my timesThe Korea Times
Mark Peterson
OpinionColumnsColumnists

Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson is associate professor of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.

Read more

Mark Peterson

More on invasions

By Mark PetersonOne of the core elements of Korea's view of its own history is that of multiple invasions. It's a story almost everyone accepts. But it's the key element of my argument that Korean history needs to be rewritten ― at least revised, from my perspective as a frog that has come out of the well.In the early days of my studies of Korean history, I felt I should be an authentic representative of Korea in telling her story. And though I did not agree with many points of standard Korean history, I used to feel I had to be loyal to Korea, somehow, and not give a variant history ― because that could be called a “distortion” ― a common criticism of historical points of view that don't line up with the accepted point of view.And the problem is further exacerbated by nationalism and the feelings of victimization of Korea by Japanese distortions of history over time. I have seen students criticize Americans as espousing a Japanese point of view, when they express a viewpoint that is different from the standard Korean history. Sensitivities can run very high.Whe

Jul 20, 2018By Mark Peterson
More on invasions
Mark Peterson

More on problem of invasions

By Mark PetersonMy frog-out-of-the-well view of Korea is one that sees more peace and stability in Korea more than what I call the frog-in-the-well view of Korea that sees multiple invasions as a hallmark of Korean history.The standard history of Korea focuses on invasions and the student comes away with the view that there were many invasions, numbering in at least the tens, if not the hundreds. I wrote last time of the scholar who had tracked over 9,000 invasions. My counterargument is that if one counts every minor incident, like a pirate raid, as an invasion, the term soon loses its meaning and is only used to portray Korea as a victim. My view, however, is that aside from the first half of the 20th century and the middle of the 13th century, Korea was the master of its own fate ― rather than the portrayal of Korea as the weak and hapless victim of the machinations of other countries. It was only these two times, when the Japanese took over control of Korea in the early 20th century, and when the Mongols conquered Korea but only took over partially ― they forced marriag

Jul 8, 2018By Mark Peterson
More on problem of invasions
Mark Peterson

View of the frog out of the well

By Mark PetersonIn this series of articles, I will be sharing my perspectives on Korean culture and history ―what I've come to call the view of the frog that came out of the well. Implied in that term is a criticism of the standard views of Korean culture and history is that of a frog in the well ― a limited perspective.One of my perspectives that is the most different from the standard Korean perspective is that of the question of invasions. In my view of Korean history, there have been remarkably few invasions. Korean history is remarkably stable and peaceful. But the standard view of Korean history is the opposite ― that there were multiple invasions from many countries. This, of course, is a product of the 20th century. People tend to see history in the light of the current situation. For Korea, the 20th century was tumultuous. Korea was victimized repeatedly ― first by the Japanese, then by the United Nations, then by internal war (that was a product of the international Cold War), and at the end of the century, Korea was still divided. Korea felt powerless, thus

Jul 2, 2018By Mark Peterson
View of the frog out of the well
Mark Peterson

Controversy in historiography

By Mark Peterson I was privileged to visit Korea recently, for a series of lectures.  I’ve been on the city hall lecture circuit, it seems. I’ve given lectures to the city hall officials in Pohang, Busan, and Gyeongju. And I’ve given lectures to the parents meeting at a couple of elementary schools ― the “hakpumo” meeting, what I would call a “PTA” [parent-teacher association] meeting. The lectures were my take on Korean history, titled “New Perspectives on Korean History,” and it was clear that I was presenting a foreigner’s view of Korean history. The basic argument was one that challenges several core assumptions and beliefs about Korean history held by most Koreans. I have decided to “tell it like it is”, you might say. And I have ended up telling quite a different story of Korean history than that which is told in Korea. It is somewhat controversial, but I didn’t start out that way. I haven’t intended to be controversial; I usually avoid controver

Jul 26, 2016By Mark Peterson
Controversy in historiography
Mark Peterson

More on testing problems

By Mark PetersonIn my last column I wrote about the college entry exam. I criticized the movement in the US and Korea to rely too much on the test for admission to college. I argued that “bubble sheet” exams, “multiple choice” exams, were not as good a measure of student competence as so-called essay exams. I pointed out that Korea could use the method of grading that is used by American testers for the “AP” courses – courses that are “advanced placement” whereby high school students can actually get college credit for advanced coursework in a number of subjects. I described a method of reading essay exams that is both fair and efficient. There is a mistaken idea on the part of many educators and much of the public that an essay exam is “subjective” and open to the whims of the grader and bias or preferential treatment in cases where the grader knows the student and judges the student on the basis of classroom performance, demeanor, or other extraneous factors.  But nothing could be further from the

Jul 12, 2016By Mark Peterson
More on testing problems
Mark Peterson

Testing problem

By Mark Peterson The United States and Korea both suffer from the malady within education of too much testing, relying on the test, and test-centered curriculum.  As bad as the situation has become in the U.S., it’s much worse in Korea. The educational product is better in Korea; Korean students have a much higher graduation rate (from both high school and college), and Korean students who come to the U.S. have high standing among their peers in American schools.  But still there are some drawbacks to the school system in Korea that is so heavily centered on the exam. And it’s not just the exam in Korea.  It’s the kind of exam.  It’s the multiple choice, what we call “bubble sheet” exam where the student chooses between three or four or even five choices.  This kind of exam leads to a stultified educational process ― everything must be reduced to a simple outcome. Not all outcomes can be simplified to a single sentence among five that a student has to choose.  When complex topics are reduced to such

Jul 5, 2016By Mark Peterson
Testing problem
Mark Peterson

About history textbooks

By Mark Peterson          I don’t know quite what is wrong with Korea’s teaching of history, but from my perspective, there is something wrong.  I am not referring to the recent controversy about producing government-written, single textbook.  I am not referring to the way Japan treats Korea in their textbooks. But the issue that I know most about ― my own research ― might be a way of looking into the whole history textbook controversy and the issue of teaching history to see what is wrong with it all.The issue that I am most acquainted with is that which I wrote my dissertation about:  the changes in the social order and family structure in the late 17th century.The 17th century might sound like a long time ago and might be seen as irrelevant in today’s world, but I think it teaches us a lot about Korea, both then and now.  And in the process, it teaches us about the Korean historiographic process in Korea today.  What I mean by the historiographic process is the process by which original research is conducted,

Feb 18, 2016By Mark Peterson
About history textbooks
previous page
1617181920
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.