Korean Confucianism
Confucianism in Korea is sometimes considered a pragmatic way of holding a nation together without the civil wars and internal dissent that were inherited from the Goryeo dynasty.
"Master Kong") is generally thought to have been born in 551 BC and raised by his mother following the death of his father when Confucius was three years old.
The Latinized name "Confucius" by which most Westerners recognize him is derived from "Kong Fuzi", probably first coined by 16th-century Jesuit missionaries to China.
His public life included marriage at the age of 19 that produced a son and a variety of occupations as a farm worker, clerk and book-keeper.
In his private life he studied and reflected on righteousness, proper conduct and the nature of government such that by the age of 50 he had established a reputation.
This regard, however was insufficient for his success in advocating for a strong central government and the use of diplomacy over warfare as the ideal for international relationships.
He is said to have spent his last years teaching an ardent group of followers of the values to be appreciated in a collection of ancient writings loosely identified as the Five Classics.
In his life Zhu Xi was largely ignored, but not long after his death his ideas became the new orthodox view of what Confucian texts actually meant.
By the time of the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) the position, influence, and status of Buddhism far exceeded its role as a mere religious faith.
Buddhist temples, originally established as acts of faith had grown into influential landholdings replete with extensive infra-structure, cadre, tenants, slaves and commercial ventures.
This emphasis on texts and learning produced a "monk examination" wherein the Buddhist clergy could vie with Confucian scholars for positions in the local and national government.
During this time, Confucian thought remained in the shadow of its Buddhist rival, vying for the hearts and minds of Korean culture, but with growing antagonism.
Interest in Chinese literature during the Goryeo Dynasty had encouraged the spread of Neo-Confucianism, in which the older teachings of Confucius had been melded to Taoism and Buddhism.
Neo-Confucian thought, with its emphasis on Ethics and the government's moral authority provided considerable rationale for land reform and redistribution of wealth.
[6] Having supplanted all other models for the Korean nation-state, by the start of the 17th century, Neo-Confucian thought experienced first a split between Westerners and Easterners and again, between Southerners and Northerners.
Of particular concern were the growing number of Catholic and Protestant missionary schools which not only taught a Western pedagogy but also Christian religious beliefs.
The defeat of the Dong Hak rebels drove ardent Neo-Confucians out of the cities and into the rural and isolated areas of the country.
[8] Though, in the isolated areas of Korea, and well into Manchuria, Korean nationals continued to wage a guerrilla war against the Japanese and found sympathy for Neo-Confucian goals of reform and economic parity among the growing Communist movement.
[10] The organization was founded with the goal to eradicate and prevent further colonialist influence, and also update the once Myeongnyun Institute into the larger Seong Gyun-gwan College.
[10] Unfortunately, after the ravaging of factionalism and struggle swept throughout the country after 1945, many local chapters refused to contribute, which further fueled the battle in maintaining Confucianism with the Association.
[10] The once vast land amounts that the hyanggyo owned in the Yi dynasty were forced to be ceded to the government for farmland distribution, or given up for education establishments.
Slowly, the local chapters no longer had as much income to fund the upkeep for the hyanggyo shrines or the activities that occurred throughout the Association.
[13][14] Though its prominence as the dominant ideology has faded, there are a lot of Confucian ideas and practices that still saturate South Korean culture and daily life.
It is seen not just in South Korea's emphasis on family and group-oriented ways of living, but also in the Confucian rituals that are still commonly performed today, the ancestor memorial services.
[5][24][25] Neo-Confucian philosophy going back to the 15th Century had relegated Korean women to little more than extensions of male dominance and producers of requisite progeny.
In films, school stories of manners and comic situations within educational frames fit well into the satires on Confucianism from earlier writings.
[29] As Korean feminist organizations gained more influence the government listened, and in 2000 established the Department of Gender Equality to allow women to participate in making policy.
However, this all began to change in 1994 when an open personnel reform from Samsung's chairman, forced top executives to treat and pay men and women equally.
