South Korea

Wait…aren’t there two Koreas?? Yes there are, smartypants We will discuss North Korea next class

Geography South Korea is on the southern half of the Korean peninsula off of China It has a very mountainous terrain The Yellow Sea is to the west, the Sea of Japan to the east Most of South Korea is not arable It has 20 national parks Humid continental/humid subtropical climate (super cold winters and hot, humid summers)

History The foundation of Korea starts with the kingdom of Joseon in 2333 BCE A series of dynasties established Korea has had an extensive relationship with China as a model for their dynasties, a cultural partnership, and even language sharing Even though they went to war quite a few times Korea went through a “warring states” period, but the weaker/more politically cunning kingdom of Silla united the peninsula again A “golden age” of art, culture, and the Buddhist religion flourished under Silla (kept peace with China)

History – Part 2 When the Mongols invaded in the 13th century, the Koreans sent their crown prince to swear allegiance to Kublai Khan (the Yuan dynasty) to keep the peace This lasted until the Koreans drove out the Mongols in the 14th century In 1392, General Yi Seong-gye staged a coup and declared a new “Joseon” dynasty established A new “golden age” of peace, science, the Hangul alphabet to promote literacy, and Neo-Confucianism

History – Part 3 In the 19th century, the corrupt and weak royal family contributed to severe poverty and peasant rebellions The Joseon government adopted an isolationist policy, which gave it the nickname “the hermit kingdom” Unfortunately, it was forced to open its borders to imperialist powers Between 1910-1945, Korea was occupied by Japan and experienced a brutal mass extermination of lives, Korean culture, enslavement and rape

Kim Il-Sung Kim Il-Sung joined the Communist Party during the Japanese occupation (1931) As a young revolutionary, he rose up through the military ranks to fight the Japanese The Soviet Union installed Kim as chairman of the North Korean branch of the Communist Party in 1945 Kim and his followers set up a cult of personality to help him gain popularity He set up the Korean People’s Army, equipped with Soviet weapons

Korean War 1950-1953 After WWII ended, Soviet and U.S. troops occupied the northern and southern halves of the peninsula Kim Il-Sung invaded into the southern half of Korea on June 25th, 1950 to try to expel the United States and to control the whole Korean peninsula The U.S. and U.N. backed up democratic South Korea The Soviet Union and China backed up North Korea It ended in a stalemate at the 38th Parallel

Park Chung-hee In 1960, a student uprising led to the resignation of the South Korean president General Park Chung-hee staged a coup and made himself president until his assassination in 1979 Ruthless military dictator However, the economy and infrastructure of South Korea developed enormously under his tenure (rapid industrialization)

Struggle for Peace South Korea went through several coups, student uprisings, martial laws, and national protests for democracy Eventually, the first elected president was Roh Tae-woo in 1987 Seoul hosted the Olympic games in 1988 South Korea was formally invited to be a part of the U.N. in 1991 The full transition from autocracy to democracy was in 1998 with the election of Kim Dae-jung The “Nelson Mandela” of Asia for his works with human rights and with North Korean peace talks

First woman president The first woman president of South Korea was President Park Geun-hye (Park Chung- hee’s daughter) She was impeached in December 2016 by the National Assembly relating to influence peddling (corruption), abuse of power, and leaking government secrets She is currently in the Seoul Detention Center for 24 years

Currently The current president is Moon Jae- in of the Democratic Party His increasing willingness to work with Kim Jong Un of North Korea has led to enormous strides in finally ending the Korean War (almost) The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea were this year

South Korean Culture Korea enjoys one of the highest literacy rates in the world Hangul is the Korean alphabet Koreans follow many Asiatic cultural traditions, such as bowing in greeting, showing loyalty to parents and older siblings, etc. Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity are the main religions Many major holidays and celebrations revolve around successful farming

BBC South Korea: the silent cultural superpower