Opinion - The Korea Times

Adoption and 'real' families

By Mark PetersonRecently I have discovered a case of Korean adoptees in America finding each other through DNA testing. We hear of such cases ― often twins are not adopted by the same family and then they find each other years later. But the case I am referring to has four siblings finding each other. Four. This has to be one of the most astounding cases in the history, short as it is, of DNA science.There were four children from the same mother, each with a different sperm-donor (I won't use the word “father” ― that's a desecration of a sacred term). There were three daughters and one son ― a daughter born in 1977, a daughter born in 1982, a son born in 1988, and another daughter born in 1990.I have a personal connection to this story. The daughter born in 1990 is my daughter; we adopted her while we were living in Korea at that time.All of them purchased a DNA test to look into their health history. An adopted child doesn't have a genetic mother and father who can tell them about parents or grandparents who had cancer or heart disease or Alzheimer's or other diseases kn

Oct 10, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

The Chinese comeback

By Mark PetersonThe news recently that a Chinese-made movie has been blocked from being shown in Korean theaters tells us a lot about what is going on in Asia currently. China seems to be doing everything wrong, and the glorification of the Chinese role in the Korean War, a war that didn't go well for China at all, seems an obtuse move at best. For example, the Chinese were defeated soundly in Gapyeong twice ― in April and again in May of 1951. The first battle of Gapyeong was fought between the British Commonwealth nations of Canada, Australia and New Zealand and the Chinese. The second battle of Gapyeong was between the Utah National Guard and the Chinese. The outcome of both battles was an overwhelming, lopsided defeat for the Chinese.The current Chinese story on film is in sharp contrast with a film I am personally working on. I've come to look into the story of the second battle of Gapyeong, also called the “Miracle Battle of Gapyeong.” In my film, a documentary, not a feature film with a healthy degree of both fantasy and propaganda, we are factually telling how a U

Sep 12, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Education miracle of Korea

By Mark PetersonI've been impressed with how much on-going education and training there is in Korea. When I'm physically in Korea, I sometimes get asked to lecture to various government and private groups. I've lectured to alumni groups of various kinds, to breakfast clubs, lunchtime clubs, “kinship associations” and various adult education groups. If I were in Korea full-time, and if there weren't a lockdown for the COVID-19 virus, I think I could make a living off lecturing to these ad hoc groups. There are a lot of them. Many, many more than you might find in America.This last week I was asked to make a presentation from my home in Utah, via Zoom, to the Provincial Government Leaders Training Institute located outside of Jeonju, far from Seoul. Through the miracle of modern technology I was able to talk to provincial government officials in their homes ― ordinarily, they would meet at the training institute, but during the COVID times we were all at home.The lecture was in English, and the focus of the training was “Global Leadership.” I was impressed! Prov

Aug 15, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Return to Korean-style Confucianism

By Mark PetersonThis week, through the upside of all this downside known as the COVID-19 pandemic, I will be giving a lecture to an audience based in Brisbane, Australia, at the University of Queensland. The topic: "Two Types of Korean Confucian Cultural Legacy and Its Implication to Contemporary Korean Culture and Society.”I'm looking forward to my Tuesday evening, Australia's Wednesday noontime lecture, because there will be discussants who will respond to my presentation. I hope they like it, but I fear they may not for one of them is the president of the World Foundation for Confucian Culture, based in Andong, Korea, Kwon Du-hyun. It looks for all intents and purposes like he is going to be a pretty conservative critic of what I may say. Maybe not. But if you've read my work on “Two Confucianisms” or seen my YouTube video on the subject, you know I am advocating that Korea discard its “recent” Confucianism ― meaning that of the last three centuries, and return to an original, I argue, “Korean-style” Confucianism.My research has shown me,

Jul 18, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Template for reunification

By Mark PetersonFrom time to time I'm asked to make a presentation. At times the inviting group chooses a topic; sometimes they allow me to choose. Recently I was asked to give a presentation via Zoom ― given the pandemic, Zoom has become more useful than ever. But this time the experience gave me pause, and gave me a surprise. The inviters asked me to speak about reunification ― that gave me pause because I hear talks about unification and it always seems like a waste of time to me, because we cannot really know the future! And it surprised me because the presentation was to be made to a scattered group of overseas Koreans, we like to say “gyopo,” all across North and South America.I was pleasantly surprised to find my audience across the United States, and groups in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. I marveled at our modern age of technology where we as a group can speak to each other all across the Americas, and across the world!And I was pleased with what I came up with regarding unification. Whereas I have felt frustration and futil

Jun 20, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

'Miracle at Gapyeong'

By Mark PetersonA friend of mine, Cho Byounggap, called and asked me to write a Korea Times article and prepare a “Frog Outside the Well” YouTube video on the “Miracle at Gapyeong”. I had heard of it but didn't know the details. I have now researched the history of the famous battle in the Korean War and am ready to write about it and prepare the YouTube video.The reason it's called a “miracle” is that in the battle between American and Chinese soldiers, 350 Chinese were killed, 830 Chinese were captured, but on the American side not one soldier died. There were some wounded, but there were no fatalities. We use the word “miracle” loosely sometimes, but this was truly a miracle. The Chinese soldiers said, “We shot them, but they did not fall.”The American soldiers were members of an artillery unit that was part of a Utah National Guard battalion that had been activated for the Korean War. Originally, they were to be sent to Germany to replace a regular army artillery battalion in Germany that would go to Korea. But the soldi

May 23, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Sejong and feudalism

By Mark PetersonLast time I wrote about how “feudalism” was not a major stage in Korea's historical development. After Korea was occupied by Japan it fell under historical points of view based on those of the Japanese. Japan had a strong feudal era, from the 12th to the mid-19th century. It assumed a superior intellectual position, as well as superior military and industrial positions in its domination of Korea in the early 20th century. The Japanese historical ideal coincided with the European tradition of feudalism, thus reinforcing the idea of an evolutionary superiority. But that is not the only way to look at history and historical stages.To illustrate today's point, let me engage you in one of my favorite fantasies. I really admire King Sejong. He was a true renaissance man, a true genius. We praise him for the invention of the Korean alphabet, but he did lots of other things in lots of other fields ― science, agriculture, astronomy, mapping, medicine, pharmacology, law, literature and many others. I blame Korea's fall to the Japanese in the late 19th century, altho

Apr 25, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Phony feudalism

By Mark PetersonThere are still people who refer to Korean history in terms of “feudalism.” The evidence is quite to the contrary ― there was no real feudalistic stage in Korean history. The problem is two-fold: (1) that there was no feudalism, and (2) that there was no “stage” of history to be labeled as feudalism. If there was no feudalism in Korea, why then do we find people repeatedly referring to feudalism and a feudalistic stage in Korea?First, let me backtrack just a little by saying there was a time in the late Silla and early Goryeo period where the socio-political structure had some decentralized elements that people like to call feudalism, but I have problems with that. I'll explain.With the beginning of the modern era, with the end of the Joseon period and the onset of the 20th century, Korea saw itself in a new world ― a world beset at the time with imperialism. Japan could see that it had better become an imperial power, one of maybe four or five imperial powers in the world, or it might become colonized like China which was already being carved

Mar 28, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Harvard and former sex slaves

By Mark PetersonAgain, I really dislike this topic, but I dislike Harvard being besmirched in this situation even more. Thus, I feel compelled to enter the fray one more time with this article.This opinion piece is in regard to the Harvard Law School professor who has written a paper that has been accepted for publication at the International Review of Law and Economics. He has written on the subject before ― three years ago he gave a presentation at Harvard that had limited distribution. But now, writing on the same topic, he has submitted the paper to an academic journal. In that setting, the fact that the paper will be published has hit the media in Korea and Japan. A large sector of the Japanese population, and it appears the government, too, have praised the paper. Much of the Korean population, on the other hand, feels they are opening up old and deep wounds.One problem is that this paper is the work of one person, but that one person sits under the umbrella of a famous and respected university ― Harvard. The opinions of that one person coincide with the large sector of Japan's

Feb 28, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Controversy over 'comfort women'

By Mark PetersonThe Korean press has been buzzing with reports of a Harvard Law School professor's academic journal article on Korean "comfort women" saying there were hired prostitutes. I've been dragged into the fray by many friends and some people I don't know who have asked that I respond since I, after all, have a PhD from Harvard. I've taken the bait and have prepared responses and criticisms for a Korean ministry article, a Korean TV station, I've made a video for my YouTube station, and I think more requests are coming.I don't like the subject. I find it so distasteful and sad that I do not like dealing with it in a specific way ― I only have a general understanding of the topic. But I've read the Harvard Law professor's article and as a professor of history, I can indeed critique it. I find it woefully inadequate, misleading, and not worthy of publication. In other words, the reviewers at the journal, peer reviewers?, should have flagged it as sophomoric and not worthy of publication.Here's where the Harvard thing comes in? The reviewers may have given a free pass to the pro

Feb 14, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Read more

Adoption and 'real' families

The Chinese comeback

Education miracle of Korea

Return to Korean-style Confucianism

Template for reunification

'Miracle at Gapyeong'

Sejong and feudalism

Phony feudalism

Harvard and former sex slaves

Controversy over 'comfort women'

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