Korea (Choson)

Capitals : North Korea - Pyongyang, South Korea - Seoul (Soul)

History

The Koreans are an ancient people who came from Central Asia and Manchuria to form the tribal territory of Ancient Choson in about C4th BC. This was conquered by the Chinese Han dynasty in c.108 BC and divided into four counties which were abandoned to give way to the Three Kingdoms by 300 AD. These were Koguryo (North Korea and southern Manchuria), Paekche (south west Korea) and Silla (south east Korea and Naktong valley) and they fought for domination for three hundred years. Chinese influences included Bhuddism, the literary language and Confucian philosophy. Silla, helped by an alliance with the Tang rulers of China, was in control of the whole peninsula by AD 688, and had removed the Chinese and been recognised as a separate kingdom by them by AD 735.

The Koryo dynasty, from which the Western name Korea is derived, was founded by General Wang Kon in the early C10th AD. The culturally and intellectually advanced Koryo civilisation was ended by the Mongol invasions begun in 1231. Many of its advances were lost until the Chinese Ming dynasty took over in the mid C14th and General Yi Song-gye gained power in 1392. He moved the capital from the Koryo one, Kaesong, to Hanyang (Seoul), a hill fort in the Han valley. Government followed Confucian principles which emphasised nationalism, stability and high cultural achievement but was a rather strict society. King Sejong invented 'Hangul', a 28 letter phonetic Korean alphabet, which overcame the problems of trying to use Chinese structures and signs for phonetic Korean but Confucian scholars objected and it was considered inferior until the increasing modernisation of the C20th.

By the C16th, the crown was less powerful than the traditional aristocracy or 'yangban'. Japanese pirates had been a problem throughout the C14th and C15th and a full scale invasion under Toyotomi Hideyoshi took place in 1592. Ming forces were called in and an armistice was agreed but Hideyoshi returned in 1597 and continued to occupy Kyongsang province until his death the following year. Manchu invasions began in 1627 and when they proclaimed themselves as the Ching dynasty in China they expected Korea to pay homage. Crown Prince Sohyon was held as a hostage. Two centuries of peace followed but Korea was so afraid of foreign invasion that all foreign visitors were refused entry and no-one was allowed out. This led to the country being called the 'Hermit Kingdom' but there was some trade with China and Japan.

The growing European presence in the Far East led to some Western texts entering Korea and Catholicism gained enough followers to be banned in 1795. French priests were sent in and there were about 11 000 Catholics in Korea by 1850 and this had doubled by 1865. The official belief was that Catholicism was connected with foreign influence and would lead to further invasions. As China and Japan began to be opened up to the West, Korea isolated itself even more but there were internal problems with the Tonghak or 'Eastern learning' cult founded by Ch'oe Che-u in the 1860s. When the American trader, 'General Sherman', was sunk off the north western coast of Korea in 1866, warships were sent to investigate but withdrew after occupying the Kanghwa Island forts when Korea refused negotiations.

The country was recognised as independent by the commercial Kanghwa Treaty with Japan in 1876, a 'friendship commerce and navigation' treaty with the US in 1883 and others with Italy and Russia in 1884 and France in 1886. Western inventions and visitors began to arrive in Korea but China was still the dominant influence although there was a coup by the Independence Party, who favoured Japan, in 1884. Internal revolts intensified in 1894 so Korea asked China for military aid. Japan also sent troops and suggested reforms which would end Chinese influence, occupying Kyongbok Palace in Seoul when these were refused. The Japanese forced Korea to declare war on China and destroyed the Chinese Ching fleet in the Yellow Sea to gain a clear victory which resulted on the Treaty of Shimonoseki and many concessions from China.

Reforms and the independence movement continued despite Russian and Japanese rivalry in the area which escalated into the Russo-Japanese War by early 1904. Japan's victories led to the signing of the Korean-Japanese Annexation Treaty in 1910. Japanese rule lasted until the end of WWI although demonstrations against it began as early as 1919 and Syngman Rhee led a campaign from exile. In 1945 Korea came under the control of America, China and the Soviet Union and many exiles returned including Rhee. The 38th Parallel became a frontier between South (American) and North (Russian) Korea. In the South, Syngman Rhee became the first President of the Republic of Korea and in the North, Kim Il Sung was Prime Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Both states claimed jurisdiction over all Korea. The Communists invaded in 1950 and after UN warnings, President Truman sent in the Seventh Fleet in June. After the Americans crossed the 38th Parallel in October, China intervened and they were forced to retreat. Both sides had further victories and defeats until the armistice was signed in July 1953 but there was no final peace settlement and the country remained divided.

Rhee was deposed in South Korea and the army took over in 1961. Democracy returned under the Third Republic and South Korea's recognition by Japan led to economic revival. Kim Il Sung remained in control in North Korea.

Korean Names

Korean, like Turkish and Mongolian, is a Ural-Altaic language and very different from Chinese and Japanese although it contains many loan words from the former and much of its literature is written in Classical Chinese.

Korean names are usually made up of three Chinese characters. The family name or surname comes first followed by the generation name and given name. Recently it has become fashionable to use given names which cannot be written in Chinese. Some, such as Sun Moon, form phrases which seem to make sense in English. It is not a legal requirement to use a generation name or to follow the pattern laid down for them within a family but most people still follow the tradition. Most families use about five generational names often chosen according to Taoism. Personal names are only used by family or close friends and even within families, it is common to use a relational name instead of the actual given name.

Oppaelder brother used by younger sister
Hyungelder brother used by younger brother
Nunaelder sister used by younger brother
Unnielder sister used by younger sister

Male

An-KorBong-CholByeoung-KeunByung-Chul Chae-KuChae-P'il
Chang-HeeChang-HoiChang-SunChe-U Ching-YingChol
Chong-IlChong-PilChong-SikChoong-Hoon ChulChul-Soo
ChulsoonChung-HeeDae-DuDae-Hee Dae-HyunDae-Jung
Dae-SukDo-JungDong-HongDong-Ju Dong-MoonDong-Sung
Doo-HwanDuk-BaeEuikonEui-Tae EunkyhungGab-Do
Gil-HyungGil-SuGi-SuGui-Jin Gyong-SiHae-Sup
Han-GyongHa-UngHeung-SooHien-Jin Ho-BongHo-Jun
Hong-CholHong-ChulHong-DoHong-Gil Hon-YongHo-Pyong
Hyang-SoonHye-JinHyong-KimHyoung-Zoo Hyun-GiHyun-Ki
Hyun-ShikIl-SungIn-JungIn-Tak Jae-HwaJae-Sun
Jae-YupJanJang-YopJeaki Jeong-HwaJin-Gui
Jin-HienJin-SiekJin-SoonJin-Taek Jin-YongJong
Jong-DuckJong-KyuJong-MinJong-Pil Jong-SeobJoo-Bong
Joo-HyungJoong-KyungJoon-HoJoon-Sup Ju-KanJung-Keun
Jung-MoJung-OhJung-Sip?Ki-Whan Ki-YoungKon
KuKwang-SuKyo-MoonKyou-Chull Kyu-HahKyu-Hook?
Kyu-HwangKyu-HyukLuo-YongMan-Shik Man-SikMan-Young
Mu-HakMyonMyong-BokMy-Sung Myung-DaeMyung-Sok
Nun-HelOk-KyunPo-SunSe-Hong Se-JinSeong-Kim
Seung-GinSeung-HaeSeung-HwaSeung-Lip Seung-MeeShin-Cho
Shin-WaSiek-JinSohyonSon Song-CholSong-Gye
Song-HoSoo-AnnSoo-HyunSoon Soon-ChunSoon-Gui
Soon-HyunSoon-JinSoon-JungSoon-Ok Soon-SungSoon-Yul
So-YoungSuck-ChinSunSung-Chu Sung-KeunSung-Ki
Sung-ManSun-SinTae-HyunTae-Song Tae-WooTai-Hee
Tong-LimWa-DaeWah-Bo?Wan-Kyun Wen-MuWeon-Kee
Wok-SoonWonWoo-KeunWook-Soon Yee-Tai?Yong-Chul
Yong-IkYong-JinYong-JoYong-Jun Yong-SikYong-Sun
Yoon-SooYoung-AYoung-BumYoung-Chul Young-JaeYoung-Sam
Young-SooYoung-SuYoung-YiYun-Bok Yung-HoYun-man

Female

Families do use generation names for girls but these are not pre-determined and are often different from those used for the male children in a generation.

Aei-youngAe-SookBok-soonByung-soon Chan-sookCho
Cho-miChoeChong-kakChoon-yei Chun-jaChun-ok
Eun-seongEun-sookEun-youngHea-jung HeesokHee-yun
He-sukHeyeong-gunHwa-sooHwa-soon Hyang-soonHye-young
Hyoi-soonHyung-sookHyun-jungHyun-sil Jae-minJi-hwan
Jin-hoJong-huiJoo-heeJu-il Jung-aJung-hye
Jung-junJung-mingJung-parkKum-ja Kun-heeKwan-sook
Kyung-heeKyung-jaKyung-minKyung-wook Kyuung-hwaMi-Hyun
Mi-jaMi-kumMi-naMi-sook Mi-soonMyong-suk
Myung-heeMyung-sunNam-sinOk-Hee Ok-hwaOk-jim
Ok-myungOk-rimOk-sunSang-en Sang-jinSang-me
Seong-shinSeon-hwaSon-yongSoo-jung Soo-kyungSoon-bok
Soon-eiSoon-okSoo-YunSor-yong Su-daeSung-ah
Sung-heeSung-hyonSung-ooSun-hy Sun-tuSyung-soon
Tae-seonWoo-soonYang-gaeYeun-ja Yong-sookYong-suk
Yoo-meeYoung-ahYoung-heeYoung-ja Young-naeYu-min
Yung-liZung-bok

Surnames

Koreans did not use surnames at first but Chinese-based family names became common among the upper and middle classes under the Go-Ryu dynasty. Until the C18th, only about half the population had surnames.

There are only about 300 or 400 family names used in Korea of which Lee, Kim and Park are particularly common, accounting for almost half the population. People with the same surname are divided into branches often identified by a placename (about 280 in the Kim family and around 5 in most others) which could not intermarry until recently when the Korean Supreme Court made a ruling that people from the same clan or bon can marry outside Korea.

Women do not take their husband's surname. Names can be spelt in different ways when written in English.

AhnAnBaikBangByon ChaChaeChang
ChinChoChoeChoiChol ChongChouChu
ChunChungChwehGilGu GwangHaHan
HoHongHungHwangHyun IJangJeon
JeongJeungJoJonJong JungKangKim
KoKooKwakKwangLee LiLimMa
MoMoonNamNgaiOh PaePakPark
RaRheeRheemRiRim RonRyomRyoo
RyuSanShimShinShon SiSinSinn
SoSonSongSookSuh SukSunSung
TsaiWangWooYangYeo YeonYiYim
YooYoonYouYoujYoun YuYun

Titles

Kings were given regal titles after their deaths and are subsequently known by these.

Ch'olchongChongjoChungjong Injo KojongKyongdok
KyongsunSejoSejongSongjong SunjoSunjong
TaejoTaejongTaewongunYongjo

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This collection of names compiled by Kate Monk. Copyright January 1997, Kate Monk. Last updated February, 98. Copies may be made for personal use only.