Foreign Language

Korean
Mr. Niño S. Ronquillo, MBA (c)
History of Korea
Ancient Korea

 By 4000 BC there were stone age farmers living in Korea. By 1000 BC they had learned to use bronze.
There were 3 of them, Goguryeo in the north and Silla and Baekje in the south. According to legend Silla
was founded in 57 BC by Bak Hyeokgeose, Jumong founded Goguryeo in 37 BC and Onjo founded Baekje
in 18 BC. In reality the 3 kingdoms emerged later between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD. These 3 kingdoms
were heavily influenced by Chinese civilization. By the 4th century they were highly civilized.
 The three kingdoms of Korea fought for supremacy. China tried to defeat the northern kingdom of Goguryeo
twice. Both times they were defeated by General Eulji Mundeok. However the Chinese then made an
alliance with the Silla kingdom against the other two. The Baekje kingdom was defeated by 660 AD and
became part of Silla. Goguryeo followed in 668. Korea was then united under the Silla.
History of Korea
The Silla in Korea (668-935)

 Although Korea was united under one monarch it was still largely a tribal society. This was underlined by the
existence of the hwabaek. Originally they were a council of tribal leaders. Later they were a council of
nobles and they had the power to decide who succeeded to the throne.
 Korean society was strictly hierarchical. Most of the population were serfs and even the nobility were
divided into ranks. Following the Chinese example a university was formed where Confucian classics were
taught. (You had to be of noble birth to study there). There were also civil service exams following the
Chinese model. (Again only those of noble birth could take them).
 Buddhism was introduced into Korea in the 4th century AD and soon many Buddhist temples were built.
 In the late 8th century AD the Silla kingdom began to break down. There were fights over the succession to
the throne. Moreover local warlords began to break away from the government in the capital, Gyeongju, and
formed their own states. One warlord called Wang Geon formed a state called Goryeo in 918. He defeated
his rivals and in 935 became ruler of Silla.
History of Korea
The Goryeo in Korea (918-1392)

 The Goryeo kingdom was faced with aggressive neighbors. A people called the Jurchens conquered north
China and frequently fought the Koreans. Then China fell to the Mongols. They soon turned their attention to
Korea and they invaded in 1231. The Korean royal family fled to the island of Ganghwa. The Mongols were
unable to take the island but they were able to rampage throughout mainland Korea.
 However the Koreans fought back and the Mongols were never able to completely subdue Korea. Finally in
1258 the Korean royal family surrendered. They were allowed to remain as puppet rulers.
 In the 13th century the Chinese philosophy called Neo-Confucianism arrived in Korea. This was also an age
when exquisite celadon pottery was made. A man named Kim Bu-sik wrote a history of Korea called
Samguk Sagi, The History of the Three Kingdoms. However the Goryeo dynasty was in decline. In 1392 a
General named Yi Seong-gye was ordered to lead an army against the Ming rulers of China. Instead he
turned against his own ruler. The general became the new king of Korea.
History of Korea
The Joseon in Korea (1392-1910)

 The king moved the capital to Hanseong (Seoul) in 1394. Under the Yi rulers Confucianism was made the
official religion of Korea. Buddhism lost its influence. In 1443 king Sejong created a native Korean alphabet.
 In Korea there was a class of scholars-officials called the yangban. In order to join the civil service or to
become an army officer you had to pass certain exams in Confucian thought. In order to take the exams you
had to be the son of a yangban. So the scholar-official class were hereditary. Below the yangban were a class
of clerks and specialists like doctors and accountants. They were called the jungin (middle-men). Below
them Was the great mass of Korean society called the yangmin. They were peasants, craftsmen and
merchants. Certain trades such as butchers, tanners and entertainers were outcasts. At the bottom of the pile
were slaves.
 Japan invaded Korea in 1592. They prevailed on land but at sea they were defeated by Admiral Yi Sun-sin.
The Japanese were forced to withdraw. They invaded again in 1597 but they withdrew in 1598.
 In the 17th century Korea suffered from factionalism among its ruling class. Silhak (practical learning).
Scholars discussed the practical ways of solving Korea's problems rather than purely abstract ideas.
History of Korea
The Joseon in Korea (1392-1910)

 In the 18th century the kings clamped down on factionalism. In Korea trade and commerce flourished.
Merchants had low status in Korean society. Confucianism regarded them with suspicion since they did not
actually produce anything, unlike peasants and craftsmen.
 The first contact with Europeans came in 1656 when a Dutch ship was shipwrecked off the coast of Korea.
Then in the 18th century Jesuit priests traveled to China. Koreans visiting China met them and by the end of
the 18th century some Koreans had been converted to Catholicism. The new religion slowly spread in Korea
despite waves of persecution in 1801, 1839 and 1866.
 In the 1850s a new religion spread among the peasants. It was called Donghak (Eastern learning) and it was
led by Choe Je-u. The peasants were discontented in the 19th century and in 1864 there was a rebellion. The
rebellion was crushed and Choe Je-u was executed.
History of Korea
Europeans Arrive In Korea

 During the 19th century Korea adopted an isolationist policy. The Koreans refused to trade with Westerners. At
first this policy was successful. Some French priests were killed in Korea in 1866. The French sent a gunboat to
avenge them but they were driven off by Korean shore defenses. In 1871 Koreans burned a US ship called the
General Sherman which came to plunder the coast. The USA sent ships to Korea but they too were fought off.
 However Korea's policy of isolation meant she fell behind other countries in technology and industry. After
1880 king Gojong attempted reform. In 1882 he introduced the slogan 'eastern ethics, western technology' but
his measures were unpopular and were resisted by conservative officials and by the ordinary people.
Confucianism was a very conservative religion or philosophy and made radical change difficult.
 Until 1876 Japanese merchants were only allowed to trade in Busan. In that year they forced the Koreans to
sign a treaty of trade and friendship. (King Gojong realized that Korea was too weak to fight them). Other ports
were opened to the Japanese. There were to be no tariffs on Japanese goods. The treaty stated that Japan and
Korea were independent nations. However Japan had increasing power and influence over the Koreans.
 Korea signed a similar trade treaty with the USA 1882. This was followed by treaties with Britain and Germany
the same year. In 1884 she signed a trade treaty with Russia and in 1886 with France.
History of Korea
Europeans Arrive In Korea

 In 1882 some soldiers in Imo rebelled. They burned the Japanese legation and killed the Japanese military adviser. Korea
was forced to pay compensation to the Japanese and signed a new treaty, the Treaty of Jemulpo, which increased
Japanese influence. Furthermore the Chinese used the uprising as an excuse to station their troops on Korean territory.
 In 1894 members of the Donghak religion and discontented peasants rose in rebellion. They insisted they were loyal to
the king but they demanded certain reforms. The king appealed to the Chinese for help and they sent troops. Japan also
sent troops. The king then made a truce with the rebels but the Japanese refused to leave. China and Japan then fought a
war, which Japan won easily. For centuries Korea was a 'tributary' state of China. Chinese influence was now ended and
Japan began to dominate Korea.
 The Japanese installed a regent to rule and under Japanese pressure a Deliberative Council was formed to introduce
reforms. From July 1894 to December 1895 the Council swept away much of Korean tradition. There were many
Koreans who wanted some reform but the Japanese forced them to introduce these reforms anyway. The regent resigned
in October 1894 but the king made no attempt to stop the reforms.
 The old rigid division of Korean society into classes was abolished. In the past the Yangban, the scholar-official class,
were not allowed to be involved in trade. Now they were free to engage in business. The old civil service exams based on
Confucian thought was abolished. New exams were introduced based on modern subjects. A new curriculum was
introduced for schools with modern subjects. Slavery was abolished. Widows were now allowed to remarry and child
marriage was abolished.
History of Korea
Europeans Arrive In Korea

 While all this was being done the Donghak started a second rebellion. They were crushed by the Japanese
and the movement was destroyed. Their leader was captured and executed in 1895. Some further reforms
were undertaken in the years 1895-1910. The first modern textile mill in Korea was built in 1897 and the
first railway, from Seoul to Incheon, was built in 1901. However Korea remained an overwhelmingly
agricultural nation.
 By 1900 there were many Protestant missionaries in Korea. By 1910 there was a small but rapidly growing
number of converts.
 Increasingly Korea fell under Japanese domination. In Korea was made a Japanese 'protectorate' which
meant that Japan now controlled Korean foreign policy and its relations with other countries. Then in 1907
Korea was forced to accept limited Japanese control of its internal affairs and the Korean army were
disbanded. A Japanese official was sent to run things. He was assassinated in 1909. That gave the Japanese
an excuse to annex Korea which they did in 1910.
History of Korea
The Colonial Period in Korea (1910-1945)

 The Japanese turned Korea into a colony to supply Japan with food. However they also built bridges,
railways and roads. The Japanese also built many factories in Korea. The urban population grew rapidly
although Korea remained predominantly agricultural. Nevertheless Japanese rule was repressive. In 1919
many Koreans took part in peaceful demonstrations for independence. The Japanese responded by arresting
and executing thousands of people.
 Afterwards they made some small reforms. The Koreans were allowed to print newspapers and hold
meetings. They were also granted religious freedom and more respect was shown to Korean customs.
 However all these reforms were superficial and in the 1930s the Japanese tried to assimilate the Koreans by
persuading them to adopt Japanese names. From 1938 education was only in Japanese. Schoolchildren were
forbidden to speak Korean. The Japanese also tried to persuade the Koreans to adopt Shinto (the Japanese
national religion) without much success. During World War II many Koreans either volunteered or were
forced to work in Japan. However Japanese attempts to turn Korea into part of Japan were ended in 1945
when they surrendered to the allies.
History of Korea
The Korean War

 Even before the war ended Russia and the USA had agreed that after the war Korea would be divided into two zones,
Russian and American. In August 1945 Russian troops entered the north. In September, after the Japanese surrender,
American troops landed in the south. Korea was divided in two along an imaginary line, the 38th parallel. It was
originally intended that the two zones would eventually be united into one. Of course that did not happen. With the onset
of the cold war the divide between them hardened. The Russians installed a communist government in the north and in
the south a government was elected in 1948. Korea became two countries, one Communist, and one Democratic.
 The North Korean army invaded the south on 25 June 1950. They quickly drove south and captured Seoul. The UN
Security Council invited members to help the south. US troops arrived on 30 June but they were forced to withdraw into
the area around Busan. The first British troops arrived in Korea on 29 August 1950. On 15 September other US troops
landed at Incheon 150 miles north of Busan. The soldiers in the Busan area broke out and pushed north and linked up
with the troops in Incheon on 26 September. On the same day allied troops liberated Seoul. United Nations troops then
pushed the communists back over the 38th parallel and by 24 November they controlled about 2/3 of North Korea.
 However the Chinese then intervened. Strengthened by Chinese 180,000 troops the communists then counter-attacked
and drove the allies south. By the end of 1950 the allies were back at the 38th parallel. The communists attacked again on
1 January 1951. The allies counter-attacked on 25 January and on 14 March they again liberated Seoul. Several
communist offensives followed but all of them were repulsed. The war ended in a stalemate and on 27 July 1953 a cease-
fire was signed. The 38th parallel was once again the border between the two countries.
History of Korea
South Korea In The Late 20th Century

 Democracy did not flourish in South Korea in the 1950s. The president, Syngman Rhee used a national
security law of 1949 to close newspapers and imprison critics. However his administration was corrupt and
by 1960 it was facing growing economic problems. In 1960 riots by students forced Rhee to resign. Faced
with inflation, unemployment and continuing riots the army staged a coup in 1961. General Park Chung-hee
became ruler.
History of Korea
The South Korean Economic Miracle

 At first the general declared martial law but in 1963 he held presidential elections and won. Nevertheless his rule was repressive.
He won a second election in 1967. The General won a third election in 1971 by only by a small margin. Afterwards he drew up a
new constitution which gave him more power. He was assassinated in October 1979.
 Despite repressive rule South Korea's economy began to grow rapidly from the mid 1960s and by the 1990s the country had
undergone an economic miracle. It was transformed from a poor, relatively undeveloped country into a thriving and rich economy.
The state played a large part in the transformation. In the 1960s General Park built roads and bridges and expanded education. A
series of 5 year plans were drawn up and the government took a central role in running the economy. Industry became dominated
by large corporations called Chaebol.
 After the assassination of General Park in 1979 the army again stepped in to restore order. General Chun Doo-hwan took power in
May 1980. He declared martial law and arrested his opponents. Demonstrations against him were held in the city of Gwangju.
They were led by students. The army crushed the protests by force, killing hundreds of people.
 In the 1980s the Korean economy continued to grow and the country climbed out of poverty. South Korea became an affluent
society. In 1988 the Olympics were held in Seoul which brought South Korea into the international limelight. However from the
mid 1980s there was increasing unrest in South Korea led by students unhappy with the regime. In 1987 Christian leaders spoke
out against the regime and many people held mass demonstrations. General Chun agreed to step down and democratic elections
were held. In 1988 General Roh Tae-woo was elected president.
 By the 1990s South Korea had become a fairly rich nation and its people had quite a high standard of living. It was also a
democratic country. In the 1990s the government began to deregulate industry.
History of Korea
North Korea In The Late 20th Century

 In stark contrast is North Korea. After Russian troops occupied the north a communist government was
installed. Kim Il Sung was made ruler. Like many dictators he created a 'cult of personality' by erecting
statues of himself everywhere. Schoolchildren were taught to see him as the fount of all wisdom. In fact he
created a very repressive regime. Religious belief was outlawed and the people strictly controlled. Today
North Korea is the last Stalinist regime in the world. With a great deal of Russian aid North Korea was
transformed from a poor agricultural country into an industrial one.
 However in the mid 1970s the economy began to stagnate and North Korea was overtaken by the south.
Furthermore North Korea was harmed by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Kim Il Sung died in 1994 but was
succeeded by his son. In effect the Communists have created a new dynasty. Kim Jong-Il. He died in 2011
and he was followed by his son Kim Jong Un.
 In the late 1990s a severe famine occurred in North Korea. There were unusually heavy rain and floods in
1995-96, followed by a drought in 1997 and typhoon damage in 1997. Malnutrition became common
especially among children. How many people died in the famine is not known.
History of Korea
Korea In The 21st Century

 In 2008 a woman named Yi So Yeon became the first Korean to travel in space. Then in 2013 Park Geun Hye
became the first woman president of South Korea. In 2018 there was a thaw in relations between North and
South Korea.
 Today the population of North Korea is 25 million while the population of South Korea is 51 million.
History of Korea
Korea In The 21st Century

 Kim Jong-un is the 3rd Supreme Leader of North Korea.

 The government of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea has been dominated by the ruling
Workers’ Party of Korea since 1948. It has been described as a socialist state and a totalitarian dictatorship.
 Moon Jae-in is the 19th President of South Korea.
 The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic with three principal branches of government: executive,
legislative, and the judiciary. South Korea has a centralized government that primarily operates at the
national level. The head of the government is the president. The highest member of the national assembly is
the president, followed by the prime minister and then the ministers. The judiciary and executive branches
operate majorly at the national level. The constitution determines the structure of the government.
Korean

Zero - Yeong/Gong First - Cheobbunjjae

One - Il/Hana Second - Dubunjjae
Two - I/Dul Third - Saebunjjae
Three - Sam/Set Fourth - Nebunjjae
Four - Sa/Net Fifth - Daseobbunjjae
Five - Wo/Dasseot Sixth - Yeoseobbunjjae
Six - Yuk/Yeosseot Seventh - Ilkobbunjjae
Seven - Chil/Ilgop Eight - Yeodeolbunjjae
Eight - Pal/Yeodeol Ninth - Ahobbunjjae
Nine- Gu/Ahop Tenth - Yeolbunjjae
Ten - Sib/Yeol
Korean

Hello - Annyeonghaseyo
How are you? - Jal Jinesseoyo?
Im fine, thanks - Jeoneun Jal Jinaeyo
Im not well, thanks - Jal Jinejimotaesseoyo
What’s your name? - Ileumi meo eyo?
My name is… - Jeoneun ieyo
See you later - Ddo bwayo
Goodbye - Jal gayo
Nice to meet you - Mannaseo bangawoyo
What about you? - Dangsineunyo?
Korean

Good luck - Haeng-unel bileoyo

Take care - Josimhaeyo
It’s been a while - Olenmanieyo
How old are you? - Myeossaliseyo
Yes - Ne
No - Aniyo
Thank you - Go ma sseum ni da
Please - Boo ta kam ni da
Please say that again - Dasi malsseumhae jusi kesseoyo
Congratulations - Chukahaeyo
You’re welcome - Chun ma ne yo
Korean

Help - Do wa ju se yo
Excuse me - Silehamnida
Who? - Nukayo
What? - Mueoseulyo
Why? - Waeyo
Which? - Eoddeonkeoyo
Where? - Eodiyo
When? - Eonjieyo?
Korean

Brother - Hyeongjae
Elder Brother - Hyeong/Oppa Grandmother - Halmeoni
Sister - Jame Grandfather - Halabeoji
Elder Sister - Nuna/Eonni Uncle - Samchon
Elder Brother/Sister - Dongseng Aunt - Gomo/Imo
Mother - Eomma Husband - Nampyeon
Father - Abba Wife - Ane
Son - Adeul Boyfriend - Namjachinku
Daughter - Dddal Girlfriend - Yeonjachinku
Grandson - Sonja Friend - Chinku
Granddaughter - Sonnyeo
Korean

I love you - Salanghaeyo

You are very cute - Dangsineun Jeongmal kwiyeowoyo
You are very beautiful - Dangsineun Jeongmal Aleumdawoyo
You are great - Daongsineun Meosisseoyo
Can you help me? - Ieoleul Jom Fowa Jusillaeyo?
Airport - Gonghang
Flight - Hanggong pyeon
Plane - Bihaengki
Train Station - Kicha yeok
Bus stop - Buseu junglyujang
Car - Jadongcha