By Choe Chong-dae
I am always awestruck by the many ancient tombs of Gyeongju, the ancient capital of Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-A.D. 935). They radiate an aura of mystery and fascination. There's also the little rocky islet, called Daewang-am (Great King's Rock), approximately 200 meters off the coast at Bonggil-ri, a fishing village that is regarded as the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu (A.D. 661-681) in Munmudaewang-myeon. King Munmu was the greatest monarch of the Silla Kingdom who unified the Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) in 668.
After the king was cremated at an unknown site on the slopes of Mount Nang in Gyeongju, he desired that his ashes be brought to Daewang-am islet and buried on a big rock on the coast of the East Sea in order to defend Korea from foreign powers, even after death.
On account of its unique cultural value, the township Yangbuk, where the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu is enshrined, was renamed Munmudaewang-myeon last year.
I first visited the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu with members of the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea, when I was a high school student in Gyeongju in 1968. It was a beautiful spring day. Tourists were not allowed to land on Daewang-am due to safety concerns at that time. They could only view the islet from the beach of Ponggil-ri fishing village.
Aware of the RAS Korea members' serious interest in Silla culture, a special authorization to the Gyeongju Police Station was given on the recommendation of my father who was a pioneer of Korean archeology. As a result, we were able to visit the mysterious rocky islet on a small fishing boat. We embarked from the coast of Ponggil-ri, escorted by a police officer.
I was excited to make the trip with the RAS tour group. The group was a mix of diplomats, scholars, journalists, artists, businessmen and missionary clergymen.
Although my command of English was limited then, I was still able to converse with a few foreign members of the society including the long-term American resident of Korea John Nowell. It has been over a half century since we first met on the Gyeongju trip, and we remain good friends.
I have a very fond memory of James Hoyt (then cultural attache of the U.S. Embassy in Korea and Chairman of the Board of the Korean American Educational Commission, who later served as RAS Korea president in 1981 and 1982). Hoyt's publications include a translation of "Songs of the Dragons," the Korean national epic that was published by RAS Korea in 1979.
He returned to the United States in 1982. With Hoyt's enthusiastic love for Korean culture and history, he served as senior professor at the Academy of Korean Studies from 2000 to 2001. Coincidently, Hoyt was an alumnus of U.C., Berkeley with Buddhist scholar Frank Tedesco (UCB 1971), a close associate of mine, who also taught at the academy.
Hoyt gave a lecture on Korean history at an RAS meeting then. He also wrote "Soaring Phoenixes and Prancing Dragons," a historical survey of Korean classical literature, Korean Studies Series 20. I cherish the autographed volumes he gave me.
RAS Korea has made remarkable contributions to Korean studies as a serious discipline. The organization was specifically created decades ago to advance research of Korea as a distinctive civilization in terms of religion, history, culture, language, arts, music and literature. I appeal to the Republic of Korea to support RAS Korea and give it due credit. It pioneered Korea's globalization years before industrialization and international trade.
Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.
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After the king was cremated at an unknown site on the slopes of Mount Nang in Gyeongju, he desired that his ashes be brought to Daewang-am islet and buried on a big rock on the coast of the East Sea in order to defend Korea from foreign powers, even after death.
On account of its unique cultural value, the township Yangbuk, where the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu is enshrined, was renamed Munmudaewang-myeon last year.
I first visited the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu with members of the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea, when I was a high school student in Gyeongju in 1968. It was a beautiful spring day. Tourists were not allowed to land on Daewang-am due to safety concerns at that time. They could only view the islet from the beach of Ponggil-ri fishing village.
Aware of the RAS Korea members' serious interest in Silla culture, a special authorization to the Gyeongju Police Station was given on the recommendation of my father who was a pioneer of Korean archeology. As a result, we were able to visit the mysterious rocky islet on a small fishing boat. We embarked from the coast of Ponggil-ri, escorted by a police officer.
I was excited to make the trip with the RAS tour group. The group was a mix of diplomats, scholars, journalists, artists, businessmen and missionary clergymen.
Although my command of English was limited then, I was still able to converse with a few foreign members of the society including the long-term American resident of Korea John Nowell. It has been over a half century since we first met on the Gyeongju trip, and we remain good friends.
I have a very fond memory of James Hoyt (then cultural attache of the U.S. Embassy in Korea and Chairman of the Board of the Korean American Educational Commission, who later served as RAS Korea president in 1981 and 1982). Hoyt's publications include a translation of "Songs of the Dragons," the Korean national epic that was published by RAS Korea in 1979.
He returned to the United States in 1982. With Hoyt's enthusiastic love for Korean culture and history, he served as senior professor at the Academy of Korean Studies from 2000 to 2001. Coincidently, Hoyt was an alumnus of U.C., Berkeley with Buddhist scholar Frank Tedesco (UCB 1971), a close associate of mine, who also taught at the academy.
Hoyt gave a lecture on Korean history at an RAS meeting then. He also wrote "Soaring Phoenixes and Prancing Dragons," a historical survey of Korean classical literature, Korean Studies Series 20. I cherish the autographed volumes he gave me.
RAS Korea has made remarkable contributions to Korean studies as a serious discipline. The organization was specifically created decades ago to advance research of Korea as a distinctive civilization in terms of religion, history, culture, language, arts, music and literature. I appeal to the Republic of Korea to support RAS Korea and give it due credit. It pioneered Korea's globalization years before industrialization and international trade.
Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.
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