Posts under "History"

Admiral Yi Sun Shin

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Jan 18 2011

Admiral Yi Sun Shin (이순신) is a respected and famous navy hero among the Korean people. There is a monument in Seoul of Admiral Yi. Around the monument is a fancy water display held in honor of Yi’s control over the Korean seas:

Admiral Yi is known for blocking Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s several attempts to invade Korea in the 1590s. Admiral Yi’s most famous legacy is the turtle ship called geobukseon (거북선). Here is a reconstruction of what it may have looked like :

The turtle ship was built with a spiky armor that covered the ship. This armor was inspired by turtles whose shells covered and protected the body of a turtle. The spikes were meant to prevent Japanese soldiers from jumping unto the turtle ship. Since the Japanese were superior in hand-to-hand combt, Admiral Yi wanted to attack from a distance and prevent his soldiers from engaging in close distance combat. Admiral Yi loaded several cannons unto the turtle ships, which prevented Japanese soldiers from coming any nearer.

Even though Admiral Yi was victorious in battle, he was deeply resented in the Korean court. The Korean king was jealous of Admiral Yi’s popularity and paranoid that he would take power once the battle was over. Taking advantage of this internal division in Korea, the Japanese government sent a spy to stir trouble in the Korean court. Admiral Yi was falsely accused of treason and imprisoned. While he was imprisoned, he was tortured and demoted as a regular solider.

The command of the navy went to another admiral and the Japanese took the opportunity to sink several Korean ships. When the news reached the king in Korea, he reinstated Admiral Yi to his former position. Admiral Yi died in the Battle of Noryang (노량대첩). His death was mourned by the entire country. Admiral Yi was a humble and charismatic leader. He captured the hearts of the Korean people at a time when the Korean king was unable to do so.

Treasured Written Records

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Jan 15 2011

Written documents are perhaps more important than physical artifacts, because these written artifacts can tell us the history, and significance of how things were in Korea back when there were no electronic ways to preserve these records.

Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음) was an instruction manual to help people read and pronounce hangul (한글). Before the introduction of hangul, people read hanja (한자), which were Chinese characters. Therefore the hunminjeongeum teaches people (especially peasants) how to read hangul, which is much easier to read than Chinese characters.

Dongui Bogam (동의보감) is a medical compilation of Korean medical advice. Some of the treatments listed in the dongui bogam are advanced for its time, and even Europeans at that time did not have the knowledge of medicine that the dongui bogam contained. This is an important written relic because it shows how Koreans had superior medical knowledge, despite not having machines like computers.

The Palman Daejanggyeong (팔만 대장경) is a collection of Buddhist scriptures written on wooden blocks. It’s one of the most comprehensive Buddhist scriptures that were remarkably preserved. The strokes of the palman daejanggyeong show a high level of workmanship, meaning that the letters were beautifully carved in the wood.

The Uigwe (의궤) is a written record of Korean court life. Royal ceremonies, and the music and dance that accompanied these ceremonies show how Korean royals celebrated and practiced certain rites. These records are also accompanied by drawings of fabulous dances that we now can reproduce because of the uigwe.

The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong (한중록) is one of the few diaries that we have that was written by a woman. This memoir is important because it chronicles the events that led to the execution of her husband, Crown Prince Sado (사도세자). Her memoirs gives insight to how royal women lived in the palace, as well as to the political turmoil of the time.

Christianity and Koreans

Posted by Ginny 4 Comments
Dec 25 2010

To put it mildly, relations between South and North Korea are very frosty. Recently, the South Korean military decided to light a Christmas tree where the North Koreans could see the tree. At the very top of the tree is a bright cross. The North Koreans are upset about the lighting of the tree and have labeled the cross as religious propaganda. The North has demanded the South to take the lights down and have threatened to attack the tree if necessary.

First thing you have to know about the North Koreas is that they are deeply suspicious of Christianity. Since Christianity was a religion introduced to Korea from the West, the North Koreans worry that Christianity will become a tool to eradicate Korean values. If you look at the emphasis of Christianity, Jesus not Kim Jong Il, is the supreme lord over everything. As a result, Kim Jong Il is concerned that Christian beliefs may supplant and challenge his authority as the leader of North Korea.

When Christian missionaries first came to Korea (this was before the geographical division between North and South Korea) in the 1590s to the 1780s, Christianity was very unpopular among the Korean populace. There were several Korean Christians that were beheaded for practicing the Christian faith. Most Christian Koreans practiced in secret because they would be tortured by the authorities if they were caught.

It was in the 1800s that Christianity began to flourish in Korea. One of the reasons why Christianity became popular among the Korean people was because the missionaries from the West offered Korean peasants a chance to read and write. In those days the only people that were literate were the priests and nobles. Christian values were also more egalitarian, which provided the peasant class some hope in a heavily divided Korean society. Even with all these strides, Buddhism continued to dominate the religious sphere in Korea.

It wasn’t until the 1960s and 70s, that South Korea desired a strong economic alliance with the U.S. This led to the learning of English and the import of American culture, like Christianity. Hence, South Korea has been more accepting of Christianity than North Korea.

Korean Ceramics

Posted by Ginny 2 Comments
Nov 25 2010

Excavations show that Koreans have been making earthenware pottery since 8000 B.C. However, Korean ceramic making started to take place in the Three Kingdoms Period of Korean history. Some of the ceramics made in early Korean history will amaze you. Despite not having high powered kilns and other modern tools, Korean potters were able to make high quality pieces of art.

As demonstrated in this photo, the Baekje Kingdom (백제) was advanced in ceramic craftsmanship. This is a representation of a sheep made from celadon in the 3rd to 4th century. Celadon is a type of Korean porcelain, which was widely sought after by the wealthy and elite. It’s not a perfect piece of ceramic ware, but considering the time it was made, it’s hard to imagine that it wasn’t made in a modern kiln.

The Silla Kingdom wasn’t as advanced in ceramic making as the Baekje Kingdom, but they experimented with jade tarnish, celadon and white, green, light blue and gray glazes and feldspar glaze, which was a white mineral glaze. Some of the Silla ceramic pieces are simple in design, color and shape, especially when compared to the Baekje items.

The Goryeo period (918–1392) produced some of the finest Korean ceramics. If you look at the photo on the left, the dragon jug is a finely detailed piece of ceramic. There is texture, composition and a level of craftsmanship that was missing until this period. The piece is The Goryeo artists also mastered the art of producing various colors from celadon, which produced ceramic works of various colors.

The Joseon Period (1392–1910) was the golden age of Korean ceramics. In particular, white porcelin vases were quite popular. These white ceramics contained an understated beauty that matched the Confucian aesthetics of simplicity and unpretentious beauty. The ceramics of this period are further beautified by paintings of lotus flowers, mythical dragons and willow trees on the vases.

South and North Korea, A Nation Divided

Posted by Ginny 2 Comments
Nov 22 2010

As all of you may already know by now, it has been estimated that North Korea has shot at least 100 shells into a South Korean island called Yeonpyeong Island (연평도). So far it’s been reported that two South Korean marines were killed and 15 or so civilians were injured. In response to the North Korean shelling, South Korea has fired back at least 80 shells. At the very least, the situation in South Korea is very tense.

For the last couple of months, North Korea has been taking several aggressive actions against South Korea. In some ways, this shelling incident isn’t really out of nowhere. For instance, in March 2010, North Korea sunk a South Korean ship where 46 people were killed as a result of the sinking. North Korea has denied the sinking, but a South Korean, U.S. U.K. investigation concluded that North Korea was involved.

A lot of people have been pondering as to why North Korea shot those rounds of shells. In September of 2010, Kim Jong Il’s (김정일) son Kim Jong Un (김정은) was promoted to the rank of general.  Some experts suspect that Kim Jong Un will be Kim Jong Il’s successor, and the shelling was part of a plan to demonstrate Kim Jong Un’s military prowess.  Others are saying that the G20 Summit in South Korea showed how modernized South Korea was in comparison to North Korea.

The fact that North Korea was not invited to the Summit also angered North Korean officials. Therefore the shelling may have been retaliation for leaving North Korea out of the talks. Whatever, the reason, it’s been certain that relations between North and South Korea have always been tense. The shelling is not the first time that a confrontation has occurred on Yeonpyeong Island. There was a skirmish between North and South Korean patrol boats in 2002, in which both sides suffered casualties.

The closest instances of a serious battle, other than this shelling incident, occurred in 1968 when North Korean soldiers crossed the DMZ, in which American soldiers, civilians and South Korean soldiers were killed. The other incident took place in 1976 where American and South Korean soldiers were also killed by North Koreans in the Joint Security Area of the DMZ. As a result, South Korea has had to worry about being attacked not only by sea, but by land as well.

It’s a difficult situation as to what South Korea should do next. Should they go to war? Should they try to appease the North Koreans? History has shown with Hitler that appeasement doesn’t always work. The idea of war is certainly frightening. Some South Korean families have relatives in North Korea. If another battle ensues, families will be torn apart. One thing is for sure, everyone is hoping that no more people get hurt and that there will be a complete stop to the bloodshed.

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