Evolution Korea
The democratic system in South Korea is vulnerable to populist impulses. It's still better than expected.
The country is searching for a new paradigm of development. A Confucian culture that emphasizes respect for ancestors and gendered family relationships continues to influence society. There are signs that a secular culture is gaining ground.
Origins
During prehistoric times the ancestors of the modern Koreans survived by hunting and gathering wild food. Around 10,000 years ago they began to cultivate millet and beans as well as other crops. They also raised livestock and produced furs. They formed tribal states in Manchuria, and then on the Korean peninsula. They also established an industry of metalworking, making bronze tools and later iron tools. They traded with other states and introduced cedon paper making block printing art styles, and a written language to Japan.
In 2333 BCE Gojoseon was established in the southern part of the peninsula. The state adopted Buddhism and adopted Chinese culture including Confucian philosophy. During this time, the people of Buyeo joined Gojoseon. Gojoseon was a hierarchical society in which a monarch and high-ranking officials were drawn from the landed aristocracy whereas the rest of the population were peasants. The state collected taxes from these people and sometimes even required them to join the army or build fortifications.
Onjo, a prince from Goguryeo who was also the son of Jumong the founder of Goguryeo and the state of Baekje at the end of the period. The new kingdom grew into the southwest part of the peninsula, and clashed against Goguryeo's commanderies and China's in the region. Baekje included elements of Confucian thinking into its state belief system and made the male centered filiopiety concept an official doctrine in 1390 CE. In the name of filiopiety fathers were responsible for their families and had to be revered and obeyed by all, including their children and grandchildren.
Goryeo, a country which ruled from 918 until 1392 CE and gave the world the Hangul Alphabet based on the shapes that were created by the mouth when it pronounces. This dramatically improved communication between people and resulted in an explosion of the writing of Buddhist texts. In addition, movable metal type printing was introduced, and woodblock printing was refined. It was during this period that the Samguk sagi, also known as 'History of the Three Kingdoms' was first recorded in 1145 CE.
Development in Korea
The Korean peninsula was habitable from Neolithic times until. Early evidence of human settlements can be found in the form of graves lined with stones, and adorned with precious items such as amazonite jewelry buried with the dead. Megalithic structures, also known as dolmens and constructed from single large stones are common in the country.
In the first half of the 1st millennium BCE, Gojoseon established itself as the first recognized political state. The peninsula was later controlled by a variety of states during the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BC-635 CE) including Baekje and Goguryeo. Moreover, the northern region of the peninsula was occupied by the Balhae kingdom, which many historians do not believe to be a valid Korean state.
After the Three Kingdoms arose the Proto-Three Kingdoms Period, or Several States Period. Among them, Baekje was the most powerful of them all however, its dynasty ended by the fall of Goguryeo in 676 CE and left the southern provinces of Manchuria and the western region surrounding the Hwanghae Bay, while eastern Buyeo and the Gaya confederacy thrived for some time.
The Unified Silla kingdom then emerged, and the three kingdoms began to work together to expand their territories. In the final phase, Silla, with significant Chinese aid, conquered the other states and unified the peninsula in 935 CE.
As Korea is entering a post-crisis period the way it develops appears to be changing. The people who are affronted by the huge cost of the old system advocate the need for a comprehensive program of liberalization of capital as well as labor and product markets. On the other hand, people who support the old system seek to protect it by promoting nationalist sentiments and by inflating fears about potential job loss.
Academic and policy analysts remain starkly divided as to the extent to which these two developments are driving Koreas development towards an economic model that is radically different from the one of governance. This article examines the five phases of Korea's evolution in terms of its political development including democratic democracies that are not liberal (1945-60) democratic autoritarianism (1961-72) authoritarian exceptionalism (1972-1877) democratic paternalism (2001-2002) and democratic participation (2002). This article also identifies some important factors that appear to influence these processes.
Creationism in Korea
In South Korea, 26% of the population is Christian. Creationists have made significant progress in promoting their beliefs to this segment. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that nearly a third of respondents did not believe in the theory of evolution. Of those, 41% said that there was insufficient scientific evidence to support the theory 39% believed it was contrary to their religious beliefs; and 17% said they did not know what it meant. This level of disbelief is comparable to that of the United States where a similar percentage do not believe humans evolved from lesser advanced forms of life.
In the past, most of the anti-evolution movement in Korea was focused on educating college students and leading them to Christ. An increase in interest in creation science came in the year 1980, when there was the inauguration of a four-day seminar during the World Evangelization Crusade in Seoul that featured Drs. Henry Morris and Duane Gish of ICR as the featured speakers. The event attracted an audience of scientists, professors, and church leaders.
The success of this event led to the establishment of the Korea Association of Creation Research (KACR) on January 31st 1981. The inauguration event was widely reported in national newspapers, including The Korea Times and Chosun Ilbo, and it attracted a lot of attention.
KACR began publishing a newsletter titled CREATION. In it, the group presented its own work and published articles on the scientific evidence for the existence of God. It also translated a number of slides and film strips from ICR as well as a few books on creationism that were published outside of Korea. KACR members lectured throughout the country in churches and universities.
One example of one KACR success story took place at the KAIST university in Seoul. Students at the KAIST university in Seoul were so fascinated by creationism that they raised funds and received funding to construct a small creationist museum on campus.
In addition to its public activities, KACR publishes a bimonthly news magazine, CREATION, which covers topics in creation science, and it has sponsored a series of talks by ICR staff. It also has a network of local branch offices that give seminars and talks to schoolchildren and other community groups.
Evolution in South Korea
In the latter half of the nineteenth century and the early 20th century, Korea began to adopt an increasingly Westernized lifestyle. The traditional Korean dress, the hanbok was replaced by miniskirts and other foreign fashion elements. The traditional Korean music was also replaced by rock and roll and jazz. At this time the famous samulnori or masked dance dramas, were popular with the public. These dramatic dances were performed to the accompaniment of shaman drums as well as various types of musical instruments.
The economic crisis has formed Korea's new paradigm of development. The main challenge for the new regime is to find the right balance between state-led economic policies and market-oriented ones. It also requires changing incentives, monitoring, or disciplining systems that have created the system prior to the crisis. These issues are examined in Chapters 3 and 4.
Baekje was founded by Onjo Prince and third son of Jumong of Goguryeo was founded by people from the Hangang River area, Buyeo and other areas and also by a migrant from northern China. Baekje, one of the major regional powers in the early 4th century, expanded its territory to Mahan in north and Jeollanam-do south. In the process, it entered into frequent confrontation with Goguryeo and the Chinese commanders across the border.
The decline of Silla in the late 8th and 9th centuries saw strong local factions to emerge. Gungye was a nobleman from Later Baekje who established a kingdom in Songak with Songak as the capital. He was the ruler of a large portion of the present-day Jeolla province as well as Chungcheong. Then, he moved the capital to Wansanju. He was a rival to Goguryeo.
His rule was however only for a short time. After Gungye's defeat, he was overthrown by a powerful local leader, Wang Geon, who united Goryeo with Baekje and Silla in 935. Later, Baekje was incorporated peacefully into Goryeo as a successor state. Wang Geon also introduced fundamental reforms and strengthened the centralized ruling system. Evolution KR marked the end of the Three Kingdoms Period. From then on, the Korean peninsula was controlled by the Goryeo Dynasty. In the Three Kingdoms period, Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla gradually became powerful states in Manchuria and on the peninsula.