Opinion - The Korea Times

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

Rootstech 2021

By Mark PetersonRootstech 2021 is an international conference on genealogical records. Originally, it was called “A World Conference on Records”; now it's called “rootstech” meaning technological studies of our “roots” ― genealogical and family history. The conference this year will be held online ― Feb. 25-27. I've been asked to make one of the “prime-time” presentations on Korean genealogy.In the past, the conference has been held in Salt Lake City. Why Salt Lake? It's the center of the largest family history library in the world. Sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the conference claims to be the largest of its kind in the world ― there were 18,000 that attended last year. This year, with the conference completely online, they already have 200,000 attendees registered. It's free of charge and anyone can participate.Korea has a big stake in the conference. The Family History Library in Salt Lake has acquired photocopies of many of the jokbo (Korean genealogies) from all over the world. They have cooperative a

Jan 31, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Thank you, LTI Korea

By Mark PetersonI have two reasons to offer gratitude to the LTI ― the Korean Literature Translation Institute. The first reason for appreciation for what the LTI does ― and I would like to inform my readers of this organization and its work ― is that the Institute fosters the translation of Korean literature into foreign languages. They have several programs: they host translation seminars, they give grants to young translators to encourage the development of the translation skills of young translators in multiple languages, and they give awards to translators of novels into various foreign languages. They also give awards to organizations and individuals that publish and facilitate the dissemination of Korean in foreign languages ― what they call “Outstanding Service Awards.”The second reason I am offering gratitude to the LTI is that they have given me one of their awards ― an “Outstanding Service Award.” Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I could not attend ceremonies in person, but was able to “attend” digitally ― I sent a short “thank yo

Jan 17, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Property ownership in traditional Korea

By Mark PetersonSince I have been writing recently of changes in Confucianism involving changes in property inheritance, I have been thinking that most readers have no idea about how complicated property ownership was in traditional Korea. It was surprisingly complicated and unlike anything you would expect.Let me ask you to paint a picture, your own mental picture of what the farms and estates looked like if you understand that traditional Korea ― Joseon and Goryeo and Silla ― for 1,500 years, was a slave-holding society. In fact, Korea may have had the longest unbroken chain of slave holding of any country on earth. Coupled with the fact that traditional Korea was dominated by agrarian economics ― farms ― not businesses or merchants, there was, particularly in the Joseon period, a Confucian-based bias against commerce. So, we can picture a farming society that was hierarchical and highly stratified, with scholar-officials (seonbi or yangban) on the top, commoners in the middle, and slaves on the bottom.If your mental picture comes out something like the American slave-holding South

Jan 3, 2021By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

It was not the wars

By Mark PetersonI need to follow up from last week's article about Korea's penchant for stability in spite of wars and the social change that takes place, not as a result of the wars, but afterward unrelated to the war. I think it's true of the Japanese invasion of the 1590s and the Korean War of the 1950s.The point is I think we have evidence of tremendous resilience and creativity in Korea. We know about the recovery from the Korean War. We know that Korea developed rapidly from a country with virtually no infrastructure or industry and a per capita income of less than $100 per annum, to the economically powerful and individually wealthy country we know today.I think the same thing was in operation after the Japanese invasion of 1592. The loss of life is estimated to have been close to one-quarter of the population, maybe four million people. Destruction of property was nearly total. One can seldom find a building, even a Buddhist temple in a remote mountain, that was not burned by the Japanese. Land was laid waste. And following the Japanese invasion the Manchus invaded. That inva

Dec 20, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Changes after two wars

By Mark PetersonI suppose most who see the reference to two wars would assume I'm going to write about the Korean War and World War II, but no, ― put on your history hat ― I'm writing about the Japanese Invasion of 1592, and the Manchu Invasion of 1636.This has come to my attention from comments that have been left under videos on my YouTube channel where several subscribers have referenced the term “yangnan.” I'm embarrassed to disclose my poor vocabulary in Korean by admitting I didn't know the term and had to look it up. It means “the two wars” and refers to the Japanese and Manchu invasions. But it's the conclusion drawn in the use of the term that has stirred me to write today.The terms are used to refer to the changes in society post-war. And those who are generally aware of the great “Confucianization” that took place in roughly this time frame tend to assume and aver that the Confucian reforms and the swing to male dominance by accepting a Chinese style of Confucianism occurred as a result of the war. The previous sentence has a lot to &ldq

Dec 6, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Korean-Americans

By Mark PetersonMy attitude about Korean-Americans has changed over the years. When I first encountered Korea, living there, I met people who wanted to go to America “by hook or by crook.” And indeed, many were able to cobble together reasons to get a visa to visit America, and then they disappeared or overstayed their visas, but eventually ended up gaining American citizenship. I thought the whole enterprise was corrupt and I wanted to have nothing to do with it.I felt that a good Korean should be patriotic and loyal to Korea. I felt a desire to stay in Korea and do what I could, in my work in the field of education, to help Korea to develop. And indeed, I arranged through various opportunities to live in Korea for a total of 15 years. I was doing what I could do to help Korea to build and develop, and I did not appreciate those Koreans who “ran off” to America or other countries, and I really didn't like people who came to me to ask for me to help them get to America.I was absolute death on those who wanted to emigrate, legally or illegally ― especially for

Nov 8, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Read more

Sejong and feudalism

Phony feudalism

Harvard and former sex slaves

Controversy over 'comfort women'

Rootstech 2021

Thank you, LTI Korea

Property ownership in traditional Korea

It was not the wars

Changes after two wars

Korean-Americans

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