The Mumun pottery period, spanning from approximately 1500-300 BCE, is a significant era in Korean prehistory. This period is primarily identified by its undecorated or plain cooking and storage vessels that were prominent especially between 850-550 BCE. The Mumun era marked the commencement of intensive agriculture and the evolution of complex societies in both the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Archipelago. Despite being occasionally labeled as the "Korean Bronze Age", this classification can be misleading since local bronze production began much later, around the late 8th century BCE, and bronze artifacts were scarcely found during this period. A surge in archaeological explorations since the mid-1990s has enriched our understanding of this pivotal period in East Asian prehistory.^[16]

Preceded by the Jeulmun Pottery Period (c. 8000-1500 BCE), which was characterized by hunting, gathering, and minimal cultivation, the Mumun period's origins are somewhat enigmatic. Significant findings from the Liao River Basin and North Korea from around 1800-1500 BCE, such as megalithic burials, Mumun pottery, and large settlements, possibly hint at the Mumun Period's initiation in Southern Korea. During this phase, individuals who practiced slash-and-burn cultivation using Mumun pottery seemed to have displaced those following the Jeulmun Period subsistence patterns.^[17]

The Early Mumun (c. 1500-850 BCE) was marked by shifting agriculture, fishing, hunting, and the emergence of distinct settlements with rectangular semi-subterranean pit-houses. The settlements from this era were predominantly located in the river valleys of West-central Korea. By the end of this sub-period, larger settlements began appearing, and long-standing traditions related to Mumun ceremonial and mortuary systems, such as megalithic burials and red-burnished pottery production, started taking shape. The Middle Mumun (c. 850-550 BCE) saw the rise of intensive agriculture, with vast dry-field remains discovered at Daepyeong, a significant settlement site. This period also witnessed the growth of social inequality and the development of early chiefdoms.^[18]

The Late Mumun (550-300 BCE) was characterized by an increase in conflict, fortified hilltop settlements, and a higher concentration of the population in the southern coastal regions. There was a noticeable reduction in the number of settlements during this period, possibly due to increased conflict or climatic changes leading to crop failures. By approximately 300 BCE, the Mumun period came to an end, marked by the introduction of iron and the appearance of pit-houses with internal composite hearth-ovens reminiscent of the historical period.^[19]

The cultural traits of the Mumun era were diverse. While the linguistic landscape of this period suggests influences from both Japonic and Koreanic languages, the economy was largely based on household production with some instances of specialized craft production. The Mumun subsistence pattern was broad, encompassing hunting, fishing, and agriculture. Settlement patterns evolved from large multi-generational households in the Early Mumun to smaller nuclear family units in separate pit-houses by the Middle Mumun. Mortuary practices were varied, with megalithic burials, stone-cist burials, and jar burials being common.^[20]