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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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South Korea
Index
Although a variety of different Asian peoples had migrated to
the Korean Peninsula in past centuries, very few have remained
permanently, so by 1990 both South Korea and North Korea were
among the world's most ethnically homogeneous nations. The number
of indigenous minorities was negligible. In South Korea, people
of foreign origin, including Westerners, Chinese, and Japanese,
were a small percentage of the population whose residence was
generally temporary. Like their Japanese neighbors, Koreans tend
to equate nationality or citizenship with membership in a single,
homogeneous ethnic group or "race" (minjok, in Korean). A
common language and culture also are viewed as important elements
in Korean identity. The idea of multiracial or multiethnic
nations, like India or the United States, strikes many Koreans as
odd or even contradictory. Consciousness of homogeneity is a
major reason why Koreans on both sides of the DMZ viewed their
country's division as an unnatural and unnecessary tragedy.
Against the background of ethnic homogeneity, however,
significant regional differences exist. Within South Korea, the
most important regional difference is between the Kyongsang
region, embracing North Kyongsang and South Kyongsang provinces
in the southeast, and the Cholla region, embracing North Cholla
and South Cholla provinces in the southwest. The two regions,
separated by the Chiri Massif, nurture a rivalry said to reach
back to the Three Kingdoms Period, which lasted from the fourth
century to the seventh century A.D., when the kingdoms of Paekche
and Silla struggled for control of the peninsula
(see
The Origins of the Korean Nation
, ch. 1;
fig. 2). Observers noted that
interregional marriages are rare, and that as of 1990 a new fourlane highway completed in 1984 between Kwangju and Taegu, the
capitals of South Cholla and North Kyongsang provinces, completed
in 1984, had not been successful in promoting travel between the
two areas. South Korea's political elite, including presidents
Park Chung Hee, Chun Doo Hwan, and Roh Tae Woo, have come largely
from the Kyongsang region. As a result, Kyongsang has been a
special beneficiary of government development assistance. By
contrast, the Cholla region has remained comparatively rural,
undeveloped, and poor. Chronically disaffected, its people
rightly or wrongly have a reputation for rebelliousness. Regional
bitterness was intensified by the May 1980 Kwangju incident, in
which about 200 and perhaps many more inhabitants of the capital
of South Cholla Province were killed by government troops sent to
quell an insurrection. Many of the troops reportedly were from
the Kyongsang region
(see Students in 1980
, ch. 1;
United States Forces in South Korea
, ch. 5).
Regional stereotypes, like regional dialects, have been
breaking down under the influence of centralized education,
nationwide media, and the several decades of population movement
since the Korean War. Stereotypes remain important, however, in
the eyes of many South Koreans. For example, the people of
Kyonggi Province, surrounding Seoul, are often described as being
cultured, and Ch'ungch'ong people, inhabiting the region
embracing North Ch'ungch'ong and South Ch'ungch'ong provinces,
are thought to be mild-mannered, manifesting true yangban
virtues
(see Traditional Social Structure
, this ch.). The people
of Kangwon Province in the northeast were viewed as poor and
stolid, while Koreans from the northern provinces of P'yongang,
Hwanghae, and Hamgyong, now in North Korea, are perceived as
being diligent and aggressive. Cheju Island is famous for its
strong-minded and independent women.
Data as of June 1990
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