Politics and Governments of Historic Korea
A political history of Korea.
Location: North Korea; South Korea
Politics of Gojoseon and the Three Kingdoms
The first known kingdom of Korea appears in Chinese records as Choson, now Gojoseon. Said to be founded in 2333 BCE, Gojoseon controlled the northern part of the peninsula until 108 BCE. The people of Gojoseon lived in walled towns made up of loose alliances, unified under legendary kings. Their warriors wielded bronze weapons from horseback. The Chinese called them "formidable to the point of arrogance." At last, however, Gojoseon met its end at Chinese hands, conquered by the Han dynasty.[1]
Over time, China's hold on the region weakened. The loose states left behind formed united into the Three Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje. Their dynasties vied for power but also shared culture and learning between themselves.
In 668, Silla conquered the Three Kingdoms to form Unified Silla. Silla shaped Korean power and culture for two centuries. It was heavily influenced by Buddhism and its powerful monasteries. Toward the end, Silla's monarchy weakened under peasant uprisings. A resurgent Goguryeo and Baekje further splintered the unified state. By 935 CE, it had fallen to the new Goryeo dynasty.[2]
Goryeo Government
The Goryeo government was the first in Korea to adopt Confucian exam systems. Local power remained in the hands of noble families, despite attempts to model its system after Tang China. Rural officials were paid in rice, but they enjoyed other perks of their position. They inherited prime estates, technically state-owned, and collected rent from their tenants. These officials were the predecessors of the Joseon yangban.
Goryeo lasted over 400 years, but it was constantly threatened by the Mongolian Yuan dynasty. A series of slave rebellions in the countryside further eroded its power. In 1392, a general named Yi Seonggye removed the sitting monarch and founded his own dynasty, Joseon.[3][4]
Politics of the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Korea followed Confucian principles of governance. Court officials served a ruling king, while governors and nobles managed the nation's eight provinces. The ruling class, the yangban, competed for posts through a series of exams. Social mobility was low. Unlike in China, commoners were blocked from taking the civil exams. Craftsmen, merchants, entertainers, and shamans, while all common, ranked among the base classes. Noble children played board games mimicking the career of a scholar. Even military service was seen as a lower-class pursuit.[5][6]
By the early modern period, the wider world had turned its attentions to Korea. Increased trade through China, Japan, and the United States brought new opportunities and dangers. Christian, Shinto, and Buddhist missionaries all arrived seeking converts. Korea, a small and isolated country, would soon become pivotal in the larger power struggles of the 20th century.
Korean Politics and the Japanese Invasion
Despite the failed invasion of Korea in 1592, Meiji Japan had not forgotten its colonial ambitions. Instead of another attack, Japanese officials sought legal cover to annex Korea. They oversaw the opening of its ports and cities to outsiders in 1876. The sheltered yangban of a failing Joseon dynasty had never faced such pressure. Pushed onto the larger stage, they proved unready for global politics. In 1905, imperial Japan declared Korea its protectorate. By 1910, through a controversial treaty, it had annexed Korea and ended the Joseon dynasty.[7][8]
The Cold War and Korean War
Japan controlled Korea through the end of World War II. The period was marked by violence and cultural suppression, similar to the experiences of other colonies. Following Japan's defeat, Korea passed into the hands of the Soviet Union and United States. The divided nation never came back together. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea, invaded the Republic of Korea in the South in 1950.
Modern Korean Politics
As the Cold War faded, Korea remained at war. The two nations, with their radically different approach to government, continue to diverge. North Korea is largely cut off from the outside world, its politics masked behind layers of propaganda. Power passed from Kim Il-Sung, its first leader, to his son and grandson. The country is now headed by supreme leader Kim Jong-Un.
South Korea went through its own period of dictatorship after World War II. It emerged as a democratic republic in 1987. After decades under military rule, South Koreans now take an active role in their government.[9] In 2016, massive protests forced the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. Geun-hye, the daughter of former dictator Park Chung-hee, was accused of corruption and sharing influence with her aide. The nation has since elected Moon Jae-in to replace her.[10]
Bibliography
Brian Cumings, Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History (New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005), 25-26.
Hyong Shin, A Brief History of Korea (Seoul: Ewha Womans Univ. Press, 2008), 43-53.
Jae-un Kang, The Land of Scholars: Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism (Paramus, NJ: Homa Sekey Books, 2006), 71-87.
Michael J. Seth, A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2011), 85-115.
E-Wah Lee, Korea's Pastimes and Customs: A Social History, trans. Ju-Hee Park (Paramus, NJ: Homa & Sekey Books, 2006), 37-51
Seth, 160-167.
Young-Iob Chung, Korea Under Siege, 1876-1945: Capital Formation and Economic Transformation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006).
Seth, 225-265.
S'ng-ch''l Yang, Korea and Two Regimes: Kim Il Sung and Park Chung Hee (Cambridge, MA: Schenkman Pub. Co., 1981).
Choe Sang-hun, "South Korea Removes President Park Geun-hye," The New York Times, March 09, 2017, The New York Times, accessed June 02, 2017.
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