- Alto contraste
Asia Pacífico | Observatorio Parlamentario
Confucianism and its influence on Korean culture
23 octubre 2007
None
Any political system operates effectively if there is consensus about the basic nature of politics, the overall role of government in society and the legitimate purposes of politics and participation. In this sense, the political culture of a society plays a central role, especially since it corresponds, according to Gabriel Almond and G. Bingham Powell, to the pattern of individual attitudes and orientation towards politics by members of a political system.
In the case of Korea, the ascendancy of China in its cultural development has played a key role whereas a decidedly Confucian influence marked its history. We are talking about a philosophy, ethical and social system that has its origin in feudal China with the teachings of Kung-fu-tzu and postulated that the attachment to tradition, which is seen as one of the highest virtues by both of leadership and the people, and not as an element of conservatism or a negative connotation.
It was introduced in Korea during the late Koryo Dynasty, occupying a secondary place in this period to Buddhism, and acquiring an important role in shaping the Korean state and its political system only since the Choson Dynasty of the late fourteenth century. During this period, a series of reforms were initiated in the agriculture, military, political and educational sectors, and was noted for its formation of students who later served in government posts.
With the Japanese invasion in the early twentieth century, a forced reform occurred in Korean political institutions and many Confucian tenets from the public sphere. Moreover, the Second World War and the subsequent separation of the peninsula into two Koreas increased this situation. But the need to establish a national identity for the new nation-state, led to the political leadership to appeal to one of the Confucianism’s fundamental tenets: loyalty.
At present, and a product of capitalist economic development and assistance from the U.S. for same, South Korea has been characterized by the establishment in its society of a successful process of industrialization that has led to an unstoppable change in its traditional values system, with the teachings of Confucian principles embedded in the in private and family life.
Confucianism is a philosophy of life that has accompanied Korean society for quite some time, so, although the weight of modernity is felt, it will remain valid in its political culture, resulting in modes of political and social interaction that cut across current events.
In the case of Korea, the ascendancy of China in its cultural development has played a key role whereas a decidedly Confucian influence marked its history. We are talking about a philosophy, ethical and social system that has its origin in feudal China with the teachings of Kung-fu-tzu and postulated that the attachment to tradition, which is seen as one of the highest virtues by both of leadership and the people, and not as an element of conservatism or a negative connotation.
It was introduced in Korea during the late Koryo Dynasty, occupying a secondary place in this period to Buddhism, and acquiring an important role in shaping the Korean state and its political system only since the Choson Dynasty of the late fourteenth century. During this period, a series of reforms were initiated in the agriculture, military, political and educational sectors, and was noted for its formation of students who later served in government posts.
With the Japanese invasion in the early twentieth century, a forced reform occurred in Korean political institutions and many Confucian tenets from the public sphere. Moreover, the Second World War and the subsequent separation of the peninsula into two Koreas increased this situation. But the need to establish a national identity for the new nation-state, led to the political leadership to appeal to one of the Confucianism’s fundamental tenets: loyalty.
At present, and a product of capitalist economic development and assistance from the U.S. for same, South Korea has been characterized by the establishment in its society of a successful process of industrialization that has led to an unstoppable change in its traditional values system, with the teachings of Confucian principles embedded in the in private and family life.
Confucianism is a philosophy of life that has accompanied Korean society for quite some time, so, although the weight of modernity is felt, it will remain valid in its political culture, resulting in modes of political and social interaction that cut across current events.
