Korean History
Unbiased History & Stories on Korea for Global Audience
Sponsored by Open Korea Foundation
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What are these?
Hey everyone. I’m someone who is a Korean adoptee into the US so my Korean history is pretty limited. Got…
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Actress Hayoung’s ‘four generations of doctors’ brag backfired hard — the deeper history behind why Koreans are furious”
Hi r/korea, I’ve been following the Hayoung (“하영”) family scandal closely and did my own write-up analyzing it — pulling…
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Outline of Korea, 1933
A scarce official publication issued by the Government-General of Korea during the Japanese colonial period. This hardcover volume is an…
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Balhae Descendants of Goguryeo Lineage Continued Their Family Line in Goryeo
One aspect of Balhae history that is often overlooked is what happened to members of its royal family and their…
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How would North Americans and Europeans view actor Ha Young’s great-grandfather controversy if framed through a similar lens?
As a Korean, I’m writing this because I’m genuinely curious about how people from North America or Europe view this…
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Over the Centuries..
These ancient pine trees have quietly witnessed Korean history. For Koreans, the pine tree has always held a special place…
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Was there ever a time in Korean History where the people were divided into tribes or ethnolinguistic groups?
Annyeong! I am asking this question as a Filipino, and I know many Koreans know that the Philippines consists of…
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Second female PM
in News
Timing is often an unruly thing. Many pundits have stressed the importance of timing in life. What I mean to…
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Looking for someone knowledgeable in Joseon Dynasty history (research help needed)
Hi everyone, I’m currently working on a research project about the Joseon Dynasty, especially focusing on its culture and society…
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[True Crime] The Ordinary 1980s Korean Housewife Who Poisoned Her Own Father and Sister Over Gambling Debts (South Korea’s Last Executed Female Serial Killer)
![[True Crime] The Ordinary 1980s Korean Housewife Who Poisoned Her Own Father and Sister Over Gambling Debts (South Korea’s Last Executed Female Serial Killer)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAKAAQAAAAAktvSOAAAAAnRSTlMAAHaTzTgAAABISURBVHja7cEBAQAAAIIg/69uSEABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHwZyoAAAWA8y4gAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)
TL;DR In the late 1980s, a 40-something housewife struggling with cabaret gambling debts poisoned five people, including her creditors and…
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Went to the Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall over the weekend
The 민주화운동기념관, or Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall, is a museum and memorial in Seoul built around the former…
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‘The people will prevail’: 1980 report by US rights group details massacre in Gwangju
A report prepared by an American human rights group after Chun Doo-hwan ordered the brutal suppression of an uprising in…
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King Sejong’s legacy meets inventor of Korean braille
in News
A new exhibition opening Thursday in Yeoju draws a striking parallel across five centuries of Korean history: the creation of…
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Yun Posun-English interviews?
Hello all, this may have a long shot but I might as well ask. I’ve been a keen reader of…
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The King’s Warden: A 500-Year-Old Historical Scar and the Destiny Behind the Tragic Young King
I’ve been completely immersed in the story of “The King’s Warden” (왕과사는남자). This story isn’t just fiction; it’s rooted in…
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[MORNING CALM TALES] How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
in News![[MORNING CALM TALES] How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAiYAAAFYAQMAAABdwKUpAAAABlBMVEUAAAD///+l2Z/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAC5JREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T20KP6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHgYXhAAAT0FWg8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=)
In the spring of 1994, a crisis erupted when a North Korean official declared, during a meeting with his South…
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The ‘zombie’ in Korean history
in News
There is an idea in Korean history that will not die. I, and others, try to kill it, but it…
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Interactive map of Korean history through cinema (60+ curated movies)
If you’re interested in Korean history but find it hard to follow, you should definitely check this out. I’ve organized…
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Is this opinion of Kim Gu/Korean history common in Korea and if so why?
I’m Korean Australian but I’ve always had a bit of an interest in Korean history and while I’m not that…
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“The Taebaek Mountains”: The Ordeals and Lamentations of the Korean Peninsula — the Land of Three Thousand Ri(3):The beautiful illusion of the ‘Communist paradise’ and the hellish reality; revolution unfinished, beautiful dream awakened
Contents The Background, Characteristics, and Influence of The Taebaek Mountains The Repeated “Changes of Flags” in Beolgyo-eup, South Jeolla Province:…
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Would like help with quick translation
I like to collect coins, especially from harder to get places. These are coins from the DPRK. Help with the…
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Suneung: Blind students sit 13-hour college entry exam in South Korea
Every November, South Korea comes to a standstill for its infamous college entrance exam. Shops are shut, flights are delayed…
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Did the languages of the Three Kingdoms understand each other during Korea’s Three Kingdoms period?
https://preview.redd.it/tka4aywrnurf1.jpg?width=764&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d45696dfebf1c4b9ad1a4831b7c374e4d7b93c8 There are various theories about whether Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje spoke different languages. However, according to the fragmentary historical…
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S.Korea shelves financial regulator shake-up, keeps FSC, FSS in place
FSS’ labor union members protest against the government’s plan to spin off a consumer-protection watchdog on Sept. 18, 2025. (Courtesy…
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It seems that former Acting Prime Minister of South Korea, Ms. Chang Sang, is the least famous in Korean history !!!
Here I just say that when we look at Han Meyong-sook who was the first female prime minister of Korea…
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What were the wives of yangbang referred to as?
Hi everyone, due to the sheer lack of Korean history resources that are translated in English I’m having a hard…
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Help identifying traditional Korean garment
You guys have probably heard of KPOP Demon Hunters by now. I want to cosplay one of the villains from…
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Is the Rebuilt Gyeongbokgung authentic?
From what i looked up while learning about korean history Gyeongbokgung was destroyed by japan and rebuilt in the 1990s…
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Is Konglish usually considered a dialect?
I have been wondering about this especially with regards to a lot of criticism I see online about Soyeon’s english…
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How were Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee different?
I know two of the most notable dictators in South Korean history are Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee. Both were…
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(LEAD) Acting president appoints 9th justice to Constitutional Court, names successors to retiring judges | Yonhap News Agency
The acting president, who wasn’t elected into his position and disregarded the Constitutional Court’s orders to appoint the already vetted…
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ousted by court
President Yoon Suk Yeol attends the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Jan.…
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Korean history about Akiyama Yoshifuru
Does someone here know korean sources where I can find Information about the war crimes from Akiyama Yoshifuru and where…
![[True Crime] The Ordinary 1980s Korean Housewife Who Poisoned Her Own Father and Sister Over Gambling Debts (South Korea’s Last Executed Female Serial Killer)](https://openkorea.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/T8SztCAwEny3zaS3fANuhtcvJIATeObV4VGzD-WyVLE-QxQZuO.jpg)
![[MORNING CALM TALES] How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb](https://openkorea.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/b47d48b8-34b2-4510-8176-e5d84d35502d_resize-p8pKou.jpg)
