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 I'm participating in the ranking.Please click and cheer for me.
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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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.
The blatant lie that Japan stole Korea's independence - Joseon was not an independent nation.
Joseon Dynasty unable to resolve domestic issues
The annexation of Japan and Korea was carried out peacefully
Japan disappears and splits into North and South
Divided constitution that continues today
It is clear that at the end of the Joseon Dynasty, the Joseon dynasty lacked the power to govern the country. The person who put an end to the Imo Army Rebellion was Yuan Shikai. Who did Queen Min rely on to suppress the rebellion of the Donghak Party? This is also pure. This caused the Sino-Japanese War to break out. What happened after Japan became an independent country after the Sino-Japanese War? Next is the division between pro-Russian and pro-Japanese factions. This led to the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War.
The Junsong Dynasty was unable to settle the domestic turmoil through imperial edicts, and wrote that it wanted to entrust the country to His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. Japan and the Korean Peninsula were annexed by treaty. It is said that the Japanese army attacked, but that is not true at all. What is the basis for assuming that the Korean Peninsula was an autonomous nation at the time? If Japan had been an autonomous nation in the first place, there is a possibility that neither the Sino-Japanese War nor the Russo-Japanese War would have occurred.
So what happened to the Korean Peninsula after Japan's defeat? It was divided into north and south. Despite saying that the Japanese Empire had left, the country was divided into pro-Russian, pro-China, and pro-American forces.
What would happen if we looked at present-day South Korea? This is also a pattern of division between pro-China and pro-American factions. Moreover, the previous Moon Jae-in administration pursued a surprising foreign policy of promoting Chinese-led unification with North Korea, an enemy country. Throughout history, the Korean peninsula may have been viewed from the Japanese perspective, but it can also be said that the most stable period on the Korean peninsula was during the Japanese colonial period.
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.
Kim Ok - kyun, who has not been recognized in Korea. The South Korean president should visit Yasukuni shrine.Korea, which hates pro - Japanese.
I wonder why Kim Ok-hyun is not appreciated in Korea. At least, the evaluation is the exact opposite of the evaluation in Japan. Is the term 3-day world a mockery of him? It is true that the Gashin Coup that they initiated is said to have been a very careless coup, but for Koreans, Ahn Jung-geun, who assassinated Ito Hirobumi, is far more heroic than Kim Ok-gyun. .
Japan is the only nation of people of color to have succeeded in its industrial revolution and modernization. Kim Ok-gyun focused on this and aimed to modernize the Korean Peninsula. After the failure of the Gashin Coup, Kim Ok-gyun defected to Japan and deepened his interactions with the people who played a central role in Japan's modernization.
The Sanwa doctrine advocated by Kim Ok-gyun is the idea that Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and China should maintain their independence and cooperate with each other to counter Western colonial policies. This kind of thinking had something in common with the path that Japan's important figures were aiming for.
Miyazaki Toten, who supported China's Xinhai Revolution, said that Kim Ok-gyun was the person who would become the Sun Yat-sen of the Korean Peninsula.
After Kim Ok-gyun was assassinated in Shanghai, his body was returned to the Korean peninsula and dismembered. He is to be executed a second time. His mutilated body was displayed all over the Korean peninsula.
When I once asked Koreans why Kim Ok-gyun was not appreciated, he said that he was a failure because he misjudged his era. It means that he is a stupid person because he was brutally murdered. It was a questionable statement.
Kim Ok-gyun was assassinated in Shanghai by an assassin sent by Queen Min. The person who invited Kim Yu-kyun to Shanghai was none other than a friend of Kim Yu-kyun.
The news of Kim Ok-hyun's brutal murder sparked a wave of anger in Japan. It is said that at Higashi Honganji Temple in Asakusa, where the funeral was held, there was a chorus of chants of ``Punish the Kiyoshi! Defeat the Kiyoshi!''
Within half a year, the Tonghak Party revolt broke out, leading to war with Qing, which had broken the Treaty of Tianjin.
Yukichi Fukuzawa adores Hitoshi Kim and has invited him to his private residence many times. However, he gave up on the goal of self-reliant modernization of the Korean peninsula, leading to the idea of ``de-Asia''.
As a result, Japan defeated the Qing Dynasty and the Korean Peninsula became an independent nation. Seo Jae-bi, a friend of the deceased Kim Ok-kyun, built the Independence Gate in present-day Seoul to express his joy. The Independence Gate commemorates independence from the Qing Dynasty and is believed in South Korea to be a symbol of independence from Japanese rule. Kim Ok-gyun's grave is currently located at Aoyama Cemetery in Japan.
Am I a loser because I was brutally murdered? Only those who have done true deeds for their country can entrust that path to future generations. The same is true for soldiers on the Korean Peninsula who volunteered for the Greater East Asia War. They didn't fight for Japan. They probably fought to protect the Korean Peninsula.
Even those who supported the modernization of the Korean peninsula at the time are treated like traitors. South Korea seems to hate people who aim for such truthful development.
It is also no wonder that the South Korean president does not visit Yasukuni Shrine, where the soldiers who died on the Korean Peninsula who died in the Greater East Asia War are buried. South Korea should teach its children the true history and respect the soldiers who fought to protect the Korean peninsula.
Korean soldiers who served in the former Japanese army and died in battle are enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine. The president of South Korea will never visit Yasukuni Shrine.
Technology and knowledge of the Korean Peninsula at that time from pictures of unicycles on the Korean Peninsula.
This photo is often introduced as an interesting ride on the Korean Peninsula, but how about comparing it to the second one in terms of efficiency and cost?The second one is a Japanese rickshaw, but neither is a modern vehicle.The difference is whether it is one wheel or two wheels.
At that time, there was no technology to make wheels on the Korean Peninsula, so it was imported from China.The wheels were expensive, and even though they were aristocrats on the Korean Peninsula, they moved on one wheel.As a result, the biggest difference is the number of people driving the car.In the case of one wheel, it becomes unstable when people ride on top of it and requires two people in front and back.In the case of two wheels, it can be operated by one person for stability.It can be imagined that human costs were much lower than wheels.Or there was no concept of labor costs.If you think about transportation efficiency, you can say everything about agricultural work and transportation of goods.If you need twice as many people to transport things, production efficiency cannot be increased.
It is said that nearly half of the people were slaves at the end of Joseon.If you just order the slaves, there will be no labor costs.
According to Jeong Dong-yu, a Confucian scholar in the Joseon period, "The Sheep, the Car, and the Needle" is not available in Joseon.During the Joseon Dynasty, there was no technology to bend and round wood to make wheels, and there were no horse-drawn carts, cattle carts, rickshaws, or agricultural water wheels.Will this be effective in farming?The absence of needles indicates that metal processing techniques are extremely low.Needles must be made with the technique of sharpening metal and must not be broken.Also, it is necessary to make a hole in the rear part where the thread can be machined.During the Joseon Dynasty, wheels and needles were obtained from China.
You can't make things without those tools.In order to make the tool, we need the tool to make it.Japan's industrial revolution was made possible based on craftsmanship handed down over 1,000 years.They made production facilities and railways that they learned from the West in imitation.
In winter, the Korean Peninsula is cold and warm, but when Japan came to Korea, it was bare and bare.As soon as it rained on the bare mountains, a lot of water flooded the fields and destroyed the crops.Japan planted forests on the mountains of the Korean Peninsula.The number has reached 1 billion in 10 years since 1911.This is a problem unrelated to the Industrial Revolution.This is because it is a matter of improving the efficiency and planning of human resources.During the Joseon Dynasty, no progress was made due to the servitude of the people, and technology and knowledge were lost.
Korea cries out that it was taken away by Japan due to the annexation of Japan and South Korea, but there was nothing on the Korean Peninsula when Japan went there.
