Korea's Place in the Sun - Assignment Example

Korean history critical/analytical Final Essay Question During the last few years of the nineteenth century, the confluence of external and internal trends during the waning years of the Choson dynasty are argued to have been responsible for the crisis that was experienced during this period.One of the major internal disorders that is seen to have greatly contributed towards the crisis that was experienced during the waning years of the Choson dynasty is the conflict between the Queen dowagers and their clans for the control of the government as well as the domination of the court. After the death of Cholchong in 1864 due to the extravagances and excesses of the court, three queen dowagers actively dueled in the palace against each other. In the bigger picture, it can be deduced that as a result of the continued squabbling between the queen dowagers, the affairs of the state were largely left unattended as the Queens and their clans all sought to try and impose their superiority over each other. Another internal disorder that is seen to have resulted in the weakening of the Choson dynasty is the issuance of the Haircutting Decree. From the account provided by Jang (27), it can be argued that there was really no basis for the Decree to be made. Most of the country’s citizens were against the decree as is evidenced by the fact that a number of government officials resigned from their posts in protest immediately after the decree had been announced. In the bigger picture, it can be deduced that after sensing that the decree was having a negative influence on the citizenry who had risen up in protest and formed the Righteous Army Movement, King Kojongmade tried to pin the reason for the decree on the basis that long hair was unsanitary and was against the government aims to globalize with the rest of the world. However, this move was unsuccessful and the decree continued to be met with resistance from all quarters. Another internal concern that contributed to the crisis was the change in the masculinization of the nation. Initially the country had been content with following the Confucian beliefs that promoted a patriarchal society (Duncan, 49), however Tikhanov (1046) notes that a number of new models of manhood emerged during the 1890s. In the bigger picture, it can be argued that as a result of patriarchal matters that had primarily been the concern of magistrates and village heads now becoming interlinked with the globalization process, this led to a crisis between those who wished to preserve the old ways and those who were pushing for the modernization of Korea. Externally, the forced signing of a treaty with Japan is seen to have forced a reconfiguration of the existing relationship between the society and the state. It can be seen that this treaty led to the rise of anti-Japanese sentiment, this sentiment eventually escalated when the Japanese assassinated Queen Myeongseongon the orders of the Japanese ambassador Miuratriggering the rise of the Righteous Army movement (Jang, 28). Another external factor that contributed to the crisis at the end of the Choson dynasty is the fact that when the Choson government moved to request Qing officials to aid them in the suppression of Tonghak peasant armies, Japan was able to use the opportunity to help in ending the Chinese influence on the peninsula. This forced a change in foreign policies in Korea as the Japanese used their newly found influence to establish a pro-Japanese reform-oriented cabinet that was able to launch the Kabo reforms movement. A number of different groups rose up in protest to the crisis, these groups included The Righteous movement:The members of this resistance movement actively rose up in protest over the haircutting decree, their concerns eventually grew to also entail seeking retribution for the crimes that had been committed by the chief traitors whose actions resulted in the implementation of the Kabo reforms as well as the assassination of Queen Ming (Jang, 33). It is as a result of the actions of this group that included the organized killing of a number of high local government officials in the regions in which the movement had a strong following that the group can considered to have been in protest to the crisis in the country. The Tonghak Movement:After years of agricultural distress in the country, the millions of peasant farmers in Korea that formed the country’s most numerous class rose up in protest and formed the Tonghak movement. These individuals were concerned that the policies that were being enforced in the country by the Japanese and the influence of the Western powers was negatively affecting them as a result of the high taxes that were routinely levied against them. Protest by Government High Ranking Officials:After the haircutting decree was made, a large number of the highest ranking government officials rose up in protest by resigning from their positions. Many other officials were deeply disturbed by this edict (Jang, 29). Question 2 The Colonial origins of the KoreanWar can be traced back to the Japanese Imperialistic expansion. As part of its imperialistic expansion, Japan had managed to defeat the Chinese in 1895 as well as the Russians in 1905 before it eventually moved to forcefully incorporate Korea into the Japanese empire in 1910. Most Koreans were opposed to Japanese imperialism in their country as is illustrated by the rise of resistance movements such as The Righteous Army and the Tonghak Movement. After the atomic bombing of Japan, some American forces arrived at the southern part of the Peninsula while the Soviet army and a few of the Korean communists went onto station themselves in the northern part of the Peninsula.According to Cumings (187), it was the Americans that decided on how Korea was to be divided even without having first attempted to try and consult with any Koreans. The reason that caused the two young American colonels that decided on dividing Korea along the 38th parallel was based on the fact that splitting the country along this parallel would have the effect of causing the country’s capital city to firmly be on the American side of the divide. The immediate aftermath of this division in 1945 was that both the two sides of the country implemented different economic ideologies with the North implementing communist ideologies and the South implementing democratic ideologies. The analysis by Chung (111)can help in supporting the argument that American film and fashion industries had a profound impact on the South Korean industries which sought to copy and emulate them. The two sides also established a border along the 38th parallel along which a series of skirmishes between the two sides were often reported. Other than failing to consult with the Koreans, the Americans also failed to consult with the Chinese and the British before they divided the country into two. Two rival regimes emerged in Korea in 1948, the fit of this was the American backed regime with capitalistic ideals that formed to the south of the Peninsula that dubbed itself the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The second of these regimes was to be formed a month later to the North of the Peninsula and was dubbed the Republic of Korea. It was the conflict between these two regimes and their respective backers that is seen to have resulted in the Korean War. The Korean war is seen to have been fought by political means and rebellions from 1945-47 as is illustrated by the fact that the ongoing Cold War that pitted the Capitalist Nations led by the United States on one side and the Communist Nations led by the former Soviet Union on the opposing side. The United States joined the civil war in an attempt to try and curtail the Soviet advancement of Communist ideals as they believed that the Soviet Union would propagate this ideas one country at a time and it was necessary for the United States to prevent this from happening. Both the two sides clashed in a political attempt to propagate their ideologies across the country. From 1947, the use of unconventional guerilla warfare was employed in the Korean War. According to Cumings (220), the guerillas were locally referred to as the inmin-gunand usually operated in groups of about 80-100 individuals that had no central command or connection with any of the other rebel groups. It is estimated that by June 1948, most of the villages in the Korean interior were thought to be controlled by the various guerilla groups.Cumings (220) notes that the guerilla warfare essentially started when about 1000 Yosu rebels fled into the South Cholla Province and hid in the Chiri mountains. In 1949 there was a renewed border fighting in Korea along the 30th parallel and both sides employed the use of conventional military assaults in what turned out to be heavy fighting between the two opposing sides. According to Cumings (247), the heavy border conflict is seen to have lasted from May through to December 1949. It is also noted that the more important border battles essentially started on May 4, 1949 at Kaesong in an engagement that the South is seen to have been responsible for having triggered. After particularly heavy fighting in August 1949, the Soviet and American Support that the two opposing sides were able to receive gradually wanted and Cumings (251) notes that in 1950 both the two sides were eagerly waiting to try and see who would be stupid enough to make the first move. The Northern leader Kim, hoped that the South would attack and thus provoke retaliation from the North while the South were hopping that the North would launch an unprovoked attack as this was the only way that the South could get the Americans to come to their aid and in addition to this, it was the only way that the South could hope to win against the North. Question 3 In the early 1990’s when the Segyehwa policy emerged in South Korea, the country was experiencing a period of rapid economic progress. In addition to this, the country had recently been opened up by the Seoul Olympic games and after the games, pressure had been placed on the president to make a declaration that would call for a series of sweeping democratic reforms. These reforms were eventually realized in 1993 when soon after the elections when the popular president Kim Young Sam introduced the Segyehwato be the cornerstone of the country’s new economic policy. Gi-Wook (10) points out that under the Segyehwa reforms, President Kim undertook what was a top-down reform of the entire Korean political economy in a bid to ensure that it would be able to meet the rapidly changing conditions of the global economy. Korea’s historical experiences during the later parts of the 19th century as well as during the early 20th century are seen to have helped informed the creation of the Korean Segyehwa policy. Gi-Wook (10) points out that while laying out his Segyehwa policy, President Kim compared Korea’s modern history and challenges to those that the country had faced at the turn of the twentieth century. As a result of the failure by the country to pursue modernization, the country had been forced to been forced to become a Japanese colony. In addition to this, of note is that although South Korea had managed to make impressive strides towards becoming industrialized and modernized, it was however not very well equipped to successfully meet the challenges of globalization and this was the reason as to why the Segyehwa policy was urgently required in the country. It was on this basis that the Segyehwa policy came to no longer be touted as being a matter of choice but instead, South Korea came to regard it as a matter of necessary globalization in the country or its perishing. Under the Segyehwa policy the government was able to implement a number of specific policies such the policy of promoting globalization through the internet, this policy has had the effect of helping to promote communication between Korea and other countries and in the process help in rapidly changing the contemporary South Korean Society. Another interesting policy that has been adopted as a result of globalization under the Segyehwa policy is the importation of brides for South Korean farmers (Kim, 74). This policy has greatly affected the country in that it has greatly contributed towards the development of the country’s multicultural society. According to Gi-Wook (5-22), a key unique aspect of Korean globalization is that despite the achievements of the country’s Segyehwa policy, South Korea’s nationalism has not been weakened and is still strong. In making this observation, Gi-Wook (6) points out that the World Cup fever that was experienced in the country during the summer of the 2002 is a clear indicator of the confidence and pride that South Koreans have in their ethnic nation. Millions of South Koreans are seen to have come out in support of their team and shouting slogans that were in support of their team and country. Some of these slogans included Uri nun hana(We are One), and taehanmin’guk(Republic of Korea). The current proud notion of Korean nationalism and citizenship is seen to be based on the Korean conception of nationhood as has been expressed towards Koreans living in other countries as well as towards the foreign migrant workers that live within Korea. South Koreans living in the country and across the world are all noted to be keen to preserve their national identity and are exceedingly proud of this national identity. Another key unique aspect of Korean globalization is the Korean wave. Hae-Joang (149-152) points out that the Korean wave first started making an appearance in some of the Celebrity gossip pages in the year 2001 as South Korea started to rapidly export its fashion, music, films and television dramas to a number of other countries across Asia. In analyzing the effects of the Korean wave Hae-Joang (150) point out that the increased popularity of Korean fashion, music and drama in China has resulted in the formation of Chinese mania groups that support a number of Korean pop singers.Of note also is that the Korean music and drama that forms the main element of the Korean wave have inadvertently had the unintended effect of promoting Korean language study, Korean food, cultural products as well as increased tourism in the country. Works Cited Chung, Steven. Split Screen Korea: Shin Sang-ok and Postwar Cinema. 2014. Cumings, Bruce. Koreas Place in the Sun: A Modern History (Updated). WW Norton & Company, 2005. Duncan, John. ‘Confucian social values in Contemporary South Korea John Duncan’ in Lancaster, Lewis R., Richard Karl Payne, and Karen M. Andrews, eds. Religion and society in contemporary Korea.Vol. 24.Institute of East Asian Studies University of California-B, 1997. Gi-Wook Shin.The Paradox of Korean Globalization.Asia/Pacific Research Center. 2006. Hae-Joang, Cho. "Reading the ‘Korean wave’as a sign of global shift." Korea Journal 45.4 (2005): 147-182. Jang, S. (1998). The Politics of Haircutting in Korea: A Symbol of Modernity and the" Righteous Army Movement"(1895-1896). The Review of Korean Studies, 1, 26-52. Kim, Andrew Eungi. "Global migration and South Korea: foreign workers, foreign brides and the making of a multicultural society." Ethnic and Racial Studies32.1 (2009): 70-92. Tikhonov, Vladimir. "Masculinizing the Nation: Gender Ideologies in Traditional Korea and in the 1890s–1900s Korean Enlightenment Discourse." The Journal of Asian Studies 66.04 (2007): 1029-1065. Read More