SOUTH KOREA: Shaping a New Era...
Student Text Page No. 2: "Within Its Region"

When did the first human beings reach Korea? No one knows. One myth tells of a legendary being who founded the kingdom of Gojoseon — "Land of the Morning Calm" — in 2333 BCE. The name is revealing. With its sheltering mountains, lush forests, and fertile plains, the peninsula must truly have seemed like a calm haven to those early migrants from central Asia....

Certainly, the religion of early Koreans was related to nature. They believed that each creature (rock, tree, bird) has a spirit — and that shamans (people with special powers) can summon those spirits. When Buddhist teachers arrived on the peninsula centuries later, Koreans easily adapted to the newcomers' practice of seeking "right views" (the truth) about one's life. Koreans already had a tradition of seeking truth in nature — in the rhythm of the seasons, for example.

Creativity. As a peninsula, early Korea was vulnerable to invasion from the Asian mainland. So, in defense, strong leaders throughout Korea began to form regional alliances. The trend continued. By the first century CE, Korea was a land of "Three Kingdoms" (Goguryeo, Baejke, and Silla). And by 668, Silla had conquered the other two! The resulting new state — "Unified Silla" — didn't forestall invasions from China or Japan. But it did give Koreans a solid front — one that continued under the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) and Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). Unity also fostered creativity. In this period, Koreans invented the first movable metal type. And King Sejong (a strong Confucianist) commissioned a huge medical encyclopedia and a new alphabet, Hangeul.

Changing world. Over the centuries, Korea remained isolated from the West. But, in the late 1800s, foreign powers began demanding access to its ports. Korea's government said No. It had misgivings about the goals of Western nations. However, Japan forced its hand. In 1876, Korea agreed (under pressure) to open three ports to Japanese traders. Then China, the USA, and other world powers obtained similar treaties. Korea was in an upheaval: Taxes soared, as Joseon leaders rushed to fund new export industries. Farm workers rebelled, as other Koreans began buying imported produce. Then, Japan and China went to war over control of Korea! Japan won in 1895 and annexed Korea in 1910.

Truce. Japan's colonization of Korea ended with World War II (1945). However, a surprise decision by the war's victors sent troops from the Soviet Union to occupy northern Korea, while U.S. soldiers occupied the south. In 1948, Koreans in the south formed the Republic of Korea (modeled on world democracies); and Koreans in the north formed a communist government — the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Relations between both sides grew tense, and in 1950 the North invaded the South. In 1953 they agreed to a truce, after which there were almost no cross-border contacts.

Ponder This... In 2000, South Korea's (then) President Kim Dae-jung met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Both men pledged to resolve the painful division. And soon, elderly Koreans were allowed to visit cross-border relatives they hadn't seen for years. Construction began on a South-North rail link. South Korean businessmen opened an industrial center in North Korea. Still, reports of a nuclear-weapons program in the North worried South Korea — and others. In February 2007, China, Japan, Russia, the USA, and both Koreas held "six-party" talks to resolve the issue. Outcome? North Korea promised to abandon nuclear programs in exchange for economic aid. Are the two Koreas finally on a path to reconciliation? Perhaps memories of their early, long history will move them. Perhaps they'll be persuaded by the truth in these words from Oh Sae Young's poem, "A Bowl": A broken bowl / becomes a blade....