One of excellent sci-tech heritage handed down by the Korean ancestors is the metallurgical technology.

They made the most of bronze metallurgy on a high level in the latter half of 4000 B.C. before the founding of the state.

In those days the varieties and types of bronze products were diverse, including weapons such as dagger, arrowhead, axe and chisel, working implements, and trinkets such as ring, bell, bracelet, earring, button and others.

After the founding of Ancient Joson (early 4000 B.C.–108 B.C.), bronze metallurgy was further developed. In this period, the Korean ancestors inherited the previous technology of alloying three elements (bronze, tin and lead) and learned and applied the method of adjusting the ratio of alloying more minutely according to the purpose of relevant products.

From the closing years of 2000 B.C., Ancient Joson began to mass-produce iron, and its people directed efforts to developing iron-making, steel-making and metal-processing technologies so as to make weapons, working implements, harnessry and other ironware.

Metallurgical technology was further improved in the period of the Three Kingdoms following the period of ancient state.

In particular, the metallurgical technology of Koguryo (277 B.C.–A.D. 668) was on a high level. It made steel and cast-iron weapons, tools and farm implements of high quality from the outset of its founding.

An ironwork unearthed in a relic belonging to the initial period of Koguryo made little difference in the aspects of composition and forging technique as compared to the present-day steel product.

What draws attention among ironwork unearthed in the relics of Koguryo is that forged steel products account for a greater proportion than cast pig-iron products. During the period the technology of smelting gold, silver and bronze was also developed.

The Koguryo people smelted ores to extract gold, silver and bronze, and made fine gold, silver and bronze articles by combining the technology of casting, rolling, plating, alloying and chasing.

Entering the period of Koryo (918–1392), the mining and metallurgical technology was further developed. The country exported brass to its neighbouring country several times in 959, and the quantity of each export amounted to 30 000 kilograms.

In the period of the feudal Joson dynasty (1392–1910), the survey for exploiting metallic mineral resources was actively promoted, and the iron-making, steel-making and refining industry was further invigorated.

Like this, the Korean people created and developed metallurgical technology from ages ago.