History

Korea's History From the first settlements to the dividation of the prosperous country, this Photo Story explains it all. media type="file" key="Korea Photo Story.wmv" width="420" height="422" align="center"

"For some reason, I grew up generally believing that Japan and Korea were quite friendly. I do know that there is some bad history and the extremists on both sides are unreasonable."  **Joichi Ito**

What are the long and short term effects of colonialism? Colonialism may either improve or destroy culture. It may improve culture (really only if the people want their culture changed) by westernizing it and/or adding different or new ideas/practices to the culture. Cultures can be destroyed, though, if the leader country bans certain practices from the country they have taken over or if they force a country to practice only one type of culture. Also, sometimes cultures are forgotten or left behind when new ones are introduced.

Does colonialism improve or destroy culture? Colonialism can either improve or destroy a nation's culture. Cultures may be improved if new practices/ideas are installed into a culture. But it really comes down to if the country practicing that culture wishes to change it. If so, then new practices would be considered improvements. But if a country/group wishes to keep their culture the way it is, then any changes via colonialism would be looked at as hurtful. In Korea's case, after Japan colonialized Korea it tried to eliminate Korean culture and replace it with Japanese traditions. Korean culture was almost unwillingly eliminated all together.

Do more technologically advanced civilizations have the right to take what they need from less technologically advanced civilizations? Technologically advanced civilizations do not have the right to take what they need from less technologically advanced civilizations, even if they have the power to do so. Advanced civilizations, even though more powerful, may want resources that are only available in certain countries, but they should try to make a deal or compromise with that country instead of forcefully taking products. This leads to conflict between countries. It is also unjust for countries to take over other countries and force them to abide by certain laws.

Was Korea affected positively or negatively when colonialized by Japan? ​Korea was negatively affected by Japan when colonialized. Japan tried to erase all Korean culture by forbidding the use of the Korean language in public and making Korean families get a changed Japanese registered name. Also, Koreans were overworked by the Japanese, who enforced harsh rule. When the March 1st Movement took place, 2,000 Korean protestors were killed by Japanese soldiers, and 19,000 wounded.

Korea was also positively affected by Japanese colonialism. Under the Japanese, factories, roads, and railroads were built. Also modern farming techniques and improvements to society and economy were installed in Korea under Japanese rule.