Han Asia Times

ORIGIN OF THE KOREA As is true of all countries, Korea's geography was a major factor in shaping its history; geography also influenced the manner in which the inhabitants of the peninsula emerged as a people sharing the common feeling of being Koreans. The Korean Peninsula protrudes southward from the northeastern corner of the Asian continent and is surrounded on three sides by large expanses of water. Although Japan is not far from the southern tip of this landmass, in ancient times events on the peninsula were affected far more by the civilizations and political developments on the contiguous Asian continent than by those in Japan. Because the Yalu and Tumen rivers have long been recognized as the border between Korea and China, it is easy to assume that these rivers have always constituted Korea's northern limits. But such was not the case in the ancient period. Neither of the rivers was considered to be sacrosanct by the ancient tribes that dotted the plains of Manchuria ...

KOREA UNDER JAPANESE RULE Korea underwent drastic changes under Japanese rule. Even before the country was formally annexed by Japan in 1910, the Japanese caused the last ruling monarch, King Kojong, to abdicate the throne in 1907 in favor of his feeble son, who was soon married off to a Japanese woman and given a Japanese peerage. Japan then governed Korea under a residency general and subsequently under a governor general directly subordinate to Japanese prime ministers. All of the governor generals were high-ranking Japanese military officers. In theory the Koreans, as subjects of the Japanese emperor, enjoyed the same status as the Japanese; but in fact the Japanese government treated the Koreans as a conquered people. Until 1921 they were not allowed to publish their own newspapers or to organize political or intellectual groups. Nationalist sentiments gave rise to a Korean student demonstration in Japan, and on March 1, 1919, to a Proclamation o...

Noble Laureate Rabindranath Tagore composed a short but evocative poem in 1929 about Korea's glorious past and bright future. He wrote: "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 of the East." Historical and cultural contacts between the two peoples date back to ancient times. According to “Samguk-Yusa" or "The Heritage History of the Three Kingdoms," written in the 13th century, a princess from Ayodhya came to Korea and married King Kim Su-ro and became Queen Hur Hwang-ok in the year 48 AD [former President Kim Dae-jung, former President Kim Young-sam and former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil trace this ancestry]. The enduring philosophy of the Buddha, which has influenced the lives and thoughts of the people of the two countries, has also provided a strong link. The rationale for a close relationship between India and South Korea has been reinforced in modern times by p...

Korean Culture The Korean culture has continued many of the traditions and events that came into their culture generations ago. These very special aspects are what make Korea what it is today. Korea was first inhabited by many primitive tribes. Many were ancestors of the Mongolian culture. These tribes moved East into new lands where they began their new era. Many of the people living in Korea today are related to these first settlers. As time went on these tribes united to form a single culture. Since the start of this culture the most important thing has always been the family. All things are done with the families permission. The eldest in the house is considered the most wise, and therefore makes most of the decisions. This tradition was started years ago, and is still being used today. Every relative in the family that is of the same blood is referred to as ilga . This means one house . Another term that is continually heard is tongjok . This is the group of paternal relatives. T...