HISTORY AND CULTURE

OF KOREA
• Located between
China and Japan
• Continuous cultural
and geopolitical
interactions with China
and Japan
• Korean language is
considered “language
isolate”
• One of the world’s fastest growing
economies
• Korean GDP ranked No. 12 in the world
• World’s 8th largest exporter
 KOREAN WAVE (HALLYU): KOREAN
CULTURAL EXPORT
SINCE EARLY 1990S
• Korean movies, TV dramas, and pop-music are
very popular around the world; rapidly
spreading beyond Asian countries
• Korea is among the world’s top ten cultural
exporters

“BigBang”
“Girls’ Generation”
“Dae-Jang-Gum”
TV drama “DBSK”

“Rain”
“Super Junior” “Wonder Girls”
FIVE THOUSAND YEARS OF KOREAN
HISTORY
Country Time
2333 B.C. Go-Joseon
1st centry B.C. Three kingdoms
(Shilla, Baekje and Goguryeo)
668 – 935 Shilla (south: 668-935)
Balhae (north: 698-926)
935 - 1392 Goryeo Dynasty
1392 – 1910 Joseon Dynasty
1910 - 1945 Japanese rule
1948 Established Republic of Korea in
South, Democratic Peoples Republic
in the North
1950-1953 Korean war
1961 Military coup
1988 Seoul Olympics
 Country Time
GO-JOSEON 2333 B.C. Go-Joseon

1st centry B.C. Three kingdoms

• King Dan-gun (Shilla, Baekje and
Goguryeo)
established
668 – 935 A.D. Shilla (south: 668-935)
Go-Joseon in Balhae (north: 698-926)
2333 B.C. 935 - 1392 Goryeo Dynasty

1392 – 1910 Joseon Dynasty

1910 - 1945 Japanese rule

1948 Established Republic of

Korea in South
1950-1953 Korean war

1961 Military coup

1998 Seoul Olympic Game

 THREE Country Time
KINGDOMS 10th centry Go-Joseon
TO GORYEO B.C.
• Buddhism became 1st centry B.C. Three kingdoms
national religion. (Shilla, Baekje and
Goguryeo)
• Arts and culture 668 – 935 A.D. Shilla (south: 668-935)
flourished during Balhae (north: 698-926)
Shilla Dynasty. 935 - 1392 Goryeo Dynasty

Balhae
Goguryeo

Shilla
Goryeo

Baekje Shilla
 JOSEON Country Time
DYNASTY 10th centry Go-Joseon
B.C.
1st centry Three kingdoms
B.C. (Shilla, Baekje and
Goguryeo)
668 – 935 Shilla (south: 668-935)
A.D. Balhae (north: 698-926)
935 - 1392 Goryeo Dynasty

1392 – 1910 Joseon Dynasty

• Expanded territory boundary up to Yalu river in

north.
• Confucianism was promoted by government.
• Korean alphabet was invented.
• Sijo became popular.
 JAPANESE RULE Country Time
10th centry Go-Joseon
• Japan annexed Korea B.C.
1st centry Three kingdoms
by force in 1910. B.C. (Shilla, Baekje and
• Japan in 1938 outlawed Goguryeo)

use of Korean language 668 – 935 Shilla (south: 668-

A.D. 935)
in an attempt to eradicate Balhae (north: 698-
Korean national identity. 926)

• Deep lament and 935 - 1392 Goryeo Dynasty

resentment toward invaders 1392 – Joseon Dynasty
prevailed in Korean literature 1910
and music, along with 1910 - Japanese rule
attempts to grapple with 1945
new, modern forms.
 DIVIDED Country Time

PENINSULA 10th centry Go-Joseon

• In 1945 at Postdam B.C.
conference US 1st centry Three kingdoms
B.C. (Shilla, Baekje and
(Truman), USSR (Stalin) Goguryeo)
and UK (Churchil) 668 – 935 Shilla (south: 668-935)
decided to divide A.D. Balhae (north: 698-926)
Korean peninsula at 935 - 1392 Goryeo Dynasty
38th parallel without 1392 – 1910 Joseon Dynasty
consulting Koreans.
1910 - 1945 Japanese rule

1948 Established Republic of

Korea in South
1950-1953 Korean war

1961 Military coup

1988 Seoul Olympics

 KOREAN Country Time
WAR 10th centry Go-Joseon
• North Korea B.C.
invaded south by 1st centry Three kingdoms
launching surprise B.C. (Shilla, Baekje and
Goguryeo)
attack on 6/25/50. 668 – 935 Shilla (south: 668-935)
• United Nations A.D. Balhae (north: 698-926)
forces led by US 935 - 1392 Goryeo Dynasty
defended South. 1392 – 1910 Joseon Dynasty
• Many Koreans lost 1910 - 1945 Japanese rule
or separated from 1948 Established Republic of
family members in Korea in South
both south and 1950-1953 Korean war
north.
1961 Military coup

1988 Seoul Olympics

 MODERN Country Time

KOREA 10th centry Go-Joseon

• Economic B.C.
development plan 1st centry Three kingdoms
began after military B.C. (Shilla, Baekje and
Goguryeo)
coup in 1961 668 – 935 Shilla (south: 668-935)
• 2009 Korean GDP A.D. Balhae (north: 698-926)
ranked No.12 in the 935 - 1392 Goryeo Dynasty
world. 1392 – 1910 Joseon Dynasty

1910 - 1945 Japanese rule

1000
1948 Established Republic of
Korea in South
800

600
1950-1953 Korean war
400

200 1961 Military coup

0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008 1988 Seoul Olympics
 KOREAN ALPHABET: HANGUL
• King Sejong the Great invented
Korean alphabet in 1446.
• Alphabet organizes written
language into syllabic units.
• 14 consonants & 10 vowels
• Easy to learn:

"A wise man can acquaint himself with them before the
morning is over; a stupid man can learn them in the space
of ten days”.
From http://library.thinkquest.org/20746/non/info/index.html
 HANGUL (KOREAN
ALPHABET)
• Purely phonetic alphabet
• 14 consonants
•ㄱㄴ ㄷㄹㅁ ㅂㅅㅇ ㅈㅊㅋ ㅌㅍㅎ
• 10 vowels
•아야 어여오 요우유 으이
• Hangul is a scientific system, invented
following the shapes of vocal organs as they
make sounds.

From http://library.thinkquest.org/20746/non/info/index.html
 TRADITIONAL ARTS:
PAINTING
▪ Typically use few color, leaving
background blank
▪ Often combined with poem.
▪ Painters signed their artistic name
and signature stamps
 KOREAN CERAMICS
• Celadon with pale jade green glaze
and inlaid pattern was invented in
10th century during Goryeo dynasty.
 KOREAN DANCE AND MUSIC
• Court dance and music

• Folk dance and music

KOREAN DRESS
 KOREAN FOOD
▪ Cooked rice, main dish, and side
dishes
 3-12 side dishes
▪ Kimchi
 fermented pickled vegetable with or without
hot pepper, hundreds of variations
▪ Common elements of cooking
 soy sauce
 soy-bean paste (dyon-jang similar to miso)
 hot-pepper paste (go-chu-jang)
 sesame oil
 Lots of vegetables
RELIGIONS OF KOREAN PEOPLE
(BASED ON 2004 CENSUS REPORT)
 KOREAN SHAMANISM
• Shamanism has deep roots in folk beliefs.
• Related to the ancient communal worship
rites offered to the gods of heaven.
• Participants seek to resolve human
problems through a meeting of humans
and the spirits mediated by the shaman

Shaman is about to perform a

ritual. The shaman wears a
colorful costume, speaks in a
trance as a spiritual oracle, and
sings and dances to music.
 KOREAN BUDDHISM
• Introduced to Korea druing
three kingdom era (around 372
A.D.)
• Became state religion in three
kingdoms and Goryeo dynasty
• Deep influence in every
aspect of Korean life, culture,
and arts
• Currently about 24% of
population is Buddhist.
• Buddha’s birthday is national
holiday in Korea.
 KOREAN CONFUCIANISM
• Joseon dynasty promoted Confucian
philosophies as national philosophy
• Complex system, selectively imported from
China, of moral, social, political,
philosophical, and quasi-religious thought.
• Became an indispensable component of
the Korean moral system, way of life, and
laws

Memorial rite to the kings of

the Joseon Dynasty is
performed at Jong-myo Shrine
 KOREAN CHRISTIANITY
▪ Catholicism was imported into Korea by a
Korean scholar, Yi Seung-hun, who was
baptized while visiting China.
 Thousands of Catholics were executed during government
persecution inthe late Joseon dynasty.
 103 martyrs were canonized in 1984.
▪ Protestant missionaries came to Korea
during Japanese rule in the early 20 th
century.
 Dedicated to higher education and health care
▪ Catholics and Protestant Christians are
more populous in urban areas and often
have higher education levels.
 INGENIOUS INVENTIONS:
GEOBUKSEON (TURTLE –SHAPED
WARSHIP)
• The world first ironclad
warship, Geobukseon (Turtle-
shaped Warship), was built
by General Yi Sun-shin in
1592 during the Japanese
invasion.
• The ships had armored and
spiked decks and cannons
and were designed to be
highly maneuverable .
UNESCO’S WORLD CULTURAL
HERITAGES
Seokguram Tripitaka
Grotto and Koreana
Bulguksa Woodblocks
Temple Depository

Changdeok- Gyeongju
gung Palace Historic Areas

Dolmen Sites
Jongmyo Shrine
of Joseon Royal in Ganghwa,
Ancestors
Hwasun, &
Gochang
 UNESCO’S MEMORY OF THE
WORLD:
MOVABLE METAL TYPE FOR PRINTING

• Invented in 13th century (before 1232)

during Goryeo dynasty
• The world oldest extant movable
metal print book is the Jikji (Korean
Buddhist document), printed in Korea
in 1377.
• 78 years prior to Gutenburg’s metal
type printing
 UNESCO’S MEMORY OF THE
WORLD:
PRINTING WOODBLOCKS OF THE
TRIPITAKA KOREANA
• Woodblocks for printing Tripitaka
(Buddhist scriptures)
• 81,258 pieces of woodblocks
• Took 16 years to complete the project
(1236-1251)
• Woodblocks were treated by a special
process for long-term preservation
 UNESCO’S MEMORY OF THE
WORLD:
BULGUKSA AND SEOK-GU-RAM
▪ Bulguksa,
 Constructed in 751 AD during
Shilla kingdom
 Main temple, gates, stone
pagodas, bridges are all
architectural masterpieces
▪ Seokguram Grotto
 Granite sanctuary for stone
Buddha
 Wearing a serene smile of
benevolence
 SIJO
• (Korean 시조, pronounced SHEE-jo) is a traditional
three-line Korean poetic form typically exploring
cosmological, metaphysical, or pastoral themes.
• Organized both technically and thematically by line
and syllable count
• Phrasal and lyrical
• written in three lines, each averaging 14-16 syllables for
a total of 44-46 syllables.
 EXAMPLE #1:
You ask how many friends I have? Water
and stone, bamboo and pine. (2-6-4-4)
The moon rising over the eastern hill is a joyful
comrade. (2-4-4-6)
Besides these five companions, what other
pleasure should I ask? (2-5, 5-3)

-Yun Seondo (1587-1671), excerpt from "Song of My

Five Friends."
 EXAMPLE #2:
Though I die, and die again; though I die one
hundred deaths;
Long after my bones have turned to dust; whether
my soul exists or not;
My one red heart, forever and always loyal to my
lord, will never fade away.

- Chŏng Mong-ju (1337-1392) was sentenced to death

because he would not betray the Koryŏ king that he
served from Koryo to Choson Dynasty.
 EXAMPLE #3:

All alone, I see the moon so bright, as I sit on

fortress walls.
My sword held close tonight I keep the watch with
anxious heart.
Yet somewhere in the darkened night, a pipe lulls
worry away.

-Admiral Yi Sun-shin wrote the following Sijo in the 1590’s during

his campaign against the Japanese while on an island fortress in
seas just south of Korea at Hansan Island Fortress.
 SIJO
1. Think of a season, a place or occasion you would like
to set your poem in.
2. For example, does it occur dry or wet season, is it
located on a hillside or by the sea, or is it on a birthday or
a special holiday?
3. Next, which season you want to associate with the
“twist.”
4. Decide what you want the theme of your poem to be,
and then think about what the opposite of that would
be—that’s your anti-theme, or “twist.”
5. It can occur in historical or modern times. Be creative!!