Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

any websites out there you'd recommend for Korean history...

i found this one but i think the map is grossly exaggerated... i dunno, is it accurate?


http://global.gen.go.kr/monzBBS/board.php?bbsid=sub02_09&page=3&bbsMode=gView&recordno=838&searchCate=&searchMethod=&searchKeyword=

[Guri Guy]

That website is 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag.

And people say that Japan distorts history.

[Smee]

Hmm, nothing totally devoted to Korean history. I like "Gusts of Popular Feeling" b/c it examines different parts of history about 1/3 of the time. http://populargusts.blogspot.com/ A lot of good stuff on there about the Gwangju Massacre.

And Marmot's Hole has some nice photo essays and descriptions, especially on colonial and Western architecture in Korea.

[excitinghead]

Here's a good start, with links to many other blogs and sites on Korean History:

http://www.froginawell.net/korea/

[chaz47]

After a little bit of searching on my own I found this one and spent the better part of the evening reading about the Three Kingdoms period and the founding of Yamato in Japan...

At the end of the Three Kingdoms period China tries to absorb the peninsula again by exploiting the rivalries between the kingdoms and manages to defeat Koguryeo and Paekje with the aid of Silla... then China places Silla leaders as a sort of puppet government which they absolutely cannont stand so they rally the remaining forces of the conquered Koguryeo and Paekje and then push the Chinese northwards and essentially off the peninsula. In the end despite the petty backstabbing and power struggles they wanted Korea for the Koreans...

Much of Chinese culture that was transmitted to Japan was done by Paekje with the founding of Yamato in Japan. They eventually sided with Paekje proper when Silla attempted it's power grab with the Tang Chinese. It seems that after the Three Kingdoms period, during which Paekje was defeated, Japan turned inward and focused on developing it's own culture based upon the Tang culture that it had received from the Paekje.

The later three kingdoms which included Koryo, Silla and Later Paekje were pretty disappointing. The remnants of Koguryeo also formed another kingdom of nomad tribes called Puyeo (I believe).

When the Khitan conquered much of China's northern empire and tried to establish diplomatic relations with the Korean kingdoms I was really shocked at the arrogance of the Korean kingdoms. Puyeo especially, which was essentially composed of nomad tribes and uh... proto-Koreans insisted on sharp social divides, not allowing the nomads access to government positions, etc. Essentially marginalising the people whose loyalty enabled their crumbled empire to claw its way back to being a kingdom.

I chuckled a bit at this last part.



Anyway yeah... quite interesting.
http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/