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Tuesday, October 31, 2017

South Korea, Cool Facts #191

<= 190. North Korea                                                                                                         192. Laos =>




- Also known as the Taegukgi (supreme ultimate flag) 
- The Taeguk in the center is derived from the yin-yang philosophy and it symbolizes balance in the universe 
- The red half represents the positive cosmic forces and the blue represents the opposing negative forces 
- The trigrams represent movement and harmony as fundamental principles 
- Each of the trigrams represent one of the four classical elements 
- The Korea adopted its first flag in 1883, which was a bit altered in 1949 and 1997 
- It was prohibited under death penalty to use the Korean flag during the Japanese rule in 1910-1945




Symbolism of the trigrams


2. Mongols and the coup of 1392 

The Kingdom of Goryeo had ruled the Korean Peninsula since 936, when the Later Three Kingdoms were unified by Gyeon Hwon. Goryeo experienced its century long golden age after defeating the Khitan Empire in the war of 1018-1019. The Khitan Empire was until that point the most powerful empire in the region.

The decline of the kingdom started in the 1200s, when the Mongols launched their invasions greatly weakening Goryeo. After three decades of fighting Goryeo, wasn't conquered by the Mongols, but they finally agreed to became a tributary ally to the Mongols for the next 86 years. During this period the Mongols and Korea became intertwined as all subsequent Korean kings married Mongol princesses.

Goryeo drove out the Mongols in the 1300s to regain its northern territories. In 1392 General Yi Seong-gye was ordered to attack China, but he turned his army around, staged a coup and founded his own Joseon dynasty.


Goryeo in 1368


3. Hermit Kingdom of Joseon 1392-1910


General Yi Seong-gye established the Kingdom of Joseon in 1392. He moved the capital to Hanseong (one of the old names of Seoul). The first 200 years of the Joseon dynasty was peaceful and the period saw great advancements in science and education. Sejong the Great also created the Korean alphabet Hangul during this period to promote literacy among the common people. 

Between 1592-1598 Japanese Toyotomi Hideoyoshi launched invasions to Korea, which were halted by the Korean forces. The Righteous Army militias formed by the Korean civilians and Ming dynasty Chinese troops also helped the Korean forces to halt the Japanese invasions. 

The Korean state was weakened by the Japanese invasions so the Manchus tried to take advantage of the situation and invaded Joseon in 1627 and 1637. The Manchus then went on to conquer the destabilized Ming Dynasty and created the Qing Dynasty in 1644. 

After Joseon and Qing Dynasty normalized their relations, Joseon experienced a period of peace for almost 200 years.  Particularly the kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo in the 1700s were important in leading a new renaissance of the Joseon dynasty. 

The decline of the kingdom started in the 1800s when the royal in-law families gained control of the government leading to mass corruption, weakening of the state, severe poverty and to peasant rebellions throughout the country. 

Furthermore the Joseon government adopted a strict isolationist policy, earning the nickname "hermit kingdom". In the end Joseon failed to protect itself against imperialism and it was forced to open its borders. Japan occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945. The term hermit kingdom was first used William Elliot Griffis in his 1882 book "Corea: the Hermit Nation". The term is still used by Koreans of pre-modern Korea and it's also often applied to North Korea. 

The term hermit kingdom can be used to any country, organization or society, which willfully isolates itself metaphorically or physically from the rest of the world. 


King Taejo 1335-1408 (General Yi Seong-gye before he became the king)

Location of Joseon Kingdom


4. Miracle of the Han River

The Miracle of the Han River refers to the economic growth of South Korea after the Korean War in 1950-1953 when it transformed from a developing country to a developed country. South Korea's economy was one of the fastest growing economies in the world from the early 1960s to the 1990s. 

South Korea is still in the 2000s one of the fastest-growing developed countries along with Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, which together with South Korea are known as the Four Asian Tigers. The GDP per capita was almost the same in North Korea and South Korea until the 1970s, when South Korea's economy started to grow enormously as North Korea's economy started a long decline. 

South Korea invested massively in education, which took the country from mass illiteracy to a major international technological powerhouse. The South Korean workforce is highly skilled as South Korea has one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. Currently South Korea is also one of the most digitalized countries in the world. 

Currently Seoul has 10 million people, but in the 1940s it was only a village with 300,000 people. The incredible change in South Korea's living conditions after WWII and the Korean War has made South Korea an economic model for other developing countries in the world. In 2010 South Korea acceded to the G20 thus capping a successful sixty-something years of rebuilding and modernization. 

South Korea's Economy: 

11th largest GDP in the world 
13th largest PPP GDP in the world 
5th largest exporter (2014) 
7th largest importer (2014) 


South Korea's economy growth 1910-2010
Economy growth of South Korea, North Korea and China 1950-2010



5. Kim Dae-jung and his Sunshine Policy 

Kim Dae-jung, sometimes called as the Nelson Mandela of Asia, was the president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. One of his biggest achievements is the Sunshine Policy, which was a theoretical policy for South Korea's foreign policy towards North Korea from 1998 to 2008.

The policy was meant to soften North Korea's attitude towards South Korea. Kim Dae-jung named it after one of Aesop's fables "The North Wind and the Sun". The idea of the policy based on the traditional Korean ways of dealing with enemies by giving them gifts in order to prevent them causing harm.

As a result of the successful implementation of the policy Kim Dae-jung won the Nobel Peace Prize in the year 2000. North Korea and South Korea came into greater political contact because of it and it resulted also in several high-profile business ventures as well as some historic moments in the relationship between the two countries

The Inter-Korean summit in 2000 was the first time when the representatives of the two countries met after the division of the peninsula in 1948. Another Inter-Korean summit was held in 2007 and there were also some brief meetings of family members, who were separated after the Korean War. 

The Sunshine policy was ended in 2008 by the new president Lee Myung-bak. North Korea conducted nuclear and missile tests in 2006 and 2009, which made the relationship between Seoul and Pyongyang strained again. 



Kim Dae-jung receives the Nobel Prize
Kim Jong-il and Kim Dae-jung

Timeline

2333BC According to Korean mythology, Old Joseon was founded by Dangun
c.700BC First Kingdom
37BC-668 Gokuryeo ruled parts of Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula
18BC Three Kingdoms period as the states of Gokuryeo, Baekje and Silla ruled the Korean Peninsula and northern Manchuria
676 Unification of the three kingdoms by Silla
698 North-South Kingdoms era, when Later Silla and Balhae coexisted in the north and south respectively
800s Later Three Kingdoms period started when Later Silla weakened by internal strife and Baekje and Goguryeo revived
936 The Later Three Kingdoms were unified Wang Geon, who established the Goryeo as the successor state of Goguryeo
993, 1010 and 1018-1019 Goryeo finally defeated the Khitan Empire, the most powerful empire of its time, and after that Goryeo experienced its century long golden age
1100 There were 12 universities in Goryeo that produced famous scholars and scientists
1200s Mongol invasions greatly weakened Goryeo and after three decades of fighting it finally became a tributary ally to the Mongols for the next 86 years
1300s Goryeo drove out the Mongols to regain its northern territories
1392 General Yi Seong-gye had been ordered to attack China, but he turned his army around, staged a coup and founded the Joseon dynasty
1592-1598 Toyotomi Hideoyoshi launched invasions to Korea, which were halted by the Korean forces
1627 and 1637 The Manchus invaded Joseon
1700s Kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo led a new renaissance of the Joseon dynasty
1800s The royal in-law families gained control of the government, which lead to mass corruption, weakening of the state, severe poverty and to peasent rebellions throughout the country
1910 Korea was occupied by Japan after the first Sino-Japanese war and the Russo-Japanese war
1945 After the surrender of Japan in the end of World War II, USA and Soviet Union occupied the northern and southern part of Korea
1948 Antagonism between USA and Soviet Union led to the division of Korea into North Korea and South Korea
1950 North Korea invaded South Korea attempting to unite the country by force
1953 The Korean War ended in armistice, which never was signed by South Korea
1960 The "April 19 Revolution" led to the resignation of the autocratic, corrupt president Syngman Rhee
1961 General Park Chung-hee's May 16 coup against the weak and ineffectual government, when Park took over as president until he was assassinated in 1979
1972 Park extended his rule by creating a new constitution allowing him to run for an unlimited number of six-year terms
1979 Park was assassinated and after two coups, Chun Doo-hwan became the president
1987 Chun's despotic rule ended, when the Catholic Priests Association for Justice revealed the incident of a Seoul National University student was tortured to death
1988 Constant student protests, that didn't calm down even during the Summer Olympics of Seoul
1993 South Korea got its first civil president after 30 years, when Kim Young Sam became the president
1997 The Asian financial crisis affected South Korea, but the country recovered and continued its economic growth 
2000 President Kim Dae Jung received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work for democracy and human rights
2002 South Korea and Japan together hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2016 President Park Geun-hye's administration was accused of bribery, corruption and influence-peddling for the involvement of Choi Soon-sil in state affairs, the scandal was followed by massive demonstrations
2016 Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn became the president after the National Assembly voted to impeach Park, suspending her from office 

Friday, October 27, 2017

North Korea, Cool Facts #190

<= 189. Cambodia                                                                                               191. South Korea => 



1. Kingdom of Goryeo 918-1392

Name
The name Korea comes from the ancient kingdom of Goryeo, which ruled the most of the Korean Peninsula between 918 and 1392.

Foundation of the kingdom 
Goryeo kingdom was established in 918 by King Taejo. In 936 Goryeo unified the Korean Peninsula, when it had annexed Silla and Later Baekje. From there on the Goryeo maintained an unbroken dynasty that ruled Korea for 474 years, however the government was ruled by military regime leaders in 1170-1270.

Golden Age of Goryeo 
Goryeo had wars in 993, 1010 and 1018-1019 against the Khitan Empire, which was the most empire of its time. After defeating the Khitan Empire, Goryeo experienced its century long golden age. In 1100 there were 12 universities in Goryeo that produced famous scholars and scientists. Other achievements of the kingdom include celadon pottery and the Tripitaka Koreana, which was carved onto more than 80,000 woodblocks.

Decline of Goryeo
Goryeo was greatly weakened by the Mongol invasions in the 1200s. After three decades of fighting Goryeo became a tributary ally to the Mongols for the next 86 years. Goryeo lost much of its powers, but retained nominal control. In the 1300s Goryeo drove out the Mongols to regain its northern territories.

End of the kingdom
In 1392 General Yi Seong-gye was ordered to attack China, but he turned his army around and staged a coup to overthrow King Gongyang. Then he established him as Taejo of Joseon, starting a dynasty that ruled Korea until the Japanese occupation in 1910.


Korean Peninsula in 476
Goryeo in 1368

2. Division of the Korean Peninsula 

End of Japanese occupation 1945
The Korean Peninsula was ruled by the Joseon Kingdom between 1392-1910. The Japanese occupied Korea after the first Sino-Japanese war and the Russo-Japanese war. Korea was under Japanese control until the end of World War II. In 1945 Japan surrendered unconditionally after USA dropped the atomic bombs. Japan lost all of its colonies and it was on the losers side of the war. After the war the Soviet Union occupied the northern part of Korea and USA the southern part. 

Division of Korea 
Two US officers were assigned to draw the division of the US and Soviet controlled parts of Korea. The division was then immediately accepted by Soviet Union. In October 1945 the Soviet Civil Authority was established after the recommendation of Soviet general Terentii ShtykovThe Provisional People's Committee for North Korea was established in February, 1946 with Kim Il-sung as the chairman.

Shtykov's biggest achievement during the provisional government was the land reform, that broke Korea's stratified class system. Shtykov also nationalized key industries and all these actions caused the landlords and Japanese collaborators to flee to the South, where there was no land reform and sporadic unrest. South Korean citizens rose up against the Allied Military Government in September 1946. South Korea and North Korea declared their statehood in 1948. Soviet forces withdrew from Korea in 1948 and US forces from the South in 1949.

Korean War 1950-1953
Shtykov suspected that South Korea would invade the North so he supported a short blitzkrieg in the South, which then culminated in the Korean War. A UN force, led by USA intervened to defend South Korea and quickly advanced to North Korea. China intervened to defend the North, when the UN forces come close to the Chinese border, so the balance of the war shifted again.

In 1953 fighting ended with an armistice that restored approximately the original boundaries of the countries. The last Chinese troops withdrew from North Korea in 1958, which is actually the latest consensus as the latest date when North Korea became effectively independent. USA has maintained a strong military presence in South Korea since the war.


Montage of the Korean War 1950-1953

3. Army of North Korea

- North Korea has one of the most powerful armies in the world
- Biggest total military forces per 1000 capita
- 2nd biggest total military forces after South Korea with a force of 7,7 million people
- 4th biggest active military forces after China, India and USA with 1,2 million people
- 20% of the men aged 17-54 serve in the regular armed forces
- Men have a military service of 10 years and women over 5 years

Top 10 biggest active military forces in the world (2017)
Top 5 biggest total military forces (active + reserve+paramilitary) (2017)
Top 5 highest total military forces per 1000 capita


4. End of Cold War influence on North Korea

Before the end of Cold War, North Korea started facing problems already after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. China started normalizing its relations with the West and especially USA in the 1970s, so China had to re-evaluate its relations with North Korea. 

In response of the changed relationship with China, Kim Il-sung created his Juche Idea. The Juche Idea emphasized national and economic self-reliance, which promoted producing everything within the country. The economy started to stagnate in the 1980s and in 1987 it started its long decline. 

The economy almost collapsed in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when all Russian aid was suddenly halted. North Korea started to reestablish trade relations with China shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but the Chinese couldn't provide enough food to meet demand. 


Growth of economy in North Korea, South Korea and China 1950-2010 


5. Famine in North Korea 1994-1998

The North Korean famine together with the accompanying general economic crisis are known as the Arduous March or The March of Suffering. 

The famine in North Korea killed an estimated 500,000-600,000 people according to US Census Bureau. The estimates of the death toll vary greatly and different sources mention the amount to be from 240,000 to 3,5 million people who died from starvation or hunger-related illnesses. The deaths peaked in 1997. 

There were many reasons for the famine, like the drought and floods in 1995-1996, the economic mismanagement and the loss of Soviet support, which caused food production and imports to decline rapidly. 

After the famine North Korea started receiving food aid from South Korea, China, USA, Japan, EU and others. North Korea still relies on external food aid as it hasn't managed to resume self-sufficiency in food production.


Starving North Korean children

Timeline

300BC Jin state was established, which evolved into Samhan confederacies in around 100BC
108BC Chinese Han Dynasty conquered the Korean state Joseon
313 Goguryeo conquered the Chinese Lelang commandery
698-926 North-South States Period
918 Goryeo dynasty established
936 Goryeo united the Later Three Kingdoms and ruled most of the Korean Peninsula
1392-1897 Kingdom of Joseon ruled Korea
1897-1910 Korean Empire
1910-1945 Japanese rule 
1945 After World War II Korea was divided into the northern-half occupied by Soviet Union and the souther-half occupied by USA
1948 Soviet forces left and in 1949 US forces left the Korean Peninsula
1950-1953 Korean War, North Korea invades South which then advanced into the North with the help of US forces, in the end the Chinese helped the North before the fighting ended 
1956 Kim Il-sung successfully resisted the efforts by China and the Soviet Union to depose in favor of Soviet Koreans or the pro-Chinese Yan'an faction
1958 Last Chinese troops left North Korea
1980s The economy started to stagnate and it almost collapsed in 1991 when Soviet Union was dissoluted and Russian aid was suddenly halted
1994 Kim Il-sung died and his son Kim Jong-il became the next leader of North Korea
2006 North Korea announced that it had conducted its first nuclear weapon test
2011 Kim Jong-il died from a heart attack and was succeeded by his youngest son Kim Jong-un