AD 300-668 Three Kingdoms The period between AD 300-668 is usually called the Three Kingdoms period, though Korea was at first divided into four. The Koguryo( kingdom controlled the north. The Paekche kingdom was in the southwest. The Silla kingdom occupied the southeast. Based in the Naktong river basin in south-central Korea (around present-day Pusan city) was a confederation of small states known as Kaya. Kaya never developed into a unified kingdom under a single monarch. Silla overtook Kaya in 562 and went on to unify the peninsula in 668. The founding dates of each of the three kingdoms is given in the historic records: Koguryo( in 37 BC, Paekche in 18 BC and Silla in 57 BC. However, archaeological evidence suggests that these dates are not accurate and it seems that they did not form as kingdoms until the 4th century AD. China had a strong influence on Korea’s political, social and religious environment during the Three Kingdoms period. Korea’s relationship with China was marked by conflict though positive relations were also formed. Buddhism, which was introduced from China in the 4th century AD, was a major reason behind this.