Emily's+reflection

Discussion Question #8
Question: Write a short reflection of what you learned from these readings. With the benefit of hind site and knowledge of China and Japan, would Korea have been better off if it had “opened up to the west?”

Response: Although the question is very vague in terms of what exactly “better off” refers to, in my opinion – and through my definition of “better off” – I believe that Korea’s decision not to open up to the west was for the better. Through blocking western ideas, although it may have cost the lack of technology at first, Korea was able to keep its cultural identity. If Korea had welcomed and accepted the western ideas then, barely any traces of the original Korean values and traditions would have remained until today. Even though price was paid through the brutal persecution of Christianity, thanks to those efforts, we now have a nation whose people hold natural and basic Confucian beliefs and traditions, regardless of the religion they may hold. Besides, even though Korea may have been falling behind in terms of technology and economy back in the time, it is inevitable that now it has become one of the top ranking countries in terms of both economy and technology – the massive development during the past decades allowed them to flourish greatly.