Well, this is kind of interesting:
A Yonsei University professor has found three maps from the 18th century showing that Gando, part of Manchuria, had belonged to Korea until the 18th-19th centuries.
The maps run counter to China?????s claim that the ancient Koguryo Kingdom, part of which was located at Gando that is currently Chinese territory, is part of Chinese history. China put Koguryo relics in those regions on the World Heritage list last week.
Professor Kim Woo-jun of the university?????s Institute of East and West Studies on Wednesday made public three European maps made by Du Halde in 1740, R. de Vaugondy in 1750, and Wilkinson in 1794. They were printed in Europe from a copperplate of a Chinese map bought in 1718.
Kim goes on to make two statements — one very true, and one very disturbing. First, the true one:
“China is insisting Koguryo relics are their own according to current territory, but it is ignoring the race who developed its own culture,” Kim claimed.
After the relics were put on the World Heritage list, the Chinese government reported through its state-run press Xinhua News Agency that Koguryo was China’s regional kingdom controlled by Chinese authorities.
The Chinese government has also conducted an official study called the “East-North Project” since 2002 to prepare historical support for their claims. Kim and other Korean scholars regard this move as preparation for future disputes with a unified Korea.
Obviously, given that China has had border issues with just about every one of its neighbors, this is something to be concerned with. However, I’m not sure if the following comment is going to help much:
With such distortion, China aims to gain an advantage over Korea about territory and people in the Gando area. The country aims to class ethnic Korean-Chinese living in Gando as their people.
Uhhh… I’m not sure what the good professor is trying to say here, because last time I checked, Gando was Chinese territory, and ethnic Koreans living in the Gando area (or any other part of the People’s Republic of China) were “their” people. It would seem Kim is trying to suggesting an irredentist claim on parts of Manchuria, which would be quite a foolhardy thing to start pressing, indeed.
Be wary, but don’t be stupid.
10 Comments
Do you remember a few years ago when the South Korean government wanted to extend voting rights
to Koreans in other nations? I believe that was the idea. Voting based on ethnic identity rather
than citizenship. Or it might have included granting them citizenship based on identity.
If I remember correctly, the idea died when someone figured out China might not be too
thrilled with the idea.
Conveniently, this map is cropped so that we cannot see how the Sea of Japan is labeled. Could be interesting to figure this one out…
Ethnic Korean population in China’s northeast - approximately 1 million.
Total Chinese(all non-Korean ethnicities) population in China’s northeast (Former Manchuria now Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning).) - approximately 110 million.
I don’t think Korean claims to Manchuria are going to go anywhere.
And the Chinese, when it is convenient for them, forget to mention that China in 18th and 19th Century (Qing Dynasty) were ruled by Manchus, not Han Chinese. So it’s not surprising that neighbouring tribes/kingdoms would go to Beijing and give the Manchu emperor tribute money to keep the stronger Manchu armies on base in China.
Oh… and the Han Chinese who invited the Manchu leaders in to clean up the mess of the failing/fallen Ming Dynasty is still considered the worst traitor in Chinese history.
The second of the Professor’s remarks, which you find disturning, isn;t at all suprising. Revanchism is a strong sentiment in Korea. What’s disturbing about it, though, is that its strength is inversely proportional to both historuical and present-day realities. Historically, “Korea” [sic] cpuldn;t hold onto the territory, and currently, as Jing observes, they’re not is a position to do anything about it. But they persist in obsessing and whingeing about it, and one wonders where and in what other distorted conduct, that energized ‘resentiment’ is going to surface.
“dda” up there… there are maps that has been made from Europe and China that marks the East sea as Sea of Korea, not sea of Japan. Shortly after Japanese government argued on the claims of “Sea of Japan” there was an exhibition of the 17th and 18th century world maps from around the globes in Seoul, South Korea. So there’s nothing to hide or if I may use your expression, “conveniently cut out”
Mr Marmot,
I know this is your blog..but don’t you dare to make prejudicial judgements with your “Reporting” like you did up there at the end. The thing is, as you might as well know, the ethnic Korean-Chinese living in Gando area, so called “Chosunjok,” thinks that they are Koreans, not Chinese.
And Sperwer, I have to agree with you. Only bitterness and resentment will be left. Geographically Koreans were never too lucky.
And speaking of revanchism, perhaps the term is more appropriate for Chinese with added obstinacy?
I know this is your blog..but don?€™t you dare to make prejudicial judgements with your ?€œReporting?€? like you did up there at the end. The thing is, as you might as well know, the ethnic Korean-Chinese living in Gando area, so called ?€œChosunjok,?€? thinks that they are Koreans, not Chinese.
You’re right, this is my blog, and I don’t take kindly to commentors coming in and telling me what I may and may not “dare” say on it, OK? And my statements weren’t prejudicial — Gando is Chinese territory, and the people who live on that territory are Chinese citizens. This is a fact recognized by both the governments of the ROK and DPRK, and if you have any doubts as to this, compare immigration laws for North Korean defectors (who are recognized as ROK citizens) and Joseon-jok, who are most certainly not (I’m sure North Korean immigration law is similar in this regard). Moreover, having actually been to Gando, I can tell you that your claims that Joseon-jok consider themselves “Korean, not Chinese” are highly spurious. With the exception of those who went to Joseon Hakkyo, most speak poorer Korean than I do, and their ties to either Korea are tenuous at best — just because they are ethnic Koreans doesn’t necessarily mean they give their primary loyalties to either North or South Korea. If you’ve got data in terms of sociological studies of ethnic Korean residing in China that indicates otherwise, I’m willing to listen. Otherwise, I’ll tell you this — if the Joseon-jok were Korean, you’d hardly know it from the way they’re treated both by South Korean diplomatic legations in China and the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Justice here.
And I’ll say it again — if you think it’s a smart idea for Korea to press irredentist claims on large swaths of Manchurian territory, well, I don’t know what to tell you.
I don’t know if anyone here even checked, Qing Dynasty settled border with Korea during the 1700’s (Yalu River and Tumen River.) The outcome was that what you now call Gando had been reaffirmed as part of China since. That area, as well as the other parts of Manchuria were considered to be birthplace of Manchurians, and therefore all except for Manchus were banned from emmigrate to the area. When famine drove immigrants from Korea to cross the broder in the 1880’s. Qing demanded Korea to withdraw its immigrants. An agreement was later reached that allowed Koreans to own land in the area. Han Chinese were granted entry during late Qing and it has remained a Chinese terrotory throughout Japanese rule until Today. Korean-speaking people in the region are Chinese citizens. Most of them immigrated to the area during Japanese Manchukuo period.
Lee, I’m very curious to know how did Gando remained a Chinese territory throughout Japanese rule? Doesn’t it make it a Japanese territory at that time, the same as it became Chinese territory in today’s time?