KOREA AND THE KOREAN PEOPLE
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| (Continue) ideology Koryo grew to become a rich and powerful state but it also suffered from foreign invasions and domination. There were sporadic clashes with various Chinese states during the 11th and 12th centuries, but Koryo suffered most from the destructive Mongol invasions that began in 1231 and resulted in nearly 100 years of Mongolian domination. Confucianism grew in influence in the latter years of Koryo and became the ruling philosophy under the Choson Kingdom (1392-1910) founded by General Yi Songgye after his overthrow of the corrupt Koryo court. Politically, Choson was as turbulent as Koryo, fraught with factional feuding. However, it was not without spectacular achievements, such as King Sejong's creation of 1uangil, the Korean alphabet, in the mid-15th century as well as a number of important technological and cultural developments in fields as diverse as medicine and meteorology, painting and literature. The peninsula was devastated by Japanese invasions in the late 16th century and, not long after, was struck by Manchurian invasions in 1627 and 1636. Follc,wing Choson's defeat at the hands of the Manchus, the country adopted an isolationist policy Meanwhile, the government's inability to cope with the worsening economic crisis, official corruption, and factionalism led to the decline of the kingdom. This process of dynastic decay was nearly halted in the 18th century, however, by the rise of the Sirhak (Practical Learning) movement spearheaded by some of the kingdom's brightest scholars. These scholars' proposals were largely ignored by the Choson rulers, hc,wever, and Chc60n society remained unprepared for the rapid changes occurring both at home and abroad
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By the
early 19th century, Western traders and missionaries were trying to "open"
Korea, but the Choson court was vehemently oppc6ed to the introduction of Western goods or
ideas. This isolationist stance reached its peak during the regency of the Taewongun, who
ruled in his son's name from 1864 to 1873. After the forced removal of the Taewongun by
his foes in 1873, the country readily gave in to mounting pressures from abroad Korea
signed a diplomatic treaty withJapan in 1876 and trade agreements with the United State$
Russia, France and Great Britain in the 1880s. The Korean peninsula was the scene of
superpower strife for the next quarter century, and Korea was ultimately annexed by the
Japanese in 1910. Korea's modern history has been plagued by colonial oppression, ideological division and political intrigue For 35 years, Korea was ruled by an oppressiveJapanese colonial government that exploited the nation's mineral resources, land markets and people The Korean people were liberated from colonial rule in 1945 at the end of World War II, and the Korean peninsula was divided along the 38th parallel in accordance with a decision reached by the Allied Powers in February 1945. The largely agricultural South was put under US. occupation and the industrial North was occupied by Soviet troops. Although the purpc6e of the US. and Soviet occupation was to help establish a "free and independent" Korea, the plan ultimately failed and separate governments were formed in the North and South. The Korean War broke out inJune 1950 and lasted for three bloody years during which some 400,000 civilians were killed FinaLly after two years of bitter negotiations, a truce line was estabLished across the peninsula roughly along the 38th parallel. |
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