Why was Korea not absorbed by the Chinese cultural sphere?

kultural · Jan 28, 2021

For China to conquer Korea, it meant first passing a bunch of nomadic tribes, then mountains, then again a bunch of nomadic tribes, and then Koreans entrenched in mountain fortifications. With cold winds from Siberia. Even the modernized forces of the United States and China suffered the brutality of these environmental conditions in the Korean War.

Dreamhunter · Jan 28, 2021

Naima said:
I dont want to spam here so I'll send a link in pvt , but wait... isn't Taiwan an endependant state ?

Kind of an independent entity, but not a full fledged sovereign state. That's the way I understand it, anyways.

Dreamhunter · Jan 28, 2021

Imperia said:
Why does Korea have a culture and language separate from China even though it is so close to the centers of Chinese civilizations?

How about, Korea does not really fancy the idea of becoming another Tibet or another Yunnan.

robto · Jan 28, 2021

Harris said:
Neolithic revolution existed all around the world not only in Yellow and Yangtze river. For example, the number of Dolmen remained in Korea is much more than that of any other area in the world. 40% of dolmens in the world are in Korea. However, it does not necessarily mean in the Neolithic and Bronze Age Korea was the most prosperous area. Of course, I know that a civilization was developed in Yellow river area quite early. However, it does not mean China was the first in every cultural aspect or in every cultural field.

Neither I was saying that China was the first in every cultural aspect or the only place where the neolithic revolution took place. What I was saying is that, East Asian wise, it was around the Yellow and Yangtze river that the first Neolithic societies were established, and that technological package expanded from that center to other places in the region.

KurwaGoy · Jan 28, 2021

Harris said:
What is on earth Chinese culture? Chinese culture is just a mixture of Mongolian, Manchurian, Korean, Kitan and Turkish etc or influnced by them. The mixture itself may be the identity of Chinese culture

China was to East Asia what Rome and Greece was to the West.

Sino-Korean vocabulary - Wikipedia "About 60 percent of Korean words are of Chinese origin" and this is the low estimate, some Korean scientist say the number of Chinese vocabulary in Korean language is close to 80%.

The Korean government was modeled on that of China Three Departments and Six Ministries - Wikipedia

The official language and the language of the nobility was classical Chinese

50% of Korean clans claimed to be of Chinese origin Korean clan names of foreign origin - Wikipedia

"The adoption of clan names and progenitors of Chinese origin was rare during the Three Kingdoms and Later Silla periods, but increased during the Goryeo period, despite clans not having actual historical connections to China, due to admiration and emulation of Chinese culture"

Taoism, Confucianism and Zen Buddhism, had an incredible influence on Korea I think I don't even need to expand on these points

The national flag of South Korea is derived from the Chinese philosophy yin-yang and the Chinese divination text I Ching Yin and yang - Wikipedia

Even today the presidential flag of South Korea uses the Fenghuang Fenghuang - Wikipedia

Korean architecture comes from Chinese architecture Chinese architecture - Wikipedia

Korean architecture - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The vast majority of Korean musical instruments comes from chinese musical instruments Traditional Korean musical instruments - Wikipedia

The majority of korean holidays are copied from china
Korean New Year = Chinese new year ( 1st day of 1st lunar month )
Chuseok = Mid-Autumn Festival Mid-Autumn Festival - Wikipedia

Korean calendar = Chinese calendar Korean calendar - Wikipedia
"The traditional Korean calendar or Dangun calendar (단군; 檀君) is a lunisolar calendar. Like most traditional calendars of other East Asian countries, the Korean Calendar is mainly derived from the Chinese calendar"

Korean zodiac = Chinese zodiac

Chinese astrology - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Korean coinage were copied from chinese coinage Ancient Chinese coinage - Wikipedia

Korean mun - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Korean traditional medicine = Chinese traditional medicine Traditional Korean medicine - Wikipedia

""""Korean literature"""""", from Adoption of Chinese literary culture - Wikipedia

Adoption of Chinese literary culture - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

All formal writing, including the official annals of the Korean dynasties and almost all government documents, was done in Chinese until the late 19th century.

Confucianism, the religion of the Joseon dynasty, comes from China

The calligraphy Calligraphy - Wikipedia
"Traditional East Asian writing uses the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四寶/文房四宝):[20] ink brushes known as máobǐ (毛筆/毛笔) to write Chinese characters, Chinese ink, paper, and inkstones. These instruments of writing are also known as the Four Friends of the Study (Korean: 문방사우, romanized: 文房四友) in Korea. Besides the traditional four tools, desk pads and paperweights are also used."
"Both Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese calligraphy were greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy."

Korea the most loyal vassal of China for thousands of years List of tributary states of China - Wikipedia

Sojunghwa - Wikipedia Korea called itself "little china" after the conquest of the qing dynasty

Korean kings were approved by China, and had to wear the dragon robe, symbol of vassalage to China Dragon robe - Wikipedia

And so much more, the law, the painting, the title (son of heaven)

Koreans said Jizi came from China to civilize them Jizi - Wikipedia
"Because Joseon's state ideology was Neo-Confucianism borrowed from China, Joseon intellectuals promoted Gija as a culture hero who had raised Korean civilization to the same level as China"

Korean philosophy, architecture, food (even eating with chopsticks), agriculture, literature, mathematics (calculating with the Suanpan,
Counting rods Counting rods - Wikipedia ), the astrology, the coinage, the calendar, the medicine, the festival, all this comes from CHINA

YOUR korean ancestors worshiped China, accept the truth

It is actually harder to find some things from traditional Korean culture (not recent so no k-pop or drama ect) that is not from China

And everything I said about Korea applies to some extent to Japan and Vietnam

But the Japanese, for example, don't have an inferiority complex, at school they teach the great influence of Chinese culture on their culture, and the admiration they had for China, and the incredible influence of the tang dynasty on their culture

Harris · Jan 28, 2021

KurwaGoy said:
China was to East Asia what Rome and Greece was to the West.

Sino-Korean vocabulary - Wikipedia "About 60 percent of Korean words are of Chinese origin" and this is the low estimate, some Korean scientist say the number of Chinese vocabulary in Korean language is close to 80%.

The Korean government was modeled on that of China Three Departments and Six Ministries - Wikipedia

The official language and the language of the nobility was classical Chinese

50% of Korean clans claimed to be of Chinese origin Korean clan names of foreign origin - Wikipedia

"The adoption of clan names and progenitors of Chinese origin was rare during the Three Kingdoms and Later Silla periods, but increased during the Goryeo period, despite clans not having actual historical connections to China, due to admiration and emulation of Chinese culture"

Taoism, Confucianism and Zen Buddhism, had an incredible influence on Korea I think I don't even need to expand on these points

The national flag of South Korea is derived from the Chinese philosophy yin-yang and the Chinese divination text I Ching Yin and yang - Wikipedia

Even today the presidential flag of South Korea uses the Fenghuang Fenghuang - Wikipedia

Korean architecture comes from Chinese architecture Chinese architecture - Wikipedia

Korean architecture - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The vast majority of Korean musical instruments comes from chinese musical instruments Traditional Korean musical instruments - Wikipedia

The majority of korean holidays are copied from china
Korean New Year = Chinese new year ( 1st day of 1st lunar month )
Chuseok = Mid-Autumn Festival Mid-Autumn Festival - Wikipedia

Korean calendar = Chinese calendar Korean calendar - Wikipedia
"The traditional Korean calendar or Dangun calendar (단군; 檀君) is a lunisolar calendar. Like most traditional calendars of other East Asian countries, the Korean Calendar is mainly derived from the Chinese calendar"

Korean zodiac = Chinese zodiac

Chinese astrology - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Korean coinage were copied from chinese coinage Ancient Chinese coinage - Wikipedia

Korean mun - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Korean traditional medicine = Chinese traditional medicine Traditional Korean medicine - Wikipedia

""""Korean literature"""""", from Adoption of Chinese literary culture - Wikipedia

Adoption of Chinese literary culture - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

All formal writing, including the official annals of the Korean dynasties and almost all government documents, was done in Chinese until the late 19th century.

Confucianism, the religion of the Joseon dynasty, comes from China

The calligraphy Calligraphy - Wikipedia
"Traditional East Asian writing uses the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四寶/文房四宝):[20] ink brushes known as máobǐ (毛筆/毛笔) to write Chinese characters, Chinese ink, paper, and inkstones. These instruments of writing are also known as the Four Friends of the Study (Korean: 문방사우, romanized: 文房四友) in Korea. Besides the traditional four tools, desk pads and paperweights are also used."
"Both Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese calligraphy were greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy."

Korea the most loyal vassal of China for thousands of years List of tributary states of China - Wikipedia

Sojunghwa - Wikipedia Korea called itself "little china" after the conquest of the qing dynasty

Korean kings were approved by China, and had to wear the dragon robe, symbol of vassalage to China Dragon robe - Wikipedia

And so much more, the law, the painting, the title (son of heaven)

Koreans said Jizi came from China to civilize them Jizi - Wikipedia
"Because Joseon's state ideology was Neo-Confucianism borrowed from China, Joseon intellectuals promoted Gija as a culture hero who had raised Korean civilization to the same level as China"

Korean philosophy, architecture, food (even eating with chopsticks), agriculture, literature, mathematics (calculating with the Suanpan,
Counting rods Counting rods - Wikipedia ), the astrology, the coinage, the calendar, the medicine, the festival, all this comes from CHINA

YOUR korean ancestors worshiped China, accept the truth

It is actually harder to find some things from traditional Korean culture (not recent so no k-pop or drama ect) that is not from China

And everything I said about Korea applies to some extent to Japan and Vietnam

But the Japanese, for example, don't have an inferiority complex, at school they teach the great influence of Chinese culture on their culture, and the admiration they had for China, and the incredible influence of the tang dynasty on their culture

You are right. Some period of time, China influenced a lot Korea as you elaborated above. But you must remember that the culture from China have gradually become Korean later on by Korean people and they are now Korean culture no matter what the origin is. Furthermore, there might had been influences from Korea to China too, even if it was not so big as from China to Korea. You can see such examples now. These days, Chinese people are really busy copying Korean public culture. Some of current Chinese public cultures are copies from Korea even if the Chinese government bans. Because Chinese people are too much influenced by Korean public culture, they claim Kimchi as their own and Hanbok as their own. That is why I say the Chinese have no their own original culture but they want to just a mixture of neighboring cultures.

Harris · Jan 28, 2021

robto said:
Neither I was saying that China was the first in every cultural aspect or the only place where the neolithic revolution took place. What I was saying is that, East Asian wise, it was around the Yellow and Yangtze river that the first Neolithic societies were established, and that technological package expanded from that center to other places in the region.

As I know, Yellow or Yantze river civilizations were not of the early Neolithic Age but rather close to Bronze Age around 4,000 years ago. The Neolithic period started around 10,000 years ago in some parts of the world and 8,000 years ago in Korea. Even in China, it may be likely that the Neolithic period started earlier than Yellow or Yantze civilization. Therefore, I do not agree with your claim that Yellow and Yangtz river were the first Neolithic societies.

robto · Jan 28, 2021

Harris said:
As I know, Yellow or Yantze river civilizations were not of the early Neolithic Age but rather close to Bronze Age around 4,000 years ago. However, the Neolithic period started around 10,000 years ago in some parts of the world and 8,000 years ago in Korea. I'd like to know your ground of the claim that Yellow and Yangtz river were the first Neolithic societies?

It's common knowledge and depicted in ever history or archaeology textbook - both at school and university level - pretty much around the world that the earliest Neolithic site in East Asia were the Nanzhuangtou (9500–9000 BC), Pengtoushan (7500–6100 BC), and Peiligang (7000–5000 BC) cultures along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers.
It's utter surprising how come you never heard of this, and it's even more surprising in telling me to prove those "claims", which are no claims at all, and it is widely known.

It's in those cultures that we find the earliest evidence - especially inside potteries - of domesticated millet and rice.
The oldest remnants of an agricultural field found in East Asia was indeed in Korea, in about 3000 BC, but that doesn't mean that the neolithic inhabitants of Korea were the first East Asians to adopt intensive agriculture, it is just that in Korea an ancient agricultural field was better preserved than in other places. All archaeological evidence demonstrates that intensive agriculture only arrived in Korea relatively late when compared in the Yellow and Yangtze river valleys, and more importantly, all the crops that were raised in Neolithic Korea were all domesticated in China - preferably millet and rice.

Karst Hill Fort · Jan 28, 2021

Harris said:
As I know, Yellow or Yantze river civilizations were not of the early Neolithic Age but rather close to Bronze Age around 4,000 years ago. The Neolithic period started around 10,000 years ago in some parts of the world and 8,000 years ago in Korea. Even in China, it may be likely that the Neolithic period started earlier than Yellow or Yantze civilization. Therefore, I do not agree with your claim that Yellow and Yangtz river were the first Neolithic societies.

In fact in the Neolithic period China was very diverse. There was no unified "Chinese" civilization at that time.

In the Liao river and Yellow River regions there were millet-farming peoples, some of them likely the progenitors of the Sinitic peoples, whereas others contributed to the formation of the Koreanic and Japonic peoples.

In the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtse, there were rice-farming peoples, likely the ancestors of Austroasiatic, Hmong-Mien, Kradai, and Austronesian peoples.

In the southwest and the deep south of China, there were hunter-gathering Hoabinhian peoples, who resembled today's Onge, Jarawa, Semang, Jehai, Shompen, etc.

And Korea's agriculture started quite early at around 7,000 years ago, only slightly later than Yellow River and Yangtse River (both started around 8,000 - 9,000 years ago), but much earlier than Southwest China, Deep South China, and SE Asia (around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago).

Harris · Jan 28, 2021

KurwaGoy said:
China was to East Asia what Rome and Greece was to the West.

Sino-Korean vocabulary - Wikipedia "About 60 percent of Korean words are of Chinese origin" and this is the low estimate, some Korean scientist say the number of Chinese vocabulary in Korean language is close to 80%.

The Korean government was modeled on that of China Three Departments and Six Ministries - Wikipedia

The official language and the language of the nobility was classical Chinese

50% of Korean clans claimed to be of Chinese origin Korean clan names of foreign origin - Wikipedia

"The adoption of clan names and progenitors of Chinese origin was rare during the Three Kingdoms and Later Silla periods, but increased during the Goryeo period, despite clans not having actual historical connections to China, due to admiration and emulation of Chinese culture"

Taoism, Confucianism and Zen Buddhism, had an incredible influence on Korea I think I don't even need to expand on these points

The national flag of South Korea is derived from the Chinese philosophy yin-yang and the Chinese divination text I Ching Yin and yang - Wikipedia

Even today the presidential flag of South Korea uses the Fenghuang Fenghuang - Wikipedia

Korean architecture comes from Chinese architecture Chinese architecture - Wikipedia

Korean architecture - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The vast majority of Korean musical instruments comes from chinese musical instruments Traditional Korean musical instruments - Wikipedia

The majority of korean holidays are copied from china
Korean New Year = Chinese new year ( 1st day of 1st lunar month )
Chuseok = Mid-Autumn Festival Mid-Autumn Festival - Wikipedia

Korean calendar = Chinese calendar Korean calendar - Wikipedia
"The traditional Korean calendar or Dangun calendar (단군; 檀君) is a lunisolar calendar. Like most traditional calendars of other East Asian countries, the Korean Calendar is mainly derived from the Chinese calendar"

Korean zodiac = Chinese zodiac

Chinese astrology - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Korean coinage were copied from chinese coinage Ancient Chinese coinage - Wikipedia

Korean mun - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Korean traditional medicine = Chinese traditional medicine Traditional Korean medicine - Wikipedia

""""Korean literature"""""", from Adoption of Chinese literary culture - Wikipedia

Adoption of Chinese literary culture - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

All formal writing, including the official annals of the Korean dynasties and almost all government documents, was done in Chinese until the late 19th century.

Confucianism, the religion of the Joseon dynasty, comes from China

The calligraphy Calligraphy - Wikipedia
"Traditional East Asian writing uses the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四寶/文房四宝):[20] ink brushes known as máobǐ (毛筆/毛笔) to write Chinese characters, Chinese ink, paper, and inkstones. These instruments of writing are also known as the Four Friends of the Study (Korean: 문방사우, romanized: 文房四友) in Korea. Besides the traditional four tools, desk pads and paperweights are also used."
"Both Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese calligraphy were greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy."

Korea the most loyal vassal of China for thousands of years List of tributary states of China - Wikipedia

Sojunghwa - Wikipedia Korea called itself "little china" after the conquest of the qing dynasty

Korean kings were approved by China, and had to wear the dragon robe, symbol of vassalage to China Dragon robe - Wikipedia

And so much more, the law, the painting, the title (son of heaven)

Koreans said Jizi came from China to civilize them Jizi - Wikipedia
"Because Joseon's state ideology was Neo-Confucianism borrowed from China, Joseon intellectuals promoted Gija as a culture hero who had raised Korean civilization to the same level as China"

Korean philosophy, architecture, food (even eating with chopsticks), agriculture, literature, mathematics (calculating with the Suanpan,
Counting rods Counting rods - Wikipedia ), the astrology, the coinage, the calendar, the medicine, the festival, all this comes from CHINA

YOUR korean ancestors worshiped China, accept the truth

It is actually harder to find some things from traditional Korean culture (not recent so no k-pop or drama ect) that is not from China

And everything I said about Korea applies to some extent to Japan and Vietnam

But the Japanese, for example, don't have an inferiority complex, at school they teach the great influence of Chinese culture on their culture, and the admiration they had for China, and the incredible influence of the tang dynasty on their culture

Please let me add some. I feel that these days Chinese are obsessed with so-called the “origin”. Everybody knows that China had contributed a lot to Asian cultures in the past. No one denied it. However, it does not mean that China may raise a claim for the cultures developed or transformed by their neighbors even if those had been based on Chinese so-called “origin”. Chinese should not exaggerate or falsify the so-called “origin”. Exaggerations of Chinese origin or their cultural heritage do not bring any respect to China from neighbors.

robto · Jan 28, 2021

Harris said:
Please let me add some. I feel that these days Chinese are obsessed with so-called the “origin”. Everybody knows that China had contributed a lot to Asian cultures in the past. No one denied it. However, it does not mean that China may raise a claim for the cultures developed or transformed by their neighbors even if those had been based on Chinese so-called “origin”. Chinese should not exaggerate or falsify the so-called “origin”. Exaggerations of Chinese origin or their cultural heritage do not bring any respect to China from neighbors.

I don't see anyone saying that China should claim the cultures developed or transformed by its neighbors in Korea or Japan.

My argument is that, yes, the neolithic revolution started out in northern and southern China, and yes, Ancient China is the mother of civilizations in East Asia.
By having said that, modern-day Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese can claim ancient China as their own, as modern Chinese do. In fact, modern Chinese don't have more claim for ancient China than a modern Korean does. All those East Asian nations are equally inheritors of the ancient Chinese civilization.

If you want an analogy, just see how all Europeans view the ancient Roman Empire and classical Greece. Modern-day Italians and Greeks don't exclusively claim those ancient civilizations as their own, they are equally claimed by all Europeans alike.

Harris · Jan 28, 2021

robto said:
I don't see anyone saying that China should claim the cultures developed or transformed by its neighbors in Korea or Japan.

My argument is that, yes, the neolithic revolution started out in northern and southern China, and yes, Ancient China is the mother of civilizations in East Asia.
By having said that, modern-day Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese can claim ancient China as their own, as modern Chinese do. In fact, modern Chinese don't have more claim for ancient China than a modern Korean does. All those East Asian nations are equally inheritors of the ancient Chinese civilization.

If you want an analogy, just see how all Europeans view the ancient Roman Empire and classical Greece. Modern-day Italians and Greeks don't exclusively claim those ancient civilizations as their own, they are equally claimed by all Europeans alike.

Actually the reply I posted was not to your post. I did not say to you that you claim neighboring cultures as Chinese. However, some people claim Korean culture e.g.Kimchi and Hanbok as Chinese even if they do not have Chinese origin. Under another thread, I saw a ridiculous and surprising claim that Korean spoken (not written) language was Chinese. I wanted to point out such matter. Anyway I appreciate and respect your opinion. Thank you.

Adlai · Jan 28, 2021

'China' has something like 30 language and ethnic groups. Most Asians at some time in the past broke away from the main groups and developed into their own distinct tribal groups, so
I would say they're related; their ideographs and customs are definitely much more similar to each other than they are to Iceland's or Nicaragua's, after all.

What the hell is up with that Karioke stuff, anyway? man that is one awful fad, and is totally out of character from them, at least to me

Karst Hill Fort · Jan 28, 2021

Adlai said:
'China' has something like 30 language and ethnic groups. Most Asians at some time in the past broke away from the main groups and developed into their own distinct tribal groups, so
I would say they're related; their ideographs and customs are definitely much more similar to each other than they are to Iceland's or Nicaragua's, after all.

What is up with that Karioke stuff, anyway? man that is some awful fad.

China has way more than 30 languages, there're at least several hundred languages in China.

arkteia · Jan 28, 2021

Leftyhunter said:
Not so sure about the food part . I was in South Korea for a few weeks and the food was nothing like Chinese food.
Korean script looks nothing like Chinese characters.
Korean sounds nothing like a Chinese language.
Koreans are very nationalistic although they strive to have diplomatic and trade relations with has many nations as possible.
Koreans are similar to China in the narrow sense in that they have different religions and not a state religion but percentage wise more Koreans are Protestant then Chinese.
South Korea has a Chinese ethnic community but it is very small.
Leftyhunter

I think there is a huge difference between the Koreans and the Chinese. Maybe it is not the ethnic difference (although I feel there is a huge difference in the way Koreans and Chinese people look). But it is how people present. Koreans are more extraverted, emotional, expressive. I think it is learned behavior, but it is very obvious.
The languages were as different as one could imagine. I had the feeling, that if I really needed to, I would be able to learn Korean; not so with Mandarin.
As to the food, same issue. In China, it is "variety of different dishes, some good, some not". Koreans pride themselves in their cuisine, to such a degree that I ate better French food in South Korea than in France.
That Koreans are nationalistic, small wonder, I think that so many of them suffered in the XX century (and if we add North Korea, it continues to XXI century).
I hope that one day, like the Berlin wall disappeared, so will the Demilitarized Zone, and there will be one Korea, but of course, everyone understands why is it not possible today.

Leftyhunter · Jan 28, 2021

arkteia said:
I think there is a huge difference between the Koreans and the Chinese. Maybe it is not the ethnic difference (although I feel there is a huge difference in the way Koreans and Chinese people look). But it is how people present. Koreans are more extraverted, emotional, expressive. I think it is learned behavior, but it is very obvious.
The languages were as different as one could imagine. I had the feeling, that if I really needed to, I would be able to learn Korean; not so with Mandarin.
As to the food, same issue. In China, it is "variety of different dishes, some good, some not". Koreans pride themselves in their cuisine, to such a degree that I ate better French food in South Korea than in France.
That Koreans are nationalistic, small wonder, I think that so many of them suffered in the XX century (and if we add North Korea, it continues to XXI century).
I hope that one day, like the Berlin wall disappeared, so will the Demilitarized Zone, and there will be one Korea, but of course, everyone understands why is it not possible today.

In 1989 the South Korean diplomats in then West Germany paid very close attention to West Germanies response to the implosion of East Germany and the subsquent years of unification.
The South Koreans realized that reunification won't be easy and it won't be cheap. At best reunification is long term process.
Leftyhunter

VHS · Jan 28, 2021

Leftyhunter said:
In 1989 the South Korean diplomats in then West Germany paid very close attention to West Germanies response to the implosion of East Germany and the subsquent years of unification.
The South Koreans realized that reunification won't be easy and it won't be cheap. At best reunification is long term process.
Leftyhunter

The Three Kingdoms era of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla lasted quite long.

Three Kingdoms of Korea - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The cultural and economic gap between North Korea and South Korea should be narrowed before unification is realistic.

Leftyhunter · Jan 28, 2021

VHS said:
The Three Kingdoms era of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla lasted quite long.

Three Kingdoms of Korea - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The cultural and economic gap between North Korea and South Korea should be narrowed before unification is realistic.

It's a bit difficult to extrabulate what occurred a long time ago in Korea to contemporary Korea. I remember that the South Korean goverment was very cognizant of Germanies path to reunification. North and South Korea are radically different countries. If reunification does occur it's not going to be quick and painless.
Leftyhunter

arkteia · Jan 29, 2021

Leftyhunter said:
It's a bit difficult to extrabulate what occurred a long time ago in Korea to contemporary Korea. I remember that the South Korean goverment was very cognizant of Germanies path to reunification. North and South Korea are radically different countries. If reunification does occur it's not going to be quick and painless.
Leftyhunter

No, but unless it occurs, North Koreans will die out from hunger. It will be a horrible karma for any country supporting NK.

Leftyhunter · Jan 29, 2021

arkteia said:
No, but unless it occurs, North Koreans will die out from hunger. It will be a horrible karma for any country supporting NK.

It's a very trickey situation. NK has nukes and more then a few at that. China trades much more with SK but still does trade with NK and China does what it wants when it wants in regards to Korea. Obviously the President of SK is in a very delicate position in regards to NK potentially imploding. At least the DDR didn't have its own Nukes.
Leftyhunter

Why was Korea not absorbed by the Chinese cultural sphere?

More History Discussions