Korea’s ancient history revolves around The Three Kingdoms of Korea. These Three Kingdoms of Korea included the states of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. These three kingdoms unified under Silla in 676, which led to the North-South States Period and relative peace. This period of peace however was broken under internal strife and this state surrendered to Goryeo and unified together renamed Joseon under King Taejo of Goryeo. This empire was relatively peaceful at the beginning until the invasion of the Japanese. After these wars and a series of wars against Manchuria, the empire of Joseon was in a state of peace for about 200 years. Although Korea was in a relative state of peace, it was also isolated from the outside world. It was isolated due to the Joseon Dynasty. The Joseon decided to close off the country in an attempt of protecting the country from imperialism. Korea was forced to open trade by the Japanese in the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876. The Japanese were able to secure the treaty and the three beneficial ports – Busan, Incheon, and Wanson for trade (U.S 2015). The Japanese were able to accomplish this by sending its warship, Inoue Yoshika to Ganghwa Island and crush any resistance, forcing the Koreans to sign the Treaty of Amity of 1876 or Treaty of Ganghwa Island (U.S 2015). This allowed the Japanese to effect Korean trade before the western countries of the United States and Europe and take advantage of Korea’s potential economic benefits such as the coal and iron
Cultures around the world are divide by their distinctive characteristic of people, and how people interact within their society. Most cultures are driven by the way their environment has been set for them. Many of cultures have to adapt to the way their environment are due to the conditions that are set for them and the amount of resources that they are provided. The biggest drive for culture are the historical custom. Most countries continue to carry their ancestor custom so that the tradition may stay with them throughout their years, in which making other countries distinctive from one another. One of the particular country that will be discuss in this report is North Korea. In this report, I will be discussing the North Korean culture, with describing their living condition in the country, common issues that they face with on a daily bases, and common threat that they pose on other countries.
Although China’s influence over Korea has waned severely since the dynastic years we find the Confucian system of virtues and behaviors, China’s chief export from that time, still very much alive. Korea highly values the extended family, education, personal discipline and public order. In South Korea Confucian temples continue to be maintained throughout the country. The tenets of Confucianism are seen as antidotes to social ills and therefore education is thought of as a means of building character, not simply of intellectual formation. The values of Confucianism are promulgated throughout Korea in places as diverse as school, the office and the home. Television programs often portray Confucian merits such as filial piety and harmony. However
In 1915, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded the Korean Peninsula, and until 1945, Korean remained under Japanese rule. But after the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, Korea
In conclusion, Korean had suffered to overcome the challenges in the period between the late 19th to the early 20th century because of the foreign countries’ forces to take the benefit out from Korea. Starting with the forced treaties and wars of China, Japan, and Russia on Korean peninsula, Korea even lost its independence in 1910 by Japan. Korean government’s reaction to these events was disappointing: emperor Gojong even ran away to Russia after the first Sino-Japanese war, which is also called as Agwan Pacheon. As a result of continuous invasion of foreign forces and irresponsible government’s reactions, Korean showed three major responds to the depressing situation: depending on Japan to take control of Korea to modernize, studying abroad
From 1910 to 1945, Koreans demonstrated their resistance against the Japanese through the Korean Independence Movement when Japan colonized Korea. Weakened by earlier Chinese occupance, Korea was already in a state turmoil. Heroic people such as Yun Bong-Gil and Yu Gwan Sun stood up for their country and culture. It took Korea almost 30 more years to gain their independence, but under their leadership, they proved the success of their determination and patriotism. Despite the eventually liberation of Korea, the Japanese occupation proved to be devastating to the Korean tradition and culture. Yet, the occupation had also been incredibly helpful to the Japanese economy which was under the rule of Hideki
"As I stood on a mountain pass, looking down on the valley leading to Inch'Con, I recalled these words of my friend. The Ôstrong hand of Japan' was certainly being shown here. I beheld in front of me village after village reduced to ashes. Destruction, thorough and complete, had fallen upon it. Not a single house was left, and not a single wall of a house." (F.A Mackenzie). Japan did many brutal and harsh things while colonizing Korea. Imperialism is when another nation forcefully takes control of another nation. In the 19th and 20th century, many European powers were trying to get colonies in countries in Africa and Asia. In order to do so, they needed to imperialize countries. Japan was the first Asian nation to defeat western countries trying to imperialize them. During the 1900’s, Japan
During the period of Imperial Japan Koreans suffered. Imperial Japan This period claim lots of Korean lives.
Korea was a vassal state of China in the northeast of Asia and the whole Korea Peninsula used to be a buffer zone between Japan and China. In 1895, China was defeat by Japan in the first Sino-Japan war and Korea was independent in 1897 as an article of Treaty of Shimonoseki, however, Japan annexed Korea Peninsula in
The kingdom of Baekje had strength by the fourth century. The state contained the Mahan states and occupied most of western Korea. This state had rich cultural and trade exchanges with Japan and southern China. Goryeo absorbed Dongye, Okjeo, and Buyeo. Goguryeo was the strongest of the three states of the Three Kingdom period. Silla was the last of the three kingdoms. Developing around 200 BC, Silla became very powerful. Silla had cultural exchanges with Goguryeo or Baekje . By 667 AD, Silla conquered both Goguryeo and Baekje and became the most powerful state in Korea. By 935 AD, the Goryeo state defeated Silla to hold a dominant position in the region ("Korean
Under Yi Sŏng-Gye’s son King Sejong, considered Korea’s greatest ruler, inventions like the rain gauge, the use of a movable type, and the birth of Korean alphabet called Hangeul, still in use today, surfaced. (Piddock, 27-28) They ruled the entire peninsula for 500 years. Then Korea was annexed by neighbors Japan in 1910. Korea continued to be under Japan until 1945 when it was liberated at the end of World War II. (“North Korea”, Culturegrams) “With the defeat of Japan in 1945, the Allies agreed to divide the Korean Peninsula between the Soviet Union and the United States at the thirty-eighth parallel as a temporary measure.” (Piddock, 30) The Soviet Union received the Northern part of Korea, and the United States the South. “.. Soviet forces closed off northern Korea at the thirty-eighth parallel and placed Korean communists in power there.” Evidently, North Korea was bound to turn communist.
The most important musical events during the medieval period in Korea was held in conjunction with national events centered on the royal court. During this period, Confucian ritual music was imported from China. The ruling ideology during Chos era (1392-1910) was Confucianism. After the Chos usurped the Kory dynasty, they felt the need to justify their revolution by winning the public’s trust and gather support from their neighbor, China. During the Chos era, they implemented an ideology that was deemed suitable for them, the Chinese doctrine of ceremony. This doctrine represented the Confucian’s view of music. The doctrine had been an integral theory of music since the inception of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.). According to the Confucian doctrine of
Korea has a vast and rich heritage but also one based upon civil war and the attempt to create a single unified country through force if necessary. Between 57 AD and 668 AD, the land that is now known as North and South Korea was called the Three Kingdoms because of its division into three kingdoms, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Following this period, between 698 and 926 AD, Korean history was in the midst of the North South States Period wherein Silla became united and coexisted alongside Balhae at point both above and below the peninsula. After this came the Koryo or Goryeo era (918-1392 AD) and then the Choson or Joseon period (1392-1897 AD). Despite being separate, kingdoms, the three had much in common including a shared culture and language, as well as religious and philosophical beliefs which were increasingly influenced by their larger Chinese neighbor. Governmental changes were the primary difference in the divided Korea and each of the three kingdoms had a system in place that was instrumental in the way the people as well as those in positions of leadership functioned in the society.
By the time of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the Chinese empire had heavily influenced Korea socially, politically and culturally. For example, Korea adopted Chinese writing systems, statecraft and Confucianism. This was acknowledged in a memorial written in 1444 by a scholar-official under King Sejong who agreed that the Chinese empire had a huge impact on its surrounding nations. Like other well educated, this scholar-official wanted the Chinese empire to sustain its influence on Korea. Despite his beliefs, Joseon Korea developed differently overtime. There was an increase of Korean culture on top of the rich Chinese foundation and rise of curiosity and openness towards non-Chinese cultures. Therefore, even under the influential China,
Japan and Korea are in the same region, Asia, but respond to the western power differently. In the 17th century, for example, Japan closed the door to the world. The world except for Dutch and China could not come in to Japan and Japanese people could not go abroad. After 1853 when Matthew Calbraith Perry came to Japan, he forced Japan to accept American diplomatic policy. He also forced to open up the Japan’s diplomatic door to the world so that Japan restarted
Manners represent an individual by the way they dress, behave, communicate, and their etiquette, while customs refer to the traditional way that a culture is practice individually, or by a group of people. Workers are expected to bow to their seniors when they greet them, and to use only formal language to their seniors, as it is rude to speak informally to someone of higher rank. In Korean businesses, meetings are often held in evenings at a restaurant or bar. Drinking is part of the Korean culture, as Koreans believe that drinking helps to bond colleagues in the company, and an offered drink must never be refused as it is considered to be rude. Along with drinking, Karaoke is a popular activity after meetings. People who attend the meeting are usually expected to sing a solo song.