Nasan

Republic of Nasan 奈山民國 Nasan Minku
Flag Emblem
Location of Nasan
Capital and largest city	Sicyen
Official languages	Nasanese
Demonym(s)	Nasanese
Government	Unitary presidential constitutional republic
• President	Chō Ikan
• Vice President	Shichi Nissō
Establishment history
• Inari Kingship	766 BCE (mythological)
• Kingdom of Nasanese	716
• Japanese annexation	November 4, 1905
• Provisional Government	August 18, 1919
• Surrender of Japan	September 2, 1945
• US administration	September 8, 1945
• Republic established	August 11, 1948
• Current constitution	November 12, 1987
Area
• Total	70,694 km2 (27,295 sq mi) (117th)
Population
• 2023 estimate	36,894,227
GDP (PPP)	2023 estimate
• Total	$2.106 trillion (17th)
• Per capita	57,094 (27th)
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	$1.281 trillion (16th)
• Per capita	$34,731 (28th)
Gini	33.3 medium
HDI (2021)	0.926 very high · 19th

Nasan, officially the Republic of Nasan, is a country in East Asia. It is located on the Tonchu Peninsula and borders Korea to the north, the Yellow Sea to the west, and the Sea of Japan to the East. It has a population of 40.02 million, making it the world's 36th most populous country. Nasan is divided into 18 provinces. Its capital and largest city is Sicyen, and nearly half of Nasan's population live in its metropolitan area.

Nasan has been inhabited since the Lower Paleolithic period. In the former half of the first millennium CE, the various kingdoms and chiefdoms of Nasan were unified under the kings (kumu) of Inari. In 716 CE, a new dynasty exerted control over Nasan, the first to use the Chinese title of king (Wan) and the name Nasan. In the tenth century, the Nasan Kingdom conquered the Korean kingdom of Silla and extended control to the east coast of the Tushu Peninsula. In 1905, following the Russo-Japanese War, Nasan was annexed by the Empire of Japan. Japanese colonial rule ended following the surrender of Japan in World War II, after which Nasan occupied by the United States, along with the southern portion of Korea south of the 38th parallel. On August 11, 1948, the Republic of Nasan was established; shortly after, Korea gained independence as two separate countries.

In 1950, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea invaded the Republic of Korea to the south, starting the Korean War, and causing the ROK government to flee to Nasan. However, a US-led military effort prolonged the war further, which ended in a stalemate. In 1953, as a part of peace negotiations, the Republic of Korea was dissolved and part of its original territory transferred to Nasanese administration, which gained a new land border with Nasan. Nasan's economy suffered greatly as a result. In 1960, the authoritarian government of Kan Raji was overthrown by Chin Pyensan in the April 24 coup. Under Chin's leadership, Nasan experienced rapid economic growth, becoming one of the Four Asian Tigers. However, civil liberties were greatly curtailed and a great number of human rights abuses were committed under his administration. The June Democracy Movement of 1987 ended Jin's authoritarian rule and the first democratic elections were held.

History

Prehistoric and ancient history

The area of modern-day Nasan was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period.

Around 8,000 BCE, with the start of the Chimun period, a Mesolithic to Neolithic hunter-gatherer culture emerged in the Tonchu Peninsula. The Japonic-speaking Mumun culture succeeded the Chimun period. From around 800 BCE, the Nasanic-speaking Shinmun people entered western Nasan, beginning the Shinmun period of Nasanese history. The Shinmun people practiced wet-rice agriculture, sedentism, and bronze metallurgy, introduced from the north.

According to legend, the Inari Kingdom of early Nasan was founded by King Syokun in 766 BCE. Nasan first appears in historical literature in the Book of Han, completed in 111 CE. During the former half of the first millennium CE, the Nasanese peoples were unified under the Inari Kingdom. This period also saw the introduction of Buddhism from Korea, but it initially faced resistance from the nobility.

In 487, Inari, allied with Goguryeo, conquered the Korean kingdom of Baekje, making Inari the predominant maritime power in the region, supplanting the role of Baekje. In 521, King Shenmyen ascended to the Inari throne, making Buddhism the state religion and sending a diplomatic mission introducing Buddhism to Japan. In the 6th and 7th centuries, Inari had enormous maritime influence, and its capital of Kumasya became a wealthy economic and cultural center.

In 706, a succession crisis arose following the death of King Cyenshin, which erupted into a full-blown war. The country plunged into chaos, disrupting trade and economic activity in the region and greatly reducing Inari's power. Various rebel leaders also managed to seize some power amidst the chaos.

Dynastic history

After ten years of civil war, in 716, the Ton clan managed to take control of the capital, ending the era of fragmentation. King Kwanmyen became the first monarch of the new Kingdom of Nasan, marking a new era in Nasan's history.

Nasan was restored to its former maritime glory, continuing to be a major maritime power in the region. The capital was moved to Sicyen, where it remains to this day. Buddhism continued to be the state religion, and the government ordered the construction of many new temples, including the famous Tonryon-ji in Sicyen.

In 803, the powerful Jin clan staged a coup, taking control of the government and establishing a new royal dynasty. Under the Jin dynasty, the country experienced a golden age in art, literature, science, and religion, with unprecedented levels of wealth that lasted for over a century. The kwachu examinations were conducted, introducing a merit-based system of selecting civil servants. In the latter half of the Jin dynasty, the Japanese kana scripts and the printing press were introduced to Nasan, boosting literacy and promoting education. The monumental historical work Kuji Shichi was also compiled during this period. Nasan also conquered Silla in 907, expanding its territory to the Sea of Japan.

However, the Mongol invasions of the 13th century disrupted this golden age and greatly weakened the power of the central government. The fragmentation of Goryeo led to Nasan's submission to the Yuan dynasty, as the Mongol threat became more apparent.

In 1356, military general Syen In, dissatisfied with the state of affairs, launched a coup against the pro-Yuan Chin clan and renounced all ties with the Yuan dynasty. He drove out Mongol troops in Nasan and established the Syen dynasty. Initially, the country prospered but as the central government weakened, Nasan became a frequent victim of Goryeo encroachments along its northern border. Its western frontier also fell to numerous warlords, bringing an end to the brief golden age of the early Syen dynasty. The Japanese invasions of 1592–1598 were the final step in the gradual fragmentation of Nasan, and the Syen dynasty was finally brought to an end in 1604.

After the Syen dynasty fell in 1604, the Wan clan assumed leadership of Nasan. By 1614, all the regional warlords in Nasan were subjugated by the Wan clan, and the country once again entered a period of peace and prosperity. Unlike Korea and Japan, Nasan did not maintain an isolationist foreign policy, allowing it to serve as an important intermediary between China and Japan and become an important maritime power. Although the country slowly adopted an increasingly isolationist policy in the 18th century, its comparatively open foreign policy prevented Nasan from being subject to many "unequal treaties" by Western powers and Japan.

Japanese occupation and World War II

In the late 19th century, Japan became a major regional power following its successes in the First Sino-Japanese War against the Qing dynasty and the Russo-Japanese War against the Russian Empire. Nasan fell into Japan's sphere of influence and although it attempted to modernize in the late 19th century, Japan managed to fully annex Nasan in 1905. Following this, Nasanese culture, language, and history were suppressed and erased by the Japanese government in a policy of forced assimilation. Following the March 1st Movement in Korea, Nasanese demonstrators launched the April 15th Revolt in Sicyen, which was violently subdued by the Japanese military. Various underground resistance groups also emerged, and in 1919, Nasanese dissidents established a provisional government in Ningbo.