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NORTHEAST ASIAN HISTORY FOUNDATION 01/2022 Newsletter

COVER STORY Year of the Black Tiger(壬寅年) Happy New Year

2022 is the year of the Black Tiger. In the modern era, Mt. Baekdu was expressed as a tiger's head and painted a tiger's vigor roaring toward the continent. The Northeast Asian History Foundation will take the lead in maintaining the tiger's energy a...

New Year's greetings Readers of Northeast Asian History Foundation News, it's the new year of 2022. We have all had a hard time with the pandemic of the Covid-19 for the past two years, and I wish you well and happy in the new year. NAHF has been trying to pray for peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia, to alleviate historical conflicts and to promote mutual understanding. We believed that if we revealed the truth of 'history', we could overcome the conflict of 'reality' and go out toward peace. But the history and reality of Northeast Asia are moving in the opposite direction. Recently, the US-China confrontation has deepened and the peace of East Asia is threatened. Regardless of historical truths, real-world nationalism is becoming more and more inclined to retroactively define history.

Lee Young-ho, President of the Northeast Asian History Foundation

The History of 'Comfort Women' as a Universal Human Rights Issue Is it possible to write transnational history? It was 20 years ago. In 2001, the Japanese right claimed to remove the description of the ‘comfort women’ in the Japanese middle school history textbook. In response, a committee was set up for the compilation of history textbooks jointly by Korean and Japanese women. In 2000, international women held an 'The Women's International War Crimes Tribunal 2000 for the Trial of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery'. They shared that the issue of ‘comfort women’ is a universal issue of women's human rights. The committee was set up the following year.

Park Jeong-ae, Research Fellow of NAHF Korea-Japan Relationship Research Institute

A Study on the 'Comfort Women' in Anglosphere, and Transnational Memory In early 2021, Ramseyer's paper caused controversy. Contributions and papers pointing to the flaws in his thesis were published continuously, which appeared as an international academic solidarity. In the process, I realized that the Korean (history) academic community was indifferent to research in English. Of course, it can not be denied that Korean and Japanese scholars have led the study of the 'comfort women'. Of course, it is undeniable that Korean and Japanese scholars have led the study on 'comfort women' for the Japanese imperial army. But now, the comfort women are being discussed globally. Therefore, we must hurry to draw the topographic map of the transnational knowledge field surrounding it. Securing a transnational view is because it can break down the hierarchy of 'global-local' and overcome the reality that is limited to the agenda based on nationalism in Korea and Japan.

Kim Eun-kyung, Professor of Imagination and Liberal Arts College, Hansung University

The Statue of Peace in Germany, Is it possible to reconcile memories? For a long time, sexual violence during war was considered a daily and inevitable situation in war. And unlike other victims of violence, the victim did not have ‘the authority of the victim’. The ‘comfort women’ for the Japanese military are evaluated as the occasion that changed this situation. After Kim Hak-soon's public testimony, the existence of victims due to the Japanese sexual slavery system became visible in East Asia, and their words and memories settled in the public sphere. People sought international support and solidarity to draw out the Japanese government's apology and compensation. In the process, the memory of the 'comfort women' became a representation of victims of sexual violence during the war in the transnational memoryscape. However, the globalization of 'comfort women' memories accompanied the globalization of the East Asian memory war. And this has been developed through the establishment of a 'The statue of peace' outside the South Korean territory for the past decade. The latest example is The Statue of Peace, which appeared in Berlin in September 2020.

Jung Yong-sook, Professor of Social Studies Education at Chuncheon National University of Education

충주고구려비 발견 40주년 ‘충주고구려비의 금석학적 연구’ 자료집 『忠州高句麗碑』

40th anniversary of discovery of Chungju Goguryeo Monument A Study on Chungju Goguryeo Monument based on the epigraphy 『The Chungju Goguryeo Monument(忠州高句麗碑)』 Chungju Goguryeo Monument(National Treasure No. 205) was discovered in 1979 at the entrance of Yongjeon-ri, Gagum-myeon, Jungwon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. This Chungju Goguryeo Monument is the only Goguryeo monument found on the Korean Peninsula. This describes King of Goryeo as '高麗大王', and expresses King of Silla as ‘東夷寐錦’(Dongyi Mageum) and the relationship between Goguryeo and Silla as ‘如兄如弟’(be close and intimate like a brother). This is a valuable relic that can look at the relationship between Goguryeo and Silla as well as the history of Goguryeo since the 4th century.

Ko Gwang-eui, Research Fellow of NAHF Institute on Pre-modern Korean History

The Heart of Buyeo 'Jilin’ Wear white, Enjoy singing and dancing The Dongyi Liezhuan in 『Book of the Later Han(後漢書)』 describes the castle of Buyeo as follows. ‘It made a round fence a castle. And there's a palace, a warehouse and a prison.(以員柵爲城, 有宮室·倉庫·牢獄)' In addition, the Dongyi Liezhuan in 『Three Kingdoms(三國志)』 was described as follows. ’The castle fences were all rounded, it was like a prison(作城柵皆員, 有似牢獄)’.

Lee Jong-soo, Professor of History at Dankook University

The History of Balhae in Korean History Resources Balhae expanded its territory from the beginning of its founding to secure vast territory, 1.5 to twice as large as Goguryeo; they established the Emperor's system during King Mun(文王). Balhae was a country where culture developed enough to mention that Tang ‘made a family with culture and institutions(車書本一家)’ about the relationship between the two countries. And Balhae was praised by Tang as 'Haidong Shengguo(海東盛國)'. They have flourished considerably in terms of national power and culture. However, there is no record of history left by them at all. So Balhae was considered a mysterious history.

Kwon Eun-ju, Research Fellow of NAHF Institute on Pre-modern Korean History

『Yu Deuk-gong, a Diplomat in Joseon who Specializes in History』 The Korean and Chinese quarrels over the history of Balhae continue. Whether Balhae belongs to China or Korea is important to both countries. This is because the country to which Manchuria's history will belong is determined. Yu Deuk-gong wrote 『Study of Balhae Kingdom(渤海考)』 and said, "Balhae and Silla succeeded Goguryeo; the two countries became North and South States in the history of Korea.” The Korean perception of the history of Balhae is the is the same as his claim. Yu Deuk-gong has left many records on countries in Qing, Mongolia, Arabia, Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Lim Sang-seon, Honorary Research Fellow of NAHF

Korean Culture to China 'Goryeo Style' which was popular in Yuan Dynasty The customs of Goryeo, which was popular in the 14th century Yuan Empire, are called 'Goryeo style(高麗樣)'. This is considered to be a comparison with the 'Mongolian style', which refers to Mongolian customs that were popular in Goryeo society at the same time. Think about the Korean Wave such as 'K-POP', 'K-Food', 'K-Beauty' in modern times. 'Goryeo style' was an unprecedented cultural phenomenon in the relationship between Korea and China in the pre-modern period.

Kim Yoon-jung, Researcher at the Seoul Historiography Institute

NAHF NEWS NAHF has signed a business agreement with the Corean Alpine Club. The Corean Alpine Club was founded in 1945 as the Chosun Alpine Club and renamed in 1948. Since its inception, it has conducted an academic survey to investigate the land that was violated by the Japanese colonial rule. In 1947, 1952, and 1953, academic surveys were conducted on Ulleungdo and Dokdo. The related resources provided by the Corean Alpine Club to NAHF are those that can illuminate the appearance of the Republic of Korea, which has managed Dokdo since liberation. In the future, NAHF will pursue various projects with the Corean Alpine Club. And we will receive additional resources on Northeast Asian history, territory and Dokdo, which will be displayed at the Dokdo Museum Seoul. Through these resources we expect the modern history part to be abundant in the Dokdo Museum Seoul.

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