Spiritual Culture of the Korean People 2010.05.12 Lee Jong-chul, Head of the Establishment Body of Hanseong Baekje Museum

Spiritual Culture of the Korean People

2010.05.12

Lee Jong-chul , Head of the Establishment Body of Hanseong Baekje Museum

Table of Contents

I. Culture’s Definition and Origin of the word

II. General use “Concept and Properties of Culture”

III. Understanding of the Korean Traditional Culture

IV. Power of Culture

V. Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Korean People

VI. Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the Korean People

VII. Korea- National Culture of God Spirit in the 21st Century

VIII.Success and Failure of the 20th Century’s Cultural Challenges

IX. Era of the Cultural Industry

X. Challenges of the Spiritual Culture of the World

I. Culture’s Definition and Origin of the

word

Great Culture Great UniversityGreat Culture Great University 4 / 25


1. Comprehensive aspects of life of the people or the

society

2. English → Culture, German → Kulture originated from

the Latin, Cultura and is used in Europe since the 17th

century

① Origin of the word → agriculture, cultivate

② Two meanings, caring of the body or the spirit

Dodangje of Mt. SamgakFarm Music



Definition

① Holism

General spiritual and artistic expression of the people

or the society

Ability, habit or knowledge acquired by the members of

the society

General aspects of the collective life style

② Idealism

Not the specific behavior, but the basic system of value

that controls the behavior, the rule or the principle

II. General use “Concept and Properties of

Culture”

Gangryeong Mask Dance


II. General use “Concept and Properties of Culture”

1. Manner for managing the life of the people Nature, Politics, Food,

Clothing and Shelter, Religion, Culture, Education

category Korean peninsula →Historical background with China,

Manchuria, Japan

2. General aspects expressed in the life style of the group of people

Culture is shared.

Culture is learned.

Culture is cumulative.

Culture is a whole of system.

Culture is always changing.

Culture is super organic.

I. Understanding of the Korean Traditional Culture

Picture of the Dragon King


III. Understanding of the Korean Traditional Culture

1. History’s progress

The process of overcoming the cultural limits faced by an era

2. Ancient times→ ceremony for heaven, heavenly gods, religion of

god

Three States ㆍ Goryeo era → Buddhism ㆍ Taoism

Joseon dynasty Confucianism → Western learning, 400 new

religions of the Korean culture

3. Dynamics of accepting the culture from the outside world

4. Cultural development

the process of constantly adding new ability of life to

the previously acquired “ability of life”


Seokguram



1. Nation with a strong root of culture in all times and

places

Social chaos collapse of today’s economic, material culture, and

exclusive wealth

Nation inundated with illegality, crime and sin

The people dreaming of new resurrection

Samuel Huntington , the national income of Ghana and Korea in 1945,

60 years ago (60$, 87$ <the least developed country>, illiteracy rate :

70%)

Temple of Taoism Shrine of exorcism for heavenly god

V. Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Korean

People

Dano festival


V. Understanding of the Korean Traditional Culture

1. Hometown of the Japanese people’s history

2. Nation with excellent Buddhism → pagoda Seokga

3. Kingdom of white porcelain

Treasure 659’white porcelain cheonghwamaejukmoon byeong’ Suwon hwaseong


4. Registration of 17 cultural heritages as UNESCO World

Heritage

① 7 Cultural heritages

Bulguksa, Seokguram, Gyeongju historical district, Haeinsa

Janggyeonggak, Jongmyo, Suwonhwaseong, Hwaseong

Seongyoekuigwae, Dolmen, Changdeok palace

② 1 Natural Heritage – Jeju-do volcano cave

③ Documentary cultural heritage

Hunmin jeongeum the Record of the Joseon Dynasty,

Seongjeongwon ilgi , Baekwoonhwasang, Booljojikjisimcheyojeol,

Goryeo daejanggyeong, Joseon ,Dynasty’s gwae

④ 3 World intangible cultural assets – Jongmyo royal ancestral memorial

service and Jongmyo royal ancestral music, Pansori, Gangneung Dano

festival

V. Understanding of the Korean Traditional Culture

VI. Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the

Korean People

Hunminjeongeum


VI. Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the Korean People

1. Faithfulness → Filial Duty, Courtesy, Sense of Shame, Doctrine of King,

master, father trinity

2. Filial Duty → Nation with an “ariculture-first”principle, Naturalism,

Irrigation institution, Large-family system, Collective farming

3. Courtesy → Confucianism (Confucius) Sajiksin god of five grains, god of

heaven, god of soil, god of region, ceremony of ancestors

4. Sense of shame → ethics, moral culture and home management , Jin-in-sa-

dae-cheon-myeong (God helps those who help themselves)

Orient Culture (Buddhism Confucian Value<Success stories of Japan and Korea>)

Korea ㆍ China ㆍ Japan- peninsula, continent, island, Chinese character and Confucian

culture → benevolence→ cultural code of three nations in the Northeast Asia –

communication of Chinese character, unification, Korea, China, Japan /Beon-ja/Gan-ja/

Yak-ja/ Jeong-ja (types of character), Chinese character, last period of Ching dysnasty

3000~60 million characters

Seokguram Bulguksa Changdeok palace

Gyeongju historical districtJongmyoSuwon hwaseong

Haeinsa Gyeongpanjeon Dolmen heritage Jeju volcano island and lava cave

VII.Korea –National Culture of God Spirit in the 21st

century


VII. Korea – National Culture of God Spirit in the 21st century

1. God-centered way of thinking, times of deity, high spirits, shamanism

(relish, merriment, high spirits) shamanistic religion

2. Can do spirit, Why not, Let’s live a better life, overcoming poverty – the

Saemaeul movement

3. Supported by education, teaching, ideology ← miracle of Han river - 1986

Asian Games, 1988 Olympic Games, 2002 World Cup Festival for high

spirits not just for soccer- toward the world beyond walls Dynamic Korea

→ profound taste of culture

① Alcoholic drink

② music

③ dance

Korean traditional clothes ‘Dandui’ Chinese traditional clothes ‘Chipao’

VIII. Success and Failure of the 20th century’s Cultural

Challenges

Suwonhwaseong


VIII. Success and Failure of the 20th century’s Cultural Challenges

1. Two faces of national image of Korea

① Nation with insufficient basic technology, and raw materials→ failure of

respecting and preserving ancestor’s learning, science, and technology

② Korean-made cars, Korean-made Benz – OEM – failure and challenge of

marketability

③ War, division of a nation, demonstration, riot, export of orphans, abuse

of foreigners

Fall of the 100 years-tradition of the modern history ( failure to clean

up the vestiges of the Japanese colonial rule and the creative process

of overcoming)

Yeonhui rope walking Jeungpyeongjangddeol dure song of farming

IX. Era of Cultural Industry

Ancient buildings of Mt. Moodang


IX. Era of Cultural Industry

1. 21st century is the era of culture

① Information society – Dream Society(Jensen, Futurology)

② Era of industrial production – era of cultural production – Rifkin, writer

of The European Dream

③ Nation’s destiny decides the national image

Korean Wave culture→ to the world , to the culture, to the truth → the

light of the east shines the world

④ Popular movie → countries with the share of more than 25% : Korea

(50%), France and Japan

⑤ Music video Popular music

⑥ IT

⑦ Be quick world culture history

X. Challenge of the Spiritual Culture of the

World

Joseon Dynasty royal tomb(Geonwonreung)



1. Cultural policies demanded today

① Enhancing and illuminating mind and temper, purgation method for

spirit

② Improving the ‘quality of life’ on the ground of life

③ Accepting foreign culture in a balanced way

④ Establishing the culture-centered policy environment

⑤ Fostering “industry and art” that contribute the national development

Jongmyo Changdeok palace



2. 7 factors developing spiritual culture

① Dream ㆍ Vision & Goal

② Right & Good service

③ Change & Innovation

④ Creativity & Challenge

⑤ Speed & Velocity

⑥ Trust & Credibility

⑦ Technology & InformationJongmyo royal ancestral memorial service

Thank you.

Documents

Spiritual Culture of the Korean People 2010.05.12 Lee Jong-chul, Head of the Establishment Body of Hanseong Baekje Museum