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SCMP
Asia

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Columnists

5. Mark Peterson

Civilian control of government

This is No. 8 in my series on the “Top Ten” evidences that Korea has a peaceful and stable history. For most of Korean history the civilians have been in control of the government.

2020-04-24 17:11

Seonbi, not samurai

This is No. 7 in my top 10 list of what I call “Peaceful and Stable Korean History.” Here I want to feature what in Korean can be called “seonbi culture.”

2020-04-19 18:45

Royal tombs untouched by grave robbers

The sixth item on my top 10 list of evidence for advocating that Korea has had a peaceful and stable history is the fact that the royal tombs have not been robbed. Royal tombs? There are the tombs of Silla kings surrounding Gyeongju and there are the tombs of the Joseon kings on the outskirts of Seoul. None have been robbed.

2020-04-10 17:39

Oldest border in the world

The fifth point on my top 10 list of evidence for calling Korean history peaceful and stable is the nature of the border with China. The Amnok River (perhaps better known by the Chinese term, Yalu River) has been the border with China for over 1,000 years.

2020-04-05 18:24

Korea never invaded another country

Last week I looked at the number of invasions Korea has suffered, and I explained my point of view, that there were really very few invasions in spite of the popular opinion that Korea has been invaded numerous times. Today's entry (#4) in this series I call, “Peaceful and Stable Korea,” looks at the fact that Korea has never invaded another country.

2020-03-27 17:52

Misconception about invasions

I realize that I am about to contradict the summary of Korean history told by 95 percent of my friends in Korea, but I am of the opinion, based on my studies, that my contrarian view is more accurate. Most of my Korean friends are of the opinion that Korea has been invaded numerous times. I don't buy it. I see relatively few invasions in Korean history, and long periods of peace and stability.

2020-03-22 17:26

Transitions of dynasties

After a diversion for two weeks to respond culturally to the “Parasite phenomenon” I want to return to the theme of Peaceful Korea. My point is that deep and inherent in Korean culture the dominant theme is peace. After all, the common greeting is “Annyeonghashimnikka (Are you at peace)?”

2020-03-15 17:54

American culture and 'Parasite'

I've been struck by how the age ratings of the movie “Parasite” differ slightly in Korea and in the U.S. I thought I'd take a minute to look at how the ratings in each country are different, and what this might mean.

2020-03-08 17:42

'Parasite' vs 'Gone with the Wind'

Both Korea and the United States have a history of slavery. They are both very different, and yet, they are both the same.

2020-02-28 17:20

Longest dynasties

I've written about this previously, but the more I think about it, and work on it, I find new dimensions to the idea. Almost all the Korean dynasties, even the earliest ones, run five or six hundred years. There are no short-lived or failed dynasties. Even the Gaya Kingdom, although it can be argued that it lacked a centralized, fully developed state, ran 500 years.

2020-02-23 17:13

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