You can see the Korean Peninsula written by William Griffith in the United States before the Japanese rule of Korea.
2022-01-26
Category:The Joseon dynasty
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William Griffith's Joseon
The Dutchmen escorted to Seoul looked as beasts of prey.Crowds flocked to see the foreigner with a white face and a red beard.Women are more desperate than men to get a better view of themselves.Everyone wanted to see the Dutch drink.It was believed that Westerners picked up their noses above their ears when they drank.
Korea is likened to a man, the king to his head, the nobility to his torso, and the people to his feet.The chest and abdomen are swollen, while the head and lower limbs are thin.The nobles not only slurp the blood of the people, but also infringe on the king's authority.The country is suffering from congestion and bureaucratic edema.
The abundance of torture is enough to show that Korea is still a semi-civilized country.The inventions of courts and prisons include iron chains, bamboo for hitting the back, paddle-shaped instruments for hitting the bottom, whip for beating the calf until the meat is torn, rope for choking meat and internal organs, handcuffs and cane, and boards for hitting the knees and shins.
It's impossible to have contact with a woman after marriage.A woman is almost always confined to her inner chamber and cannot even look out of the house without permission.Because isolation is too strict, fathers kill their daughters, husbands kill their wives, and wives kill themselves just because outsiders touch them.
Joseon's architecture is in a very primitive state.Castles, fortresses, temples, monasteries and public buildings are no match for the grandeur of Japan and China.Despite its long history, this country has few stone remains.The house is either a tile-roofed house or a straw-roofed house, with almost no exceptions.Small cities are not arranged in regular streets, but scattered everywhere.Even in large cities and capital cities, the streets are narrow and winding.
The Korean people are generally illiterate.Four out of ten peasant men may be able to read Chinese or Korean, but about 85 percent of them cannot read or write if women are counted in.However, regional differences are large.
There are no samurai in Korea.What Korea lacks in Japan is a well-trained body and mind, a soldier, a scholar, and a cultural group with high ideals of loyalty, patriotism and self-sacrifice.
POINT There are several books that convey the Korean Peninsula at that time, but the contents are common, and the tyranny, bureaucratic corruption, and culture of the aristocrats are barbaric.Lee is the only one who draws a different world from Korea.
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[related article]
The concept of national boundaries became clear after the Sino - Japanese War, an area where the Korean people spread across northeastern China.
Korean people distributed over a wide area
Liaodong Peninsula is subject to triple intervention
The north was not suitable for agriculture
Koreans who wanted a Japanese name
Manchukuo aimed at five-family harmony
Agreed between the Japanese and Korean governments
The Korean people (Korean language group) are scattered in China's Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning provinces. The reason is simple: Historically, Koreans lived in this area. It was an area outside the Great Wall of China, and there was no concept of strict borders at the time. It is still fresh in my memory that Koreans, an ethnic minority in China, performed at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics wearing chimajeogori.
During the Goguryeo period, the Korean ethnic group lived as far as the Liaodong Peninsula. At the time of the Sino-Japanese War, Japan claimed possession of the Liaodong Peninsula. This idea was based on the idea that the Liaodong Peninsula was Korean territory and had strategic implications for China, but this was abolished due to trilateral intervention by France, Germany, and Russia, who felt threatened by the fact that it was too close to Beijing. I decided to abandon it.
It can be said that this was the first time that the concept of Korean territory and borders was created. During the Japanese colonial period, northern Korea was unsuitable for agriculture and was developed mainly for industry. Southern Korea is mainly agricultural.
Farmers from the north migrated to Manchuria in search of farmland. Manchuria received plenty of rain and was better suited for agriculture than northern Korea. The Manchurians were the landowners in this area, and many troubles occurred frequently.
Therefore, Koreans in the north wanted Japanese names very much. This is because if you use your Japanese name, you won't be bullied by Manchurians.
After that, the state of Manchukuo was established after the Liuzhou Lake Incident. The founding principle of Manchukuo was the harmony of the five ethnic groups: Japanese, Han, Korean, Manchurian, and Mongolian.
As a result, Koreans were safe from persecution and their agricultural land was greatly expanded. If you compare the residential areas of Manchukuo and the Korean people, you will find that they are roughly the same.
The history of China and the peninsula was continuously invaded by northern peoples. The peninsula ultimately failed to maintain its independence.
Due to its geographic characteristics as a peninsula, the Korean Peninsula has a topography that is completely covered by mainland China. For this reason, it has a history that cannot be separated from China. What exactly is this victim mentality and hostility toward Japan that many Koreans have? The historical differences between China and Japan seen from South Korea appear to be largely due to geopolitical reasons when viewed from a map, but there are probably other reasons as well.
Let's think about this in terms of the historical dominant and ruled ethnic groups on the continent. Legend has it that there was a country called Dangun Joseon and Minojo Joseon on the Korean Peninsula. Archaeologically, it is said to have existed since the later Ei Dynasty. The legendary Mino Korea is said to have been founded by Mino of the Shang Dynasty in China. The Wei clan Joseon is said to have been founded by the Wei clan of the Yan state in China. Both countries were established as vassal states of China. The point is that, despite the legend, it is already a vassal state of China.
Even after that, Korea continued to be invaded by China. After that, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla flourished on the Korean peninsula, and after Goguryeo was victorious, Goguryeo was invaded by Sui and later by Tang. After that, Goryeo established a unified dynasty on the peninsula, but shortly after its founding, it was placed under the control of the Tang Dynasty in mainland China. During the Yuan era, China was invaded by the Mongol Empire and became a vassal state.
As Mongol invaders, the combined forces of Mongolia and Goryeo invaded Japan twice, but failed. Lee Seong-gye, who founded the Joseon Dynasty, is also said to be a Jurchen, and the Jurchen were an ethnic group that lived in the Manchuria region, and later Hong Taiji founded the Qing Dynasty in China.
From the perspective of China, the Korean people are positioned as a different ethnic group living outside the Great Wall of China. Many of the northern peoples lived primarily as nomadic peoples, but the Korean people are thought to have settled down due to their geographical location on the peninsula. Northern ethnic groups such as the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Khitan, Jurchen, Manchu, and Mongolians were a threat not only to the Han Chinese, but also to the Koreans.
Looking at the history of China, there are only a handful of unified dynasties founded by the Han Chinese, who make up the majority of the population. For most of history, other ethnic groups other than the Han Chinese dominated mainland China. When you look at world history, you don't often see explanations that focus on northern peoples, but if you look at it from that perspective, both mainland China and the Korean Peninsula have a history of being continuously invaded by northern peoples. This appears to be a common feature.
The Sui, Tang, and Yuan dynasties that invaded the Korean peninsula are different ethnic states in China if you consider the Han people as the center, and they are also different ethnic states if you look at the Korean peninsula as the center. In addition to direct invasions of the Korean peninsula by foreign ethnic groups, the majority of the history is that dynasties from mainland China, which were dominated by mainland China, invaded the Korean peninsula. It is said that the Korean peninsula has been invaded by neighboring ethnic groups as many as 960 times, both large and small.
If we look at the annexation of Japan and Korea in this sense, the Korean peninsula was the same for China, but it was ruled by a neighboring foreign ethnic nation called Japan. For the Korean Peninsula, they see themselves as being connected to the Chinese mainland, calling themselves Little China, and Japan is a country outside of that, and their sense of superiority centered on China has been historically fixed. doing. In other words, they have never had the concept of nation-building by their own people or an independent nation since the beginning of recorded history. It looks like they had neither the opportunity nor the will.
Even after Japan made the Korean peninsula an independent state after the Sino-Japanese War, Japan did not realize this and continued to sell its interests to Russia one after another, unable to operate the country on its own. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea and Japan, giving up on supporting the independence of the Korean peninsula. South Korea says that Japan stole the independence of the Korean Peninsula, but the Korean peninsula became an independent nation because of the Treaty of Shimonoseki during the Sino-Japanese War, which was ruled by Japan. If they had developed a strong sense of independence after that, there would have been no need for annexation. That is the true opinion of Japan.
Geographically, the Korean Peninsula is covered by the Chinese continent, and successive Korean dynasties have become vassal states - What is Japan's position from the perspective of the continental p
Geographically, the Korean Peninsula is covered by mainland China
A vassal state of China since its founding
Korea continues to be invaded by China
China and Korea were ruled by different ethnic groups
Seeing history from the perspective of northern peoples
South Korea only denounces Japanese rule
The Korean Peninsula has a history that is inseparable from China, as the peninsula's geographical characteristics make it look like it is completely covered by the Chinese continent.
What exactly is this sense of victimhood and hostility toward Japan that Korean people have? The historical differences between China and Japan seen from South Korea are largely due to geopolitical reasons as seen from a map, but that is not the only reason. I would like to think about it in terms of the dominant ethnic group and the ruled ethnic group.
Legend has it that there were countries called Dangun Joseon and Minojo Joseon, but archaeologically it is said that they existed from the later Eishi Joseon.
The legendary Mino Korea is said to have been founded by the Mino of the Shang Dynasty in China, and the Wei Dynasty Joseon is said to have been founded by the Wei clan of the Yan Dynasty in China. Both were founded as vassal states of China.
After that, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla entered the Three Kingdoms period, and then the Sui Dynasty invaded Koguryo, and the Tang Dynasty invaded Koguryo.
Although Goryeo established a unified dynasty, it was placed under the control of the Later Tang Dynasty shortly after its founding. During the Yuan Dynasty, China was invaded by the Mongol Empire and became a vassal state. The Allied Forces of Mongolia and Goryeo invaded Japan twice, but failed.
Lee Seong-gye, who founded the Joseon Dynasty, is also known as the Jurchen people, and the Jurchen people were an ethnic group that lived in the Manchuria region, and later Hong Taiji founded the Qing Dynasty in China.
From China's point of view, the Korean people are recognized as a different ethnic group living outside the Great Wall of China, and these ethnic groups lived primarily as nomadic peoples, but due to the geographical relationship of the peninsula, the Korean people have decided to settle down. It seems that it has become.
Northern ethnic groups such as the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Khitan, Jurchen, Manchu, and Mongolians were a threat not only to the Han Chinese in China, but also to the Koreans.
Looking at the history of China, there have been only a handful of unified dynasties founded by the Han Chinese, who make up the majority of the country, and for most of its history, different ethnic groups have ruled the Chinese mainland.
When I look at world history, I have never seen a history centered on northern peoples, but if I dare to look at it from that perspective, both China and the Korean peninsula were invaded and dominated by northern peoples.
The Sui, Tang, and Yuan dynasties that invaded the Korean Peninsula mentioned above are different ethnic states in China if you consider them centered on the Han people. It is also a country of different ethnic groups when viewed from the perspective of the Korean Peninsula.
In addition to small-scale direct invasions by foreign ethnic groups, the majority of the history of the Korean peninsula is that they invaded the peninsula after taking control of mainland China.
In this composition, Japan is classified as one of China's peripheral ethnic groups. Geographically speaking, Japan is called Toi in contrast to Northern Yi. They are a neighboring ethnic group common to China and the Korean Peninsula.
If we look at the annexation of Japan and Korea in the above sense, it means that the Korean peninsula was ruled by a different ethnic nation that also shared China. It is also a foreign country to China.
Some people point out the contradiction in that Koreans do not complain about the fact that they were ruled by China for over 1,000 years, but they hold a grudge against Japan for 1,000 years only for 35 years, but in reality, the country of China itself is the same. I wonder if there is a complicated background to the history of a controlled area.
Historically, Japan may still be recognized as a common enemy of China and the Korean Peninsula.
It is said that South Korea's sense of victimhood is something that has been cultivated historically, but if you look closer at the globe, you can see that mainland China has also had a history of being invaded. Based on this, Japan should resolutely clarify its position.
The truth about Queen Min assassination is completely different from what South Korea claims.None of the Japanese were punished.
In 1906, King Gojong said, "There was a criminal among my men " and killed six people, including Cho Hee-yeon, Woo Beom-sun, Lee Doo-hee, Lee Jin-ho, Lee Beom-rae, and Kwon Hee-jin, who were pardoned by the Russian legation for the assassination of Queen Min.
King Sunjong, who was at the scene of the murder, reported that he witnessed Woo Beom-sun as the "enemy of his mother," and Woo Beom-sun himself confessed that he had killed Queen Min.Woo Beom-sun was assassinated on November 24, 1903 in Wu, Hiroshima Prefecture by King Sunjong's alleged stabbers Ko Young-geun and Roh Yoon-myeong.
In Korea, two days after the assassination of Queen Min (October 10), before Queen Min's death was announced to the public, Daewongun issued an imperial decree that deprives him of his status as queen of Queen Min and drops him to the common people.At this time, Queen Min's death had not yet been made public.In other words, ordinary people have died in Korea.
The Korean government certified that Heungseon Daewongun was the mastermind.
The case was treated as an assassination case led by Daewongun.Queen Min is then declared dead as a commoner.
The story of the Japanese assassination of Queen Min, believed by Koreans, is that they killed Queen Min smiling, and angry with oil after carefully examining the queen's body with two or three cuts, naked.By the way, there is no presentation of the evidence as usual.Like the story of Japanese Military comfort woman and the story of Gunkanjima, the story is transformed into a sensational story, and the other party is shocked and the conclusion is changed to a groundless story.Do you want to say that King Gojong's subordinates did this in front of his son Sunjong and many others?
At the time of Queen Min assassination, there were about 100 court ladies and maids, and only one Queen Min was killed.There was someone who knew Queen Min's face.No one had mistaken to assassinat Queen Min for other woman.Only a limited number of people have access to Queen Min.Moreover, after the murder, the criminals fled immediately.This is not the time to pour oil into.
By the way, the theory that the current photograph of Queen Min is not Queen Min introduced in Japanese and European materials until 1910 as "Korean wives in formal clothes," "Maiden of the Palace," and "Maiden."It was after World War II that the photograph was called Queen Min.
The truth about Queen Min assassination is completely different from what South Korea claims.None of the Japanese were punished.
48 officials, including Japanese diplomat Minister Miura, were tried in Japan and released due to insufficient evidence, and all eight officers submitted to the court-martial have been acquitted.
The Korean Peninsula seen from Charles Darré's ``The Korean Situation'' The Joseon Dynasty of the Yi Dynasty, when culture was undeveloped.
This is an excerpt from Charles Darré's ``Korean Affairs,'' a compilation of the correspondence of French missionaries.
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Roads and transportation are severely lacking in this mountainous country, which prevents large-scale cultivation. People only cultivate what is nearby, such as around their homes. Furthermore, there are almost no large villages, and the people in the countryside are scattered in three or four, or at most twelve or three, clusters. The annual harvest barely meets the needs of the population, and famine is common in Korea.
Although the treaty concluded in 1637 did not increase the actual conditions of Korea's servitude to the Qing, it formally made it a more humiliating relationship than before. The king of Korea had to not only recognize the right of investiture to the Emperor of Qing, but also the direct authority of his status, that is, the relationship of master and servant.
Seoul is a populous metropolis surrounded by mountains, along the banks of the Han River, and surrounded by tall, thick walls, but there is nothing of note in its architecture. With the exception of a few fairly wide roads, there are only winding alleys in which there is no airflow and the only thing that gets on your feet is garbage. Houses are usually covered with tiles, but are low and narrow.
Offices are openly bought and sold, and those who buy them naturally seek to recoup their costs, without even bothering to appear in order to do so. From the provincial governor to the lowest petty official, each official uses tax collection, litigation, and all other opportunities to raise money. Even the king's messengers abuse their privileges with extreme shame.
Academics in Korea are not ethnic at all. The books they read are Chinese, the language they learn is Chinese rather than Korean, and when it comes to history, they study Chinese history rather than Korean history, and the philosophical systems espoused by academics are Chinese. Since manuscripts are always inferior to originals, it is a natural consequence that Korean scholars are considerably inferior to Chinese scholars.
Setting aside the past, it is certain that today's public examinations are extremely corrupt. Today, degrees and licenses are not awarded to the most learned and most capable people, but to those with the most money or the most powerful guardians. .
The Korean aristocracy is the most powerful and most arrogant in the world. In other countries, monarchs, judicial officials, and various organizations keep the aristocracy within their proper limits and maintain a balance of power, but in Korea, there is a large population of yangban, and there are internal conflicts between them. Nevertheless, they know how to band together to preserve and extend their class privileges, and no citizen, government official, or even the king can challenge their power.
In Korea, as in other Asian countries, the customs are extremely corrupt, and the inevitable result is that the general status of women is unpleasantly wretched and low. Women are not seen as companions for men, but merely as slaves, playthings, or labor.
Koreans are generally stubborn, difficult, angry, and vindictive. This is due to uncivilization. There is no moral education among pagans, and even among Christians it takes time for education to bear fruit. Children grow up with little punishment, and when they grow up, both men and women are capable of endless outbursts of unparalleled anger.
Strangely enough, however, the armies are generally very weak, and if they see any serious danger, they will only give up their weapons and flee to the four directions. Perhaps it is due to lack of training or organizational deficiencies. The missionaries are convinced that if only they had competent generals, the Koreans would make a great army.
Koreans have an eye for making money. Use any means to make money. They know little about the moral laws that protect property and prevent theft, much less obey them. They are generally greedy and wasteful, and when they have money they spend it to the fullest.
Koreans are gluttons. In this respect, there is no difference between the rich, the poor, the yangban, and the ordinary people. It is an honor to eat a lot, and the value of the food served to the diners is measured not in its quality but in its quantity. Therefore, we hardly talk during meals. For if you say a word or two, you will lose a mouthful or two of food. They are raised with care from an early age to ensure their bellies have firm elasticity. Mothers hold their young children in their laps and feed them rice and other nutrients, occasionally tapping their bellies with the handle of a spoon to see if their bellies have swelled enough. Stop feeding when it becomes physiologically impossible for the baby to expand further.
Clothes are supposed to be white, but it takes a lot of effort to keep them clean, so they are often discolored due to the thick grime. Dirtyness is a major flaw among Koreans, and even the wealthy often wear clothes that are moth-stained and torn.
Koreans have made little progress in the field of scientific research, but they are still far behind in industrial knowledge. No useful technology has advanced in this country for centuries.
One of the major obstacles to the development of commerce is the imperfect monetary system. There are no gold or silver coins. Selling these metals in bulk is prohibited by many detailed regulations. For example, Chinese silver cannot be minted into the same bars as Korean silver and sold. He would definitely be found out, the silver bars would be confiscated, and the merchant would be heavily fined and possibly caned. The only legal currency in circulation is copper coins.
Another obstacle to commercial transactions is the deplorable condition of transportation routes. There are very few navigable rivers, and only a few allow ships to pass through, and even then, navigation is allowed only in very restricted areas. Although this country has many mountains and canyons, there is little known technology for building roads. Therefore, almost all transportation is done on the backs of oxen, horses, or people.
But the Government scrupulously adheres to this isolationism, which it believes to be necessary for its preservation, and is unwilling to abandon it on any interest or humanitarian consideration. In 1871 and 1872, a shocking famine struck Korea, and the country was devastated. It was so bad that some people on the West Coast sold their daughters to Chinese smugglers for one sho of rice each.
Some Koreans who crossed the forests of the northern border and reached Liaodong drew a diagram of the country's brutal state and showed it to the missionaries, complaining that ``bodies were lying on every road.'' But even then, the Korean government chose to let half of its population die rather than allow food purchases from China and Japan.
This hurdle will eventually be overcome by the Russians, who are increasingly invading the northeastern parts of Asia. From 1860 onwards, their territory bordered Russia, and various difficult problems arose between these two countries regarding border and trade issues. These problems will undoubtedly continue to occur, and one day Korea will be annexed to Russia.
One of the books written by a foreigner about the Joseon Dynasty is Isabella Bird's ``Travel to Joseon'', but the content is very similar.