Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-12-05
Korea's Story
SOrrOWful
BY James Waldo Faucet,

on Wednesday declares its resurrec.
ton. The United States, Great Britain
and China, the conferees announced,
ARE determined that in due course
Korea shall become free and indie.
pendent"
Exactly what is meant by the pledge
and promise thus set forth probably
will become known only when japan
has been conquered and the ideals of
the victorious Allies can be transplanted
into accomplished facts.
But there can be no question about
what Korea historically Is. The 1894
edition Of Chambers Encyclopedia con-
tains an article in which the ancient
Korean kingdom Is described as being
"a peninsula between the Sea of Japan
and the Yellow Sea, separated from the
Japanese islands by the Strait OF
Korea" Having q total area Of about
10000 square miles, the peninsula re-
sembles Florida In shape and lies in
about the same latitude. Korea is also
like Italy, hemmed in on the north by
alpine ranges and traversed from north
to south by branch chain" Some OF
the peaks rise 1000 or 5000 feet above
the sea. The lower slopes originally
were richly forested, but great guam
titles of timber have been cut for fuel.
Winters commonly are cold and sum-
mers hot. The climate is considered
healthy.
Whence came the original settlers of
the country is problem which anthro-
biologists and ethnographists have not
solved Chambers says: The popu-
lation is OF a mainly Monaghan
type, though some assume that there
| Is Caucasic element in the stock Hair
not quite black and even blue eyes and
an almost English-style Of face are
| met with. The language is interme-
date between Mongolo-Tartar and
japanese, polysyllabic and agglutinat-
| ing. 1t has an alphabetic system of its
own"
! AS to traditional religious interests,
| "the philosophy of Korea is Confu-
clan, but there are numerous
Buddhist monasteries" and evidence of
an earlier worship exists in the mystic
rious "miriok," human figures carved
in stone. The government of the land
was IAN hereditary and absolute mon
archy' with nine ministers as admins
traitors. Chambers explains: Caste
| Is very powerful and no Office of even
only local Importance is held by others
than mobiles. There is strictly no we'll
TODD middle class, those who are not
officials being cultivators"
The modern civilization OF Korea
dates back to 1922 BIC, when 5000
Chinese colonists brought to the pen
insula their arts and sciences. Kite,
royal counselor and sage, was their
leader. He became their King in their
new home and Is remembered as the
founder Of the Korean social order"
His dynasty prevailed until the 4th
century BIC, when the first of many
civil wars occurred. Progress, however,
was not halted by internecine strife.
Neither was it retarded by foreign ag-
erosion. According to the Encyclo-
paedia Britannica, In the 4th century
AID. Korea already was a center
OF literary culture and began trans
hitting Buddhism and Chinese litera-
ture and ethics to Japan, together with
the Chinese script National unity
was achieved by King Wang about sl3.
| The peninsula was attacked by
Jenghiz and Khublai Khan, but re-
gained measure of prosperity and
peace until Nj Taijo, or Titan, who
IN 1892 assembled the throne as SOW
ereign in liege to Hung WI, the first
Ming Emperor of China His policies
and formulas of government continued
in effect during approximately 500
years.
Japanese pirates, the classic records
indicate. were the forerunners of con-
quest. They ravaged the shores Of
Korea at periodic intervals through.
out the 18th and 18th centuries. Then,
''in 1892, by order Of the great Regent
Hideyoshi"- Japanese Napoleon
Korea was invaded by Japanese
army of 100000 men. China came to
the rescue with $4,000, and six
years of gigantic and bloody war fol-
lowed, in which Japan used firearms
for the first time against foreign foe
oSooA oiAo oc'cldl VI lQe OlQeSl CllleS
were captured, the country was DESC
lated, and the art treasures and the
artists were carried to Japan. The
japanese troops were recalled in 1898 at
Hideyochis death. Korea never
recovered from - this invasion, which
bequeathed to all Koreans an intense
hatred of the japanese
The national humiliation took the
form of quest for seclusion. Korea
became 1.-The hermit kingdom" When
French and American missionaries and
traders attempted to break through
the WALL they were killed Both France
and the United States sent punitive ex-
| petitions to Korea in 1866, 1867 and
1871, but without securing any diplo-
matte successes" Russia, however, OBJ
tanned the cession of Usuri Province and
Japan gained rights of settlement and
trade in Fusan, Won-san and Inchiun.
America negotiated commercial treaty
in 1882, followed by Germany and Great
Britain in 1883. Seoul then was opened
to foreign residence in 1884. An attack
on the japanese Legation a decade later
furnished an excuse for Japan to COM
mence hostilities long planned. One ag-
erosion after another ensued When
the Korean people resisted their unwill-
ingness to submit without protest was
seized upon as a reason for further
enslavement. The victory of Japan over