Korea

Overview

In Classical Chinese|ancient Chinese texts Korea is referred to as "Rivers and Mountains Embroidered on Silk" (錦繡江山) and "Eastern Nation of Decorum" (東方禮儀之國). During the 7th century|7th and 8th century|8th centuries, land and sea trading networks connected Korea and Arabia. Koreans used wooden printing blocks by 751. Metal movable type was invented in Korea as early as 1232 (although clay prints were earlier invented in China), before Johann Gutenberg developed metal letterset type. During the Goryeo period, the silk was considered by China to be the best in the world, and pottery made with blue-green celadon glazes became a coveted Korean specialty. In the Joseon Dynasty|Joseon era, Korea presided over progress in traditional arts and crafts, such as white celadon glazes, finer silk and paper, and the creation of the Korean alphabet, hangul. Also during this time the first ironclad warships in the world were developed and deployed in Korea. Korea is currently divided into the capitalist South Korea and the communist North Korea. After the Korean War, North Korea's economy rebounded relatively quickly, stronger than that of the South until the 1970s. Since the 1990s, the loss of communist markets in Eastern Europe, poor management, and natural disasters have left the country largely dependent on foreign aid. A famine in the late 1990s likely killed about a million people, although reliable statistics are difficult to come by (Meredith Woo-Cummings, ''The Political Ecology of Famine: The North Korean Catastrophe and Its Lessons'', Tokyo: Asian Dev. Bank Inst., 2001). In contrast, South Korea after the war remained impoverished into the 1960s, when the dictator-president Park Chung Hee began to funnel investment into chaebol, or family-controlled conglomerates. His rule was marked by the violation of human rights (although on a far smaller scale than in North Korea) as well as by record-breaking economic growth. South Korea now is the 11th largest economy in the world. Presidential elections are held every five years. Both Korean states proclaim eventual Korean reunification|reunification as a goal, and a united Korea is very much a part of Korean ethno-cultural identity (social science)|identity.

Geography

Korea is located on the Korean Peninsula in North-East Asia. It is bound by two countries and three seas. To the northwest, the Yalu River separates Korea from China and to the north, the Tumen River separates Korea from Russia. The Yellow Sea is to the west, the South China Sea is to the south, and the Sea of Japan (East Sea) is to the east of Korea. Notable islands include Jeju|Jeju-do, Ulleung-do, and Liancourt Rocks (Dok-do). The southern part and western part of the Korean mainland have well developed plains, while the eastern and northern parts are mountainous. The highest mountain in Korea is Mt. Baekdu (2744m, Changbaishan in chinese). The border with China runs through the mountain. The southern extension of Mt. Baekdu is a highland called Gaema Gowon. This highland was mainly raised during the Cenozoic orogeny and partly covered by volcanic matter. To the south of Gaema Gowon, successive high mountains are located along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. This series of mountains is named Beakdudaegan. Some significant mountains include Sobaeksan (2,184 m), Baeksan (1,724 m), Geumgangsan (1,638 m), Seoraksan (1,708 m), Taebaeksan (1,567 m) and Jirisan (1,915 m). There are several lower, secondary mountain series whose direction is almost perpendicular to that of Baekdudaegan. They are developed along the tectonic line of Mesozoic orogeny and their directions are NW, NWW. As opposed to the old mountains on the mainland, some important islands in Korea were formed by volcanic activity in the recent Cenozoic. Jeju|Jeju Island, situated off the south coastline of the Korean Peninsula, is a large volcanic island whose main mountain is Mt. Halla (1950 m). Ulleung-do and the Liancourt Rocks (Dok-do) are volcanic islands in the East Sea (Sea of Japan), whose composition is more feslic than Jeju. The volcanic islands tend to be younger as one moves westward. Because the mountainous regions are biased toward the eastern part of the peninsula, the main rivers tend to flow to westwards. Two exceptions are the southward-flowing Nakdong and the Seomjin River. Important rivers running westward include the Yalu, Cheongcheon River, Daedong River, Han River, Geum River, and Yeongsan River. These rivers have vast flood plains and they provide an ideal environment for rice cultivation. The southern and southwestern coastline of the Korean Peninsula is a well-developed Lias coastline. It is known as Dadohae in Korean. Its complicated coastline provides mild seas, and the resulting calm environment allows for safe navigation, fishing, and seaweed farming. In addition to the complex coastline, the western coast of the Korean peninsula has an extremely high tidal amplitude (at Incheon, around the middle of the western coast, it is as high as 9 m). Vast tidal flats are developing on the south and west coastline of the Korean Peninsula.

Demographics

(see also: Demographics of South Korea) The Korean Peninsula is populated almost exclusively by ethnic Koreans, although a significant minority of ethnic Chinese_nationality|Chinese (about 20,000 http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ks.html exists in South Korea, and small communities of ethnic Chinese and Japanese are said to exist in North Korea (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kn.html. Foreign workforce in South Korea is estimated at over half a million. The combined population (including North and South Korea) of the Korean Peninsula is about 71,000,000 people.

History

''Main article: History of Korea'' There is archaeological evidence that people were living on the Korean peninsula 700,000 years ago. The Palaeolithic period began around 70,000 BC, and earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 7000 BC, and the Neolithic period begins around 6000 BC. Eventually (2333 BC according to the Dangun legend), Gojoseon was founded, encompassing northern Korea and Manchuria. In 108 BC, Gojoseon fell to the Chinese Han dynasty, who installed four commanderies in northern Korea, three of which quickly fell to Korean resistance. In this period, southern Korea was occupied first by the Jin (Korean history)|Jin state, and later the Samhan, three loose confederacies. In the north, the expanding Goguryeo reunited Buyeo, Okjeo, and Dongye in the former Gojoseon territory, and destroyed the last Chinese commandery in 313.

The Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms of Korea|three kingdoms Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje (the latter two arising from the Samhan) competed with each other as minor statelets fell or merged with these regional powers. Sophisticated state organizations developed under Confucianism|Confucian and Buddhism|Buddhist paradigms. Goguryeo was the most dominant power, but was at constant war with the Chinese Sui Dynasty|Sui and Tang Dynasty|Tang. Emperor Yang of Sui China | Emperor Yang-ti of Sui, with one million troops, invaded Goguryeo, but in 612 CE, General Eulji Mundeok pushed the Chinese force into retreat. The Sui fall from power in China was partly due to Goguryeo. Silla was the least advanced of the Three Kingdoms, but had established a fierce military. Silla first annexed Gaya, then conquered Baekje and Goguryeo with Tang assistance. Silla warriors were called the Hwarang.

Balhae and Unified Silla

Silla eventually repulsed Tang from Goguryeo territory, although the northern part regrouped as Balhae. Silla ("Unified Silla" hereon) thus came to control most of the Korean peninsula by the 8th century. In the late 9th century, Unified Silla gave way to the brief Later Three Kingdoms of Korea|Later Three Kingdoms period. After the fall of Goguryeo, General Dae Joyeong led a group of his people to the Jilin area in Manchuria. The general founded the state of Balhae (Bohai in Chinese) as the successor to Goguryeo and regained control of lost northern territory. Eventually, Balhae's territory would extend from the Sungari and Amur Rivers in northern Manchuria all the way down to the northern provinces of modern Korea. In the 10th century Balhae was conquered by the Khitans.

Goryeo

The kingdom of Goryeo (918 CE–1392 CE) replaced Silla as the dominant power in Korea. Many members of the Balhae ruling class joined the newly founded Goryeo Dynasty, which established boundaries of Korea to a little more than where they exist today (See Gando region which is now occupied by the Chinese). During this period, laws were codified, and a civil service system was introduced. Buddhism flourished throughout the peninsula. In the 10th and 11th century|11th centuries, Goryeo continued to be plagued by attacks from Jurchen and Khitan tribes on the northern borders. Conflict increased between civil and military officials in Goryeo as the latter were degraded and poorly paid. This led to an uprising by military and forced some military officials to migrate to other areas. In 1238 the Mongols invaded Goryeo and laid the kingdom in ruins as resistance continued on and off for almost thirty years. Eventually, a treaty was signed between the two kingdoms in favor of the Mongols. In the 1340s, the Mongol Empire declined rapidly due to internal struggles. Korea was at last able to forge political reform with out mongol interference. At this time a General named Taejo of Joseon|Yi Seong-gye distinguishes himself by repelling Japanese pirates who were constantly stealing mainland technology from Korean and Chinese merchant ships.

Joseon

In 1392 Taejo of Joseon|Yi Seong-gye established the Joseon Dynasty, moving the capital to Hanseong (now Seoul). Hangul was created by King King Sejong the Great of Joseon|Sejong in 1443. During the late 1500s, Japan invaded Korea in two failed attempts, known together as the Seven-Year War, inflicting great destruction and suffering on Korea. The Manchus then successfully invaded China and forced Korea in 1627 to recognize the Manchu government. Beginning in the 1870s, Japan began to acquire western technology then forced Korea away from China's sphere of influence. In 1895, Empress Myeongseong of Korea|Empress Min of Korea was murdered by the Japanese under Miura Goro. Japan further increased its control over Korea following the First Sino-Japanese War (1894) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905).

Japanese occupation

''Main article: Korea under Japanese rule'' In 1910, Korea was annexation|annexed by Japan. Japanese occupation lasted until 1945 when Japan was defeated by the Allies|Allied Forces at the end of World War II. Many Koreans were forcibly sent all around the empire, men as slave laborers and women as military sex slaves called "comfort women". During the suppression of independence movement in 1919, 7,000 Koreans were killed by Japanese police and soldiers. Although statistics are difficult to obtain and verify, around 60,000 Korean laborers in Japan are known to have died between 1939 and 1945. Anti-Japanese sentiment still runs strong in Korea , as a result of Japanese war crimes and what Koreans see as Korean-Japanese disputes|continuing unrepentant actions.

Division

''Main articles: Division of Korea, Korean War, Korean reunification'' In 1945, in the aftermath of WWII, the United Nations developed plans for a trusteeship administration, the United States effectively began administering the peninsula south of the 38th parallel north|38th parallel and the Soviet Union administering north. The politics of the Cold War resulted in the 1948 establishment of two separate governments. In June 1950, North Korea invaded the South, beginning the Korean War. After three devastating years of fighting that involved China, Soviet Union, the US, and several United Nations countries (including Canada, Great Britain, and Turkey to name a few), the war ended in a ceasefire agreement at approximately the same boundary. The two countries never signed a peace treaty. Since the 1990s, with progressively liberal South Korean administrations, as well as the death of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, the two sides have taken halting, symbolic steps towards cooperation, in international sporting events, reunification of separated family members, and tourism.

Names of Korea

''Main article: Names of Korea'' While "North Korean" and "South Korea" are the most commonly used internationally, the formal names are Republic of Korea (ROK) for South Korea and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for North Korea. "Korea" derives from the Goryeo (Koryŏ, 고려) period of Korean history, which in turn referred to the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo (Koguryŏ, 고구려). See also Korean-Japanese disputes for the spelling issue of "Corea" and "Korea." In the Korean language, Korea as a whole is referred to as ''Han-guk'' (Hangul|한국, Han Nation) by South Korea and ''Chosŏn'' (Hangul|조선) by North Korea.

Culture

''Main article: Culture of Korea'' The nation uses vibrant colors for its festivities which is said to be due to Mongolian influences. It is common to see bright hues of red, yellow, and green on objects and material that define traditional Korean motifs http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/calendar/kcostumes.htm Family ties are an important aspect of familial relations, including business relations. Bowing is a custom that is expected among Koreans as a way of greeting one another. Although about half of the population is non-religious, Korean values spring from a large number of influences, including Shamanism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and more recently Christianity. http://www.seoulsearching.com/culture/ Korea is sometimes described as a Confucian society. Korean cuisine is marked by its traditional food|dish called kimchi which uses a distinctive fermentation process of preserving vegetables. Chili peppers are also commonly used in Korean cuisine, which has given it a reputation for being spicy. ''See also'' Korean cuisine.

Korea in sporting events

South Korea hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, giving the country an economical boost through increased tourism and greater world recognition. At the time, North_Korea boycotted the event on the grounds that it was not made co-host. A unified Korean team competed under the Unification Flag in 1991 in both the 41st World Table Tennis Championship in Chiba, Chiba|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 Busan, and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but competed separately in sporting events. As of the 2006 Asian Games, South Korean officials have announced the countries shall compete in the same unified sporting teams as well. In the summer of 2002, the FIFA World Cup was hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan, at 10 stadiums in each country. They competed separately, however.

Represented Airport

http://www.airport.or.kr/Eng/home.jsp

Further Readings

http://fax.libs.uga.edu/DS895xR9xH2/ with an appendix, containing charts, and various hydrographical and scientific notices. By Captain Basil Hall with a vocabulary of the Loo-Choo languages, by H. J. Clifford. Publisher: London, J. Murray, 1818. ''(a searchable facsimile at the University of Georgia Libraries; DjVu & http://fax.libs.uga.edu/DS895xR9xH2/1f/halls_corea.pdfformat)''

Chun, Tuk Chu. "Korea in the Pacific Community." ''Social Education'' 52 (March 1988), 182. EJ 368 177.

Bruce Cumings|Cumings, Bruce. ''The Two Koreas''. New York: Foreign Policy Association, 1984.

''Focus On Asian Studies''. Special Issue: "Korea: A Teacher's Guide." No. 1, Fall 1986.

Lee Ki-baik. ''A New History Of Korea''. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1984.

Lee Sang-sup. "The Arts and Literature of Korea." ''The Social Studies'' 79 (July-August 1988): 153-60. EJ 376 894.

See also

Founding myth of Korea

Taekwondo

Hapkido

Famous Korean people

Hanja

Hermit kingdom (Korea)

Jeonju

Joseon Dynasty

Korean age reckoning

Korean Gardens

Korean name

Korean Soccer Clubs

Korean Tea Ceremony

List of Korea-related topics

List of Korean birds

List of mountains in Korea

List of North Korean companies

List of South Korean companies

Music of Korea

Korean Film and Television

National treasures of Korea

Prince Yi Seok

Provinces of Korea

Rulers of Korea

Special cities of Korea

Traditional Korean thought

Treaty of Portsmouth

Triple Intervention

Japanese Imperialism

Chinese Imperialism

First Sino-Japanese War

Russo-Japanese War

External links

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ks.html

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kn.html

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/krtoc.html

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/kptoc.html

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr

http://hcs.harvard.edu/~yisei/backissues/fall_98/mark_byington.html

http://www.sfkorean.com/eng/main_yp.jsp?grp=K&lp=N

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Information/history1.cfm

http://gias.snu.ac.kr/wthong/publication/paekche/eng/paekch_e.html

http://www.shinmiyangyo.org/

http://www.ericdigests.org/1992-5/koreas.htm

http://www.learn-korean.net

http://www.kpopmusic.co.uk

Special characters