Korea

Korean Peninsula

Map of the Korean peninsula

Korea is a formerly unified country, situated on the Korean Peninsula in north East Asia adjacent to China in the west and Russia in the north. The country was divided in 1948 into the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). The Unification Flag is often used to represent Korea at international sporting events, but it is not an official flag of either country.

Overview

Archaelogoical evidence indicates that early humans appear 2.5 million years ago and although the written language is only 5000 years old, by evaluating archeological, DNA data, geological, cosmological, language and fossil studies the prehistory of the Korean people can be determined. Paleolithic and archaelogic evidence indicates that people have lived in Korea for the past 40,000 years. For much of the past millennium, Korea was politically a single state, which led to the development of a fairly homogeneous and unique culture. Korea is characterised by a distinct people (Koreans) and language (Korean).

According to ancient Chinese scripts Korea is referred to as Kumsu Kangsan literally meaning "the river and mountains are embroidered on silk". In addition, the Chinese credited the Koreans of being the producer of some of the best silk in the world. During the 7th-8th centuries there existed via land and sea routes trading networks between Korea and Arabia. Koreans used wooden printing block by 751. The publication technique of using metal movable type was invented in Korea as early as 1232 (although clay prints, not metal prints, were invented by Bi Sheng about 200 years earlier in China, where it was not very successful, it can be assumed that it was invented in Korea analogically), long before Gutenberg in Europe invented metal prints. During the Goryeo period, the silk industry became widepsread and green celadons became a Korean specialty. Also during this time the first iron-clad battleships in the world were invented. Korea achieved rapid cultural growth during the Joseon era, developing a culture unique from Ming China. The Joseon era also presided over progress in traditional arts and crafts, such as white glazed celadons, better silk, beatiful fans and clothes, and the completion of the Korean alphabet, hangul.

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Kwang-hwa Mun

Korea is currently divided into the capitalist, democratic Republic of Korea (ROK) and the communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). This division occurred in effect since Japan's defeat in 1945 which put an end to World War II whereas permanent division came after the Korean War in 1953.

North Korea, which pursued isolationism to protect itself, has not been able to fully open up its borders after 50 years of communism. In contrast, South Korea, which pursued a export-driven economy, enjoys the 9th largest economy in the world. However, both Korean states proclaim eventual reunification as a goal, that is, the restoration of Korea as a single state. Even though Korea is no longer a state in real political terms, it is very much alive in the minds of Koreans and as an ethno-cultural space critical to Korean national identity.

History

Main article: History of Korea

There exists archaeological and paleolithic evidence that people were living in the land we now call Korea 40,000 years ago. Bronze age culture, introduced around the 10th century BC at the latest, catalysed early state formation. The first precursor Korean nation called Han-gook (also pronounced Whan-gook) was founded in 7,197 BC originating from Lake Baikal of Siberia and lasted more than 3000 years. As the ice melted Koreans would disperse deeper into the peninsula.

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Bulguksa Temple

Eventually, Go-Joseon (Which means "Land of the morning calm") the most important and powerful of these early states was established, and its foundation is highly symbolic holding sentimental value for many Koreans even to this day. According to mythology, all Koreans share the Tan-gun (founder of Go-Joseon) bloodline and are descendants of the gods. After a couple thousand of years, Go-Joseon fell to the Chinese Han Dynasty in 108 BC. Go-Joseon disintegrates to become northern Buyo and later became Goguryeo which is firmly established by the 1st century. The Han established commanderies in the conquered territories as control over the territories switched back and forth from the Han of China, Buyo/Goguryeo of Korea, and then to the Yen of China. The longest lived Chinese incursion would last until the 4th century AD until Goguryeo destoryed the Chinese controlled territory Lolang (Nangnang) in 313 AD in southern Manchuria. In the place of Go-Joseon, new regional powers emerged. Of these, three became the most dominant, the Three Kingdoms of Goguryeo in the north and Baekje in the southwest and Silla (or Shilla) in the southeast. The confederacy of Gaya also flourished in the south until it was annexed by Silla in 562.

The Three Kingdom Period

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Korean Hanbok

The three Kingoms Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla were competing with each other to strenghten state power, in order to expand their territories. As minor legions fell or merged with these regional powers highly sophisticated state organizations started to form under Confucian and Buddhist hierarchical structures. Goguryeo was fast becoming the most dominant power but was at constant war with the Chinese Sui and Tang. Emperor Yang-ti of Sui with 1 million troops invaded Goguryeo, but in 612 AD, General Ulchi Mundok after several months pushed the Chinese into a retreat. In one of the battles between Goguryeo and the Sui the Koreans ambush the Chinese at the Sul-sa river leaving only 2700 Chinese alive out of 300,000 troops. The Sui fall from power partly due to Goguryeo. The Chinese Tang rises in power and Tai-tsung of the Tang Empire contemplated revenge against Goguryeo with 3 failed invasions on 644, 648, and 655 AD. The Tang then turn to Silla for assistance. Silla, initially the weakest of the Three Kingdoms, allied with the Chinese Tang Dynasty to overthrow the other kingdoms and then drove out their former Tang allies. Silla (from this point refered to as Unified Silla by historians) thus came to control most of the Korean peninsula. The northern bits as well as parts of Manchuria and today's Maritime Province of Russia went to the new state of Balhae (also see pohai), which emerged in Goguryeo's former territories and styled itself as Goguryeo's successor state.

Balhae and Shilla

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Korean Hanbok

The north Balhae and South Shilla period (as Koreans call this long, generally peaceful era) came to an end in the 10th century as Balhae was conquered by the Khitans and Silla disintegrated as regional strongmen vied for power. The kingdom of Goryeo took over replaced Silla as the dominant power in Korea in the years 935-936. The kingdom lasted until 1392. During this period laws were codified, and a civil service system was introduced. Buddhism flourished and spread throughout the peninsula. In 1231 the Mongols invaded Goryeo and laid the kingdom to ruins as resistance continued on and off for almost thirty years. In the end, the Goryeo court submitted, and the Mongols interfered with Goryeo's politics for the next 150 years.

Goryeo Period

In 1392, a Goryeo general, Yi Seong-gye, overthrew the Goryeo king in a coup d'état and established a new dynasty: the Joseon Dynasty. The Joseon Dynasty moved the capital to Hanseong (now Seoul) and adopted Confucianism as the state ideology. During this period, the Hangeul alphabet was created by King Sejong in 1443.

Joseon Period

During the mid- to late- 19th century, Joseon's reluctance to open itself to foreign trade earned its nickname, the Hermit Kingdom. Joseon could not keep foreign powers at bay forever, and soon several powers were competing over influence in Korea. Japan, who had first forced trade agreements on Korea in 1876, took a leading position following victory in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). In 1895, Queen Min of Joseon, the last empress of Korea, was assassinated by a group of Japanese, that koreans allged was under direction from the Japanese minister to Korea, Miura Goro. In 1897, Joseon was renamed Daehan Jeguk (Korean Empire). A period of Russian influence followed, until Japan defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). Korea became a protectorate of Japan in 1905. In 1910 the country was officially annexed by Japan under a Governor-General of Korea, thus opening the Period of Japanese Rule in Korea.

Japanese rule lasted until 1945 when Japan was defeated by the Allied Forces. Korea was divided into two occupation zones effectively starting on September 8, 1945, with the United States administering the southern half of the peninsula and the Soviet Union taking over the area north of the 38th parallel. This division was meant to be temporary and was first intended to return a unified Korea back to its people until the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Republic of China could arrange a trusteeship administration.

Initial hopes for a unified, independent Korea quickly evaporated as the politics of the Cold War and domestic opposition to the trusteeship plan resulted in the 1948 establishment of two separate governments in the North and the South with diametrically opposed political, economic, and social systems. In June 1950 the Korean War broke out. It lasted for three years and ended with a ceasefire agreement and no victor, turning the division into a permanent one.

Culture

The nation is renowned for its traditional dish called kimchi (see Korean cuisine) which uses an innovative and unique process of preserving vegetables by fermentation (developed before electric refrigeration existed).

Korea in sporting events

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Unification Flag

A unified Korean team competed under the Unification Flag in 1991 in both the 41st World Table Tennis Championship in Chiba, Japan and in the 6th World Youth Soccer Championship in Lisbon, Portugal. A unified Korean team marched under the Unification Flag in the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan, and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but the North and South Korean national teams competed separately in sporting events.

Demographics

Geography

Names

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Korea
Korean Name
Revised Romanization	Koria
McCune-Reischauer	K'oria
Hangul	코리아
Derived from	Goryeo (Koryŏ; 고려; Hanja: 高麗

Main article: Names of Korea [1]

In Korean, Korea is referred to as "Hanguk" (한국; 韓國) in the south and "Chosŏn" (조선; 朝鮮) in the north. In addition, South Koreans also use "Hanguk" to refer only to South Korea and North Koreans also use "Chosŏn" to refer only to North Korea. The western name "Korea" (from Goryeo (고려; 高麗)) is a neutral name often used by both countries in international contexts. There are complex historical reasons for the use of all three names, of which the following paragraph is a summary. The Chinese characters of Goryeo are pronounced Gaoli in Chinese, which is why Marco Polo marked today's Korea as Cauli in his travel.

Before the Three Kingdoms Period "Old Joseon" was the first Korean state.) In the 660s, the kingdoms of Baekje;백제 and Goguryeo;고구려 came under the control of Silla, and Korea was called "Silla" (or Unified Silla;신라or 통일신라 by modern historians) from then until the 10th century. In 936, the newly formed kingdom of Goryeo;고려 defeated Shilla. From Goryeo came "Cauli" (the Italian spelling of the name Marco Polo gave to the country in his Travels), from which came the English names "Corea" and the now more commonly used "Korea". (For the Corea-vs.-Korea debate, please see Names of Korea.) In 1392, the Joseon Dynasty;조선 came to power and the country was renamed "Joseon" (Dae Joseon-guk 대조선국 in full, or "Great Joseon Nation"). In 1897, the Korean Empire (Daehan Jeguk 대한제국) was formed, reviving the name "Han". In 1910, Korea was annexed by Japan and the name reverted to "Joseon" ("Chosen" in Japanese). In 1919, a Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was formed in Shanghai, which used the name "Republic of Korea" (Daehan Minguk대한민국), a modified form of the name "Korean Empire". After independence from Japan and the country's division in 1945, the southern American-occupied zone became the "Republic of Korea" (or Hanguk for short in South Korean) in 1948, due to the influence of the non-Communist Shanghai group. Meanwhile, the northern Soviet-occupied zone became the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" (or Chosŏn for short in North Korean) under the control of Kim Il-sung, who wished to use the name "Chosŏn" for its ancient and northern connotations.

See History of South Korea and History of North Korea for the post-war period.

External links