Cosmopolitan view a key to success

Many perceive globalization as a fairly modern trend, but an expert of 6th-century Korean history said it is not a new concept, a foreign expert on the 6th century Korean history. In fact, it has existed ever since the Silla dynasty. “The Silla dynasty’s cosmopolitan world view had led to the reunification of the three dynasties ― Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla ― and the world approaches of the Silla dynasty much resemble the modern Korea’s world view ―- which made both successful,” Pankaj Mohan, Silla expert and professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, told The Korea Herald. The Indian professor, who has devoted two-thirds of his life to Korean studies and Korean history, said his research about Korea was inspired by a poem by an Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. The enlightening passage he read goes like this: “In the golden age of Asia/Korea was one of its lamp-bearers/and that lamp is waiting to be lighted once again for the illumination in the East.”

Pankaj Mojan says “I just want to make Korea accessible in many ways to the outer world.” (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)

Since then, he has focused on Korea’s influence on other Asian countries and discovered intriguing similarities between the 6th-century Silla dynasty and modern Korea’s development. “Silla scholars studied the outer world, where they got their guiding principles that gave them both originality and creativity. Likewise, in contemporary society, Korea is also prosperous, because they are out in the world learning foreign ideas and creativity while keeping their traditional values at the same time.” “Silla, too, became one of the most advanced and formidable powers in the Korean peninsula because of such traits. A country can become strong by opening the door to the world ― by learning from the experience of other cultures and countries.” As an example, he cited the Silla settlement in the Shandong area of China - much like Koreatowns in other countries these days, “A large number of Silla people settled in Shandong area and had their own temples too,” he said. When he began Korean studies back in 1976 in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, his parents were skeptical about learning the Korean language as a way to build a career. “My parents thought that if I studied English literature or other languages such as French or German, I would have better job prospects.” “But I was encouraged to study this field after meeting with a very good master, Seo Kyung-soo, from Dongguk University, who had established Korean history for the first time in New Delhi.” Through Seo, he had developed a firm belief that Korea would prosper, just as Tagore foresaw in his poem. “The lamp has been lit up,” he said. “I was convinced at that time that Korea is the country of the future. Small as it may be, it is a dynamic economy with lot of potential.” He also found the study of the Korean history insufficient. “It was like a well kept secret, not properly explored, I wanted to be the frontier.” Many scholars in the west tend to study Chinese or Japanese history rather than Korean history, he said but pointed out that by understanding Korea, one can understand China and Japan with clarity. “Korea’s influence and transformation have greatly affected their histories.” “I want to highlight the role of Korea in introducing the Buddhist culture to Japan and the ways in which the Koreans adopted the Chinese culture to their situation.” In recognition of his contribution to the development of Korean studies at home and abroad, Seoul City recently gave him honorary citizenship. “When you see a well, you should think about people who worked hard to dig that well. Likewise, the honorary citizenship makes me think about ancestors of Seoul, those past leaders who worked hard to make the capital a beautiful city. I feel a great responsibility to do something to add to its dynamism and to make Korea and Seoul better understood to the outside world.” Currently, Mohan is a faculty head at the academy and also a professor at Sydney University in Australia. He is on a three-year leave from the university, which he is spending in Korea.