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The Korea Times

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Opinion

The Dawn of Modern Korea

Fri, December 1, 2023 | 08:30

(580) Secret emissary from North

In the early hours of the morning on May 16 1961 ― to be precise, at 5:30 a.m. ― troops under the command of Major General Park Chung-hee entered Seoul. In the following hours they took over control over Army Headquarters, Central Government offices and the Seoul Central Broadcasting. The military coup met with little in the way of resistance and a new era in South Korean hi...

2012-06-07 17:07

(579) 'Hermit nation'

The ``Hermit Kingdom’’ ― this is how Korea was widely known during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is now more frequently referred to as the ``Land of the Morning Calm.’’ But, how did the former label arise? Why did Korea come to be known as the ``Hermit Kingdom’’ or “Hermit Nation”?

2012-05-24 17:02

If you talk to the average Korean nowadays about his or her family background, you can be almost certain that your interlocutor will tell you that he or she comes from some aristocratic ``yangban’’ family through a direct line of descent. Indeed, across the globe, many people fancy themselves descendents of the rich and mighty aristocratic clans of the past. But in Korea, sel...

2012-05-10 16:44

(577) Post-unification nationalism

North Korea is a deeply nationalistic regime, and its nationalism has deep historical roots. To start with, East Asian Communists of the 1920s and 1930s were quite nationalist. Then, from the 1950s onwards, the North Korean leadership encouraged nationalism as a way to keep its distance from troublesome patrons in Moscow and Beijing. Finally, with the Communist Bloc crumbling...

2012-04-26 16:53

(576) Confucianism in Korea

(576) Confucianism in Korea

Pre-modern Korea has frequently been described as a “Confucian country.” Indeed, Confucianism played a major role in the life of Korea in former times. Nonetheless, one has to keep in mind the fact that Confucianism is very different from the great religions of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Indeed, it can hardly be seen as a religion at all.

2012-04-12 17:00

(575) First steamers

(575) First steamers

In the summer of 1845, the authorities in southern coastal areas of Korea reported a sighting of some unusual ships. A local magistrate in Jeolla Province described it in some detail: “The smoke billowed up into the air from a tall chimney, and two devices were rotating on both sides of the ship.”

2012-03-29 16:54

(574) Gwacheon complex

(574) Gwacheon complex

If for some reason you have to visit several government ministries, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor, you should be ready for a long subway ride. Indeed, while most Korean government agencies are clustered in downtown Seoul, in the Gwanghwamun area, some of them are located far away.

2012-03-15 17:21

(573) Bukchon and Namchon

(573) Bukchon and Namchon

In recent years, the Cheonggye stream has become one of Seoul’s major landmarks. This long, artificial valley in the middle of the city attracts much attention and has been the object of much criticism.

2012-02-23 17:12

(572) First Westerners in Korea

(572) First Westerners in Korea

Who were the first Westerners to visit Korea? We will probably learn their names, but there is little doubt that over the last two millennia, a number people from the Far West have made it to this Far Eastern peninsula. Some of them may have been slaves while most were probably of the merchant and mercenary sort.

2012-02-09 17:20

(571) Koreans on Sakhalin

(571) Koreans on Sakhalin

In 1945, the Soviet Union took over the southern half of the large island of Sakhalin, hitherto a possession of Imperial Japan. Some 310,000 people lived in the south at the time.

2012-01-19 17:13

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