2018 NKS - What Should You Know About Korea? - Lecture by Dr. Jennifer Jung-Kim, UCLA

1. What Should You Know
about Korea?
From Edward Shultz’s “Top Ten Things to Know about Korea
in the 21st Century”
Extended and updated by Mary Connor 2017
Revised by Jennifer Jung-Kim 2018
Copyright 2015, 2017, 2018

2. Recommended readings
▪ Kyung Moon Hwang, A History of Korea (2016)
▪ Mary Connor, Asia in Focus: The Koreas (2009)
▪ Bruce Fulton, Modern Korean Literature: An Anthology (2006)
▪ Yi Munyol, Our Twisted Hero (1987)
▪ Linda Sue Park, When My Name Was Keoko (2002)
▪ Barbara Demick: Nothing to Envy (2010)
▪ Hyeonseo Lee, The Girl with Seven Names (2016)
▪ www.NationalKoreanStudies.com
▪ CIA World Factbook (online)
▪ Asia for Educators (Columbia University) for DBQs
▪ Teaching East Asia: Korea (2017) for lessons, articles, and
additional book recommendations

3. Korean history through films
YMCA Baseball (YMCA yagudan, 2002)
◦ Korea ca. 1905, appropriate for all but youngest students
The Admiral: Roaring Currents (Myeongnyang, 2014)
◦ Movie about Yi Sunsin and naval victories in the Imjin Wars (1592-
1598)
Ode to My Father (Gukje sijang, 2016)
◦ Shows Korean history from 1950 to the present
A Taxi Driver (Taeksi unjeonsa, 2017)
◦ About the 1980 Gwangju democratization movement

4. 4
1) Korea is not small

5. Geography of Korea
• ▪ Northeast Asia
• ▪ Peninsula surrounded
by the East Sea (not Sea
of Japan), South Sea,
and West Sea
• ▪ Four distinct seasons
with monsoonal climate
• ▪ 70% of the peninsula is
mountainous

6. 6

7. There are more than:
51 million in Koreans in South Korea (#27);
over 25 million in North Korea (#51);
with about 80 million ethnic Koreans around the
world
7

8. Seoul is the 16th most populated city in the world,
with more than 10 million residents
The city of LA has almost 4 million residents
(making it #65)
The Seoul metro area is the 2nd largest in the world
with about 25 million people
8

9. 9

10. 10

11. 2) Korea is not new

12. Koreans are proud of their long history

13. Chronology of key events
• ▪ Founding of Old Joseon (Dangun legend): 2333 BCE
• ▪ Three Kingdoms: Goguryeo (37 BCE–668 CE),
• ▪ Baekje (18 BCE–660 CE), Silla (57 BCE–668 CE)
• ▪ Three Dynasties: Unified Silla (668 CE–935 CE),
• ▪ Goryeo (918–1392), and Joseon (1392–1910)
• ▪ Japanese Occupation: 1910–1945
• ▪ US/USSR Occupation:1945–1947/48
• ▪ Korea War: 1950–1953
• ▪ Economic Development: 1965 on
• ▪ Democratization: 1987 on

14. Royal palace in Seoul

15. Sungnyemun

17. Not all of Korean history was glorious

18. Japanese Colonial Period (1910–1945)
▪ Period of “Dark Rule (1910-1919)
▪ Period of “Cultural Policy” (1919-1937)
▪ Period of war mobilization (1937-1945)
▪ Koreans became Japanese imperial subjects
▪ Assimilation (adopted Japanese names, Japanese
language, Japanese religion without equal status
as Japanese)
▪ Forced war mobilization (labor, military, sexual
slavery)

19. Forced Shinto worship

20. Korean language banned in public and in schools

21. • Military sexual slavery of 200,000 women from
Korea, China, the Philippines, and elsewhere

22. 3) Korea is the home of many
inventions

23. Cheomseongdae Observatory, 7th century Silla

24. Koreans are proud of their past achievements
Moveable metal print (1234 Goryeo, earlier than 1454 Gutenberg Bible)

25. Ironclad vessels: “turtle boats” used in the Imjin Wars (1592-1598, Joseon)

26. 26
4) Koreans have a passion for
nature

27. Koreans have a passion for nature
• ▪ Korean art, literature, leisure reveal their deep
passion for nature
• ▪ The importance of harmony with nature is seen in
homes, palaces, and temples
• ▪ Koreans appreciate their natural surroundings and
are very proud of the exquisite beauty of the
peninsula
• ▪ Koreans have a strong aesthetic sense and it is
rooted in nature

29. Korea’s scenic beauty

30. Jeju Island

31. Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul

32. Cheonggyecheon in downtown Seoul

35. 35
5) You can still see
Confucianism in action on the
Korean peninsula

36. The importance of education in Confucianism is
woven into the fabric of Korean society
The school system stresses examination grades and
rankings with little room for creative thinking
There is also a strong emphasis on rearing
formulaically well rounded children

37. Philosophy: Confucianism
• ▪ Confucianism
was introduced at
about the same
time as Buddhism
• ▪ Confucianism is
about ordering
government and
society
• ▪ Confucianism
became especially
important in
Joseon Korea
from the 17th
century

38. 38
How to bow properly

39. Teachers in South Korea
Gender ratio of teachers: females make up:
98.3% of kindergarten teachers
73% of elementary school teachers
63.6% of middle school teachers
40.4% of high school teachers
17.2% of university professors
39

40. Teachers in South Korea
The average public school teacher with 15 years
of experience made 221% of GDP as of 2007.
In the US for the same level and year, the figure
was 96%.
Teacher pay ranges from $30,401 to a maximum
of $84,529 but there are more teachers than
positions.
40

41. 6) Korea is not a copy of China
Although China was a historical model for
Korea, Korea adapted borrowed beliefs,
customs, and institutions into one that is
distinctly Korean

42. Religion: Buddhism
• ▪ Introduced in the 4th
century, Buddhism has
had an important impact
on government, society,
and the arts
• ▪ Koreans shared in the
development of
Buddhism throughout
Asia

43. Goryeo Tripitaka, original woodblocks carved in 11th century,
destroyed by Mongols and recarved in 13th century,
set of 81,258 blocks

44. Seokguram
• ▪ Construction
began 751 CE
during Unified
Silla
• ▪ Represents
Silla’s advanced
knowledge of
architecture,
math, physics,
religion, and art

45. Bulguk Temple
• ▪ Construction
began in 751,
this temple
blends into
the rocky
landscape of
a forested
mountain

46. Celadon
• ▪ Artistry of the Goryeo
Dynasty (918-1392)
can best be
appreciated by its
celadon ware
• ▪ Jade green color and
elegant designs are
refined and uniquely
distinct from Chinese
designs

47. Vernacular Korean writing system (Hangeul)

48. Koreans are proud of their writing system, Hangeul
• ▪ Created at the behest of King Sejong,
Korea’s most celebrate king, in 1446 to
promote literacy through vernacular writing
• ▪ Composed of consonants, vowels, and
diphthongs
• ▪ Shape of characters relates to the position
of one’s mouth in making a particular sound
• ▪ Only 14 consonants and 10 vowels today,
but it can express all sounds of spoken
Korean

49. Koreans are proud of
their folk art traditions
• ▪ In the 18th and 19th century,
new art forms emerged
focusing on folk arts by and
about commoners.
• ▪ The tiger and magpie
painting exemplifies the folk
art tradition.

50. 7) The Koreas are not hermit
nations
Historically, Korea has had close contacts
with the outside world, especially China and
Japan

53. Labor protests

54. Red Devils in Berlin, 2006 FIFA World Cup

56. Koreans in America
• ▪ Koreans first came to America in 1903
• ▪ Arirang parts 1 & 2 (documentary on KA history)
▪ As of 2005, there are about 1.4 million Korean
Americans

57. Jim Kim, MD (World Bank President)
57

58. Michelle Rhee
58

59. The Korean Wave
• The Korean Wave (Hallyu) refers to the 21st
century globalization of Korean popular
culture and Soft Power.
• The Korean Wave encompasses music,
drama, films, gaming, mobile content,
animation, comics, food, cosmetics, fashion,
language, and more.

60. K-pop as the gateway to Korea

61. K-pop
• ▪ K-pop is a worldwide phenomenon
and crosses many genres from pop to
hip-hop to indie
• ▪ Although the 3 big management
companies (JYP, SM, and YG) once
controlled the wholeBig Hit) has
broken through

64. BTS (“Fake Love,” Billboard Top 100)

66. How about North Korea?

67. North Korea has ties with dozens of countries
including the European Union, the United Kingdom,
Canada, and Australia as well as Russia and the
People’s Republic of China

70. 8) [South] Korea is
technologically advanced

71. 71
57+ million mobile phones in South Korea

73. Hyundai Shipbuilding (South Korea)

74. How about North Korea?

79. 9) The Korean peninsula
cannot be ignored

80. Korea is geopolitically important
It borders China and Russia
to the north
Japan is about 130 miles away
Seoul is 35 miles from North Korea

81. South Korea is a world leader –
economically, technologically,
and culturally

82. With a GDP of about $1.929 trillion
(2016 estimated purchasing power parity),
the South Korean economy ranks
14th worldwide.
Its 2016 GDP (in terms of purchasing power parity)
was about $37,900.
In 2016, its exports totaled $509 billion
and imports totaled $405.1 billion.
82

83. How about North Korea?

84. DPRK
(2016 est)
ROK
(2017 est)
USA
(2017
est)
PRC
(2017
est)
Japan
(2017 est)
ROC
(2017
est)
Hong
Kong
(2017
est)
GDP PPP $40
billion
$2.027
trillion
$19.36
trillion
$23.12
trillion
$5.405
trillion
$1.175
trillion
$453
billion
GDP per
capita
Est.
$1,700
$39,400 $59,50 $16,60
0
$42,700 $49,800 $61,00
0
GDP
sectors
service,
industry,
agricultur
e
33.5%,
41%,
25.4%
(2017 est)
71%,
24.1%,
4.9%
(2016 est)
80.2%,
18.9%,
0.9%
52.2%,
39.5%,
8.2%
69.3%,
29.7%,
1%
62.1%,
36%,
1.8%
92.7%,
7.2%,
0.1%
Exports $2.985
billion
(2016 est)
$552.3
billion
$1.576
trillion
$2.157
trillion
$683.3
billion
$344.6
billion
$540
billion
Imports $3.752
billion
(2016 est)
$448.4
billion
$2.352
trillion
$1.731
trillion
$625.7
billion
$272.6
billion
$561.4
billion
Source: CIA World Factbook

92. 10) Koreans want to be reunified [or
at least have peace?]
The two Koreas have been at war
since 1950
There was some thawing during
the period of Sunshine Policy
(1997-2007)

93. 2000 Inter-Korea Summit and
Kim Dae Jung, Nobel Peace Laureate

94. Second, North-South Summit, 2007
Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong Il

95. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong, 2018

100. 100
*Korean women have not
been quiet and submissive

101. Queen Seondeok
(r. 632-647)

102. Sin Saimdang (16th c), mother of Yulgok Yi I

105. Historically, class was more important
than gender
Korean women usually lived with their
own natal family after marriage
Korean women could marry, divorce, and
remarry at will
Korean women had equal responsibility
and inheritance with their brothers
105

106. Yu Gwansun (1904-1920)

108. Middle-aged housewives control how
the family’s money is spent and
invested, so they have considerable
economic power
This can also mean considerable
social clout
108

109. Hahn Myeong-sook,
Prime Minister 2006-2007

110. Park Geun-hye, president 2013-2017

111. Jasmine Lee, National Assembly member 2012-
2016 (naturalized Filipina)

114. 114
Stay tuned…
history is being made!