Culture of Korea

In the midst of the 19th century, Korea was regarded by westerners as the Hermit Kingdom. In similar vein as their close neighbors to the east, Japan, who practiced Sakoku, or Isolation, Korea emulated a similar isolation. Though Korea was highly strict and in constant refusal for having any form of dialogue with westerners, they still maintaining relationships with China as a tributary state and friendly relations with Japan at the time. Though, there were some Koreans like Yi Hangno, a fierce…

Although some changes have occurred in Korean culture and gender relations Korean Women still suffer from detrimental gender based stereotypes and expectations which are the result of traditional Confucian beliefs. The patriarchal South Korean society and its negative effects on Korean women are shown in the 2010 film “The Housemaid” in which two South Korean women are mistreated and used as tools for the benefit of their shared lover. The societal expectations are even more damaging for South…

Being able to read and act based on social cues is important in many cultures, but in South Korea, “nunchi” is especially valued. There is no exact translation of this word in English, but in his research paper, Jae Hong Heo interprets nunchi as a way of understanding the situation or feelings of others around you and acting accordingly. My paper will discuss why nunchi is unique to South Korea and how the awareness of nunchi affects social relations on professional and casual levels. The main…

As you can see, of all new democracies, Korea ranked highest among those believing in leftism that is, perhaps troublingly so, sympathetic with the authoritarian communism of the past. This helps us better understand their conclusion when they say “With this leftward shift in ideological identifications, South Korea became one of the most left-wing new democracies in a relatively short period of democratization. More noteworthy than this shift alone is the fact that most South Koreans who…

At the dawn of the 20th century, Korea experienced dramatic transformations in countless aspects such as politics, economy, and international affairs. Under the imperialist Japan’s coercion to adopt the Kanghwa Treaty, Korea had no choice but to open its doors to the outside world in February 1876. Behind this seemingly profitable arrangement for Korea lied Japan’s intention to take absolute control over its colony. Although the treaty provided Korean merchants with an open access to the global…

A century ago, in front of the Korea’s coastal waters, Japan and Russia had conflict over interests in Manchuria and the Korean peninsula, which is called Russo-Japanese War. At that era, Russian government was an imperial power and had many rebelling against the leader Czar Alexander II. After the incident, Czar Nicholas II obtained the sovereignty of Russia. However, because of too much internal revolution in Russia, they had to struggle with unstabilized government during the war. However,…

The California roll is not apart of the Japanese culture. The American food was greatly impacted by Japanese food. They took Japanese food and put their little twist on it. I will be writing about how Japan influenced American food, about their diets, and their McDonald's menu. Japanese food influenced American food greatly. For example, america took sushi and put their twist on it. America made Japanese restaurants cute and chic. Japanese food mostly stayed in california or Hawaii though. In…

In 1904 Czar Nicholas made his first huge mistake by upsetting the Japanese. He wanted to expand Russian territory and started to spread east. In doing so he found “a strategic warm-water port on the Pacific Ocean in southern Manchuria” (Daniels) called Port Arthur. The new Russian presence angered the people of Japan. To further their provocation Nicholas had built the Trans-Siberian Railroad through Manchuria. Japan, wanting to solve their issue, sent diplomats to negotiate but upon their…

Searching for a Bridge Between the Disconnect: Exploring the Rise of Hip-Hop in South Korea Hip hop was an underground movement during the 90s in South Korea. Members of the hip hop community were few and often rumored to be part of a “Westernized cult” (Maher). Fast forward less than a decade, hip hop has emerged and taken a strong presence in South Korea’s music industry. Amongst the Barbie-like girl groups donning pink school girl skirts and metro-sexual boy bands, hip hop artists are the…

From simple agricultural civilizations to large and advanced empires, the Classical Period, from 1000 B.C.E. to 500 C.E., was one of the most important and developmental periods in human history. During this period, several large civilizations developed in the Middle East and Asia. These civilizations made many advancements in areas such as politics, economy, technology, art, and religion. Two major civilizations that developed during the classical period were China and the Indian subcontinent.…