A History of Korea Read Free Page A

precipitation falls between June and September. This climatic condition is highly favorable for rice farming. Droughts appear one every eight years on average. Summers are hotter and winters colder in the Korean peninsula than along the western coast of the Eurasian continent at the same latitude. Although it has four distinct seasons, the Korean peninsula, reaching across a latitude of nearly 10°, experiences considerable variations in climate, particularly in winter. The climate at Korea’s extreme south is essentially a marine climate, and that at the extreme north is essentially continental. In spring, a powerful sandstorm, known as “yellow dust,” often hits the Korean peninsula from China.
TOK-TO
    In the East Sea, about 47 nautical miles east of Ull ŭ ng-do (Dagelet), stands the Korean island of Tok-to, formerly called Liancourt Rocks by the Occidentals.In the nineteenth century European sailors who explored the seas around Korea gave Western names to many Korean islands, including Tok-to, as their Korean names were unknown to the Europeans.
    Tok-to, formed from volcanic rocks and composed of two main islets, is Korea’s easternmost island, situated in the middle of the East Sea, at latitude 37° north and longitude 131° east. In 512 the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla conquered Usan-guk (state), of which the main part was Ull ŭ ng-do. Thereafter the Korean people have considered Tok-to to be part of Ull ŭ ng-do and therefore their territory. Historically the subsequent Korean kingdoms of Kory ŏ (918– 1392) and Chos ŏ n (1392–1910), as well as the Republic of Korea (since 1948), have exercised sovereignty over Tok-to. 3
PEOPLE
    As of July 2008 the Korean peninsula sustains a population of about 72 million, compared to approximately 20 million at the end of the nineteenth century and 28 million in 1945, at the end of World War II. Some 49 million of the peninsula’s population live in the Republic of Korea, and indeed South Korea is one of the most densely populated areas of the world.
    In terms of race, Koreans are predominantly of Mongoloid stock. They trace their ancient origin to the Central Asian area. Although they bear some physical resemblance to the Chinese, their language is totally unlike Chinese; it has similarities, however, with Turkish, Mongolian, Japanese, and other Central Asian languages. Koreans are taller, on average, than most other East Asians and are distinctive in appearance.
    Whereas the United States is a nation of immigrants, represented by multiculturalism and diversity, foreign observers tend to characterize Korea as a more uniform nation whose people are overtly nationalistic and patriotic. In fact, nationalism has historically been a dominant ideology in Korean society and has inspired the Korean people to strongly resist foreign intervention and the influx of foreign cultures.
    Culturally and genetically Koreans are one of the most homogeneous peoples in the world. Many branches of the Tungusic people in Manchuria and Mongolia are racially mixed with one other and culturally assimilated with the Chinese, but Koreans have succeeded in maintaining their own ethnic and cultural identity. Despite frequent cultural exchanges, Koreans have rarely intermarried with the Chinese. Koreans all share a sense of destiny and a perception of themselves as a unique people, bound together by a common language, culture,and religion. The peninsula’s geographical conditions, including its remoteness from the Chinese mainland, enhanced a feeling of uniqueness among Koreans and encouraged strong nationalism and a desire to resist foreign domination. Indeed, Korean nationalism was strengthened because of successive foreign invasions. Korea, as a small country in a strategic location, has a deep sense of injustice about being manipulated by the great powers around it.
    For most Koreans, the notion of “motherland,” and patriotism, overrides virtually everything. Since they have to defend