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dbee
Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Location: korea
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 Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:01 am Post subject: Slavery in Korean society ... |
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I was having an interesting conversation with a Korean (ex - Korean Historian) and she told me some interesting facts about the role and extent of slavery in Korean society.
Did you know for instance that at the time of the Japanese invasion 1595, almost one third of Koreans were slaves. Indentured to other Koreans who were their masters. The practise of slavery was outlawed around 1800 but continued unabated up until the japanese invasion at the start of the last century.
Slavery continued even after the Japanese left after world war II, but it was less common and mostly confined to the countryside. The practise didn't actually die out completely until after the Korean war ... only 50 or so years ago !!!!
I wonder what impact this history has on modern Korean society ? |
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uberscheisse
Joined: 02 Dec 2003
Location: japan is better than korea.
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:32 am Post subject: |
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| perhaps people in the 7-11 not telling overbearing customers to *beep* off like they do back home? |
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panthermodern
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Location: Taxronto
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:38 am Post subject: |
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dbee: Do you know what an indentured servant is? How about a serf?
In 1595 most of the population of Europe lived in what modern society would consider to be a form a bondage or slavery.
What, by your definition, is a slave. |
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itaewonguy
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:54 am Post subject: |
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there are more slaves today than in the African slave trade!
there will always be slaves!
we are all kinda slaves to the governments too.. in a way.. |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:58 am Post subject: |
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| panthermodern wrote: |
dbee: Do you know what an indentured servant is? How about a serf?
In 1595 most of the population of Europe lived in what modern society would consider to be a form a bondage or slavery.
slave. |
Hit it right on the nose. I forget which book I read on Korean history that talks about it, but it is a pretty famous book and goes in depth on the serf/class system in Korea. |
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dbee
Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Location: korea
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 8:01 am Post subject: |
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panthermodern said ...
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dbee: Do you know what an indentured servant is? How about a serf?
In 1595 most of the population of Europe lived in what modern society would consider to be a form a bondage or slavery.
What, by your definition, is a slave.
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... 'Don't shoot !!!' panthermodern, I'm just the messenger 
I just thought people may be interested in an often unspoken aspect of a society in which they now live.
It wasn't meant as a Korean bashing thread !!!
... but now that you mention it, t'was me that added the 'indentured' bit ... much to my own regret. No, I didn't know what it meant exactly. I should know better than to editorialise history. 
The rest was true though, at least in so far as it was relayed to me... and I'd be interested to know the history behind it, if you know more about it than me (which seems highly likely!). |
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panthermodern
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Location: Taxronto
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:26 am Post subject: |
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I am not attacking you dbee but "slavery" of some sort exists everywhere and at all times.
It was not until the plagues had killed off a large percentage of the European population was unskilled labour valuable enough to be actually be paid for.
One must remember that the insitution of slavery is more expensive to maintain and draining on any economy on an economy then a proletariat working at subistant wages.
Slaves are an expence which need both to be fed, housed and guarded if you intend them to do any profitable and productive labor while a proletariat is not an additional market but also self regulating and subsiting entity.
Slaves seek to escape through flight while the proletariat seeks to escape through advancement or distration.
My basic point being that Korean History is far from unique. |
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dbee
Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Location: korea
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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"slavery" of some sort exists everywhere and at all times.
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... fair enough, panthermodern, but the Korean war was only 50 years ago.
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It was not until the plagues had killed off a large percentage of the European population was unskilled labour valuable enough to be actually be paid for.
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... perhaps PM, but the oft cited Magna Carta predated that by a couple of centuries. And I was under the impression that the rights of peasents grew in time after that, usually in line with the wealth that society created. Sure it may just have created a breed of 'economic slaves', but I still think that that isn't the same as actual slaves.
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One must remember that the insitution of slavery is more expensive to maintain and draining on any economy on an economy then a proletariat working at subistant wages.
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... not too sure about that one, the romans were wealthy and they had slaves, as did the greeks who were wealthy and renowned for their developed society.
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My basic point being that Korean History is far from unique.
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... but don't you think, that as the worlds 11th ? largest economy with pretensions as a global player, it's unusual that Korea had a system of slavery in it's so recent past. Isn't it also unusual the way that the Koreans blame so much on the japenese (comfort women, conscripted soldiers etc...) when they themselves were slaves, and slaves owners ???
What I'm saying really, is that it seems to be a 'dirty little secret' here that is never mentioned in public.
Everyone and their mother wants to sue the japanese, but why isn't their any law suits by slaves against their former owners ? (rhetorical question) |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Ironic, considering the fact that the majority of Koreans claims noble ancestry (an irony in itself since Koreans hated the yangban class less than 100 years ago). I've read that some Korean historians explain this phenomenon by saying that the yangban would routinely give their names to their prefered servants. |
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rok_the-boat
Joined: 24 Jan 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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Think about this:
English working class man - if he earns 100 pounds a week how much will he get after tax? Suppose he drinks, smokes, and drives a car - income tax is 25% (might be a bit less), tax on alcohol is about 80% | |
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