectively called Samhan since the beginning of the 7th century.<ref name="National">{{cite web |title=고현묘지명(高玄墓誌銘) |url=http://gsm.nricp.go.kr/_third/user/frame.jsp?View=search&No=4&ksmno=7190 |website=한국금석문 종합영상정보시스템 |publisher=National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref> The use of the name Samhan to indicate the Three Kingdoms of Korea was widespread in the [[Tang dynasty]].<ref name="kwon">{{cite journal |first1=Deok-young |last1=Kwon |trans-title=An inquiry into the name of Three Kingdom(三國) inscribed on the epitaph of T'ang(唐) period |script-title=ko:唐 墓誌의 고대 한반도 삼국 명칭에 대한 검토 |journal=The Journal of Korean Ancient History |date=2014 |volume=75 |pages=105–137 |url=http://www.dbpia.co.kr/Journal/ArticleDetail/NODE02486618 |access-date=2 July 2018 |language=ko |issn=1226-6213}}</ref> Goguryeo was alternately called [[Mahan confederacy|Mahan]] by the Tang dynasty, as evidenced by a Tang document that called Goguryeo generals "Mahan leaders" ({{Korean|마한추장|馬韓酋長|labels=no}}) in 645.<ref name="National" /> In 651, [[Emperor Gaozong of Tang]] sent a message to the king of Baekje referring to the Three Kingdoms of Korea as Samhan.<ref name="kyunghyang" /> Epitaphs of the Tang dynasty, including those belonging to Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla refugees and migrants, called the Three Kingdoms of Korea "Samhan", especially Goguryeo.<ref name="kwon" /> For example, the epitaph of Go Hyeon ({{Korean|고현|高玄|labels=no}}), a Tang dynasty general of Goguryeo origin who died in 690, calls him a "Liaodong Samhan man" ({{Korean|요동 삼한인|遼東 三韓人|labels=no}}).<ref name="National" /> The [[History of Liao]] equates Byeonhan to Silla, Jinhan to Buyeo, and Mahan to Goguryeo.<ref name="chosun" />

In 1897, [[Gojong of Korea|Gojong]] changed the name of Joseon to the [[Korean Empire]], ''Daehan Jeguk'', in reference to the Three Kingdoms of Korea. In 1919, the [[Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea|provisional government]] in exile during the [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese occupation]] declared the name of Korea as the Republic of Korea, ''Daehan Minguk'', also in reference to the Three Kingdoms of Korea.<ref name="kyunghyang" /><ref name="chosun" />