The Chosen Land

All we Americans know about Korea is probably that the north has been ruled by Communists for many years and that we went to war in the 1950's to free South Korea.  We know all about the young, pompous ruler of the north that hasn't been seen by the world for quite some time.  We see the TV ads for Korean Airlines.  Yet, as in all Communist countries, there was a Korea before the Communists.

Ms. Mabel Craft Deering yearned to visit Korea. Chosen - Land of Morning Calm, National Geographic Magazine, October, 1933, is the report of her visit.  At that time, since 1910, Korea was 'possessed by' and ruled by JAPAN! "Chosen" is the name Korea was known by then.

Korea is geographically very close to Japan, and shares a border with China in the north and Russia in the northeast. The whole of Korea, north and south, together with its islands, is slightly larger than the U.S. State of Minnesota.  I'm getting a wonderful education in geography by reading these articles and learning how the various countries are placed on the Planet Earth.

I've come to think of the Japanese of 100 years ago as modern Romans.  After they conquered a nation, they set about modernizing it with an extensive network of railroads, roads, and agricultural development.  This certainly happened in Korea after 1910, including large areas of reforestation of barren land.

Ms. Deering enjoyed the big city of Seoul but wanted to visit the mountains and the countryside.  Most interesting were the 'free-form' houses in the mountain villages.  "Some of the mud-walled, thatched-roof houses in this maze are shaped like horseshoes, the letter "L", or the figure "5;"  some follow other fantastic styles.  The Koreans seem adverse to having rectangular floor plans," (photo caption, p. 439).

The Koreans were ruled for centuries by a series of native dynasties with their kings and queens.  In 1933, much of their former magnificence was gone.  "True enough, several of the old palaces and pavilions are still standing, but their closed doors and lack of paint leave them as somewhat sad reminders of their departed glory," (p. 448).  There is a price paid for modernization!