OCR Text |
Show sewer0 wO ', union's 36 PARALLEL """"" YELLOW -r V SEA J ' Korea juts from Manchuria with one corner bordering the Soviet Inlon. Its total population is over .10 million people, with two-thirds of them living In South Korea below the .18th parallel. A A A A LAND OF THE MORNING CALM Korea Has Struggled for Unity And Independence for 50 Years A great many people in the United States were very vague about the location of Korea until the recent outbreak of fighting in that little country that juts from Manchuria and the Soviet Union, not unlike Florida from the southern part of this country. It is a rugged land of 30,000,000 people with mountain ranges comD.irahle in hpipht tr tho Annalachians covering virtually all the A . v - . ., . i :: - ' . . ' t, ' ' ; . tj country. Granite hills up to 6.300 feet fold the terrains of the United States sponsored Republic of Korea the Indiana-sized southern three-seventh three-seventh of the peninsular land. They form a twisting network of valleys which invaders have always followed. fol-lowed. So completely do the rugged hills crease the country that rail and highway routes twist fantastically in connecting cities and towns. Chief transportation artery of South Korea, for Instance, Is the double - tracked, standard gauge railroad running diagonally from Haeju in the northwest on the violated vio-lated 38th-parallel boundary through Seoul, Taejon, and Taegu to the southeastern port of Pusan. From Haeju to Pusan by way of the cities named is Just about 290 air miles and 400 miles by rail. Rice Main Crop At some time in the past, nature's forces tilted the southward-pointing peninsula down on the west, or Yellow Yel-low sea side, and up on the east, the coast of the Sea of Japan. As a result re-sult of this tilt, Korea, although it averages 150 miles in width, has its South Korea is the agricultural agricultur-al section of the country and many farmers still use the ancient an-cient means of transportation of their forefathers. A wagon and water buffalo haul the family's possessions. noble who emigrated to Korea in 1122 B. C, and founded a dynasty there that ruled the country for many centuries. Much of what we now know as Korea had attained a degree of unity and enjoyed an old culture at the time the Roman Kmnire drainage divide only about 15 miles inland from the east coast. The west coast has a partly submerged sub-merged shore line marked by countless count-less fjordlike bays and islands. Yellow Yel-low Sea tides, fluctuating 25 feet and more, have created broad tidal mud flats. The east coast on the other hand, has almost no islands and a straight, steep shore line. Mountains slope into the sea or from narrow sand flourished. In the 14th century the relatively small peninsular country became known as the kingdom of "Chosen", a name often given Korea to this day. Korea, aftpr completing Its treaty of 1876 with the Japanese, made similar "open door" agreements with a number of other powers, including in-cluding the United States. But none served to protect Korea from aggression ag-gression and exploitation. Japan, after winning its war with Russia, made Korea a protectorate for a time until the annexation, when Korean properties were seized or expropriated. Korean patriots penned their own declaration of independence in 1919. This touching and beautifully written writ-ten document was presented to the Japanese with peaceful intent, but the signers were executed. A provisional government in exile was formed. For many years this powerless government, under Dr. Syngman Rhee, campaigned for independence. in-dependence. In 1943 the Rhee government gov-ernment at Seoul was recognized by the United Nations, though the northern half of the country was under un-der Russian domination. Strange Customs beaches washed by clear water. South Korea Is the agricultural agricul-tural part of the peninsula as divided arbitrarily at the 38th parallel in 1945 as a Russo-American Russo-American military expedient for the disarming of Japanese troops. Rice is grown on every flat space where irrigation Is possible. Thatched farm houses and green terraces snuggle in every narrow valley between the endless lines of folded hills. Soybeans, Soy-beans, hemp, wheat, barley, and vegetables are cultivated in dry fields. Throughout its modern history the ancient nation of Korea has been engaged in a tragic struggle for freedom, unity, and independence. Japan annexed the country in 1910 and proreeded to exploit its resources re-sources thoroughly until the end of World War II. But for years prior to the annexation. Korea had been I a pawn in the big power politics of Japan. China, and Russia. Peace-seeking Korea ushered in its modern era by concluding an "open door" treaty with Japan in 1876. But Nipponese promises of independence in-dependence were soon forgotten. The Sino-Japanese war of 1894-95 left Japan the dominant foreign power pow-er in Korea. This hold was consolidated consoli-dated by victory in the Russo-Japanese war a decade later, and the Koreans had no free government of their own until the elections held in 1943 under United Nations auspices. Founded in 1122 B. C. Old Korea's origins are obscure by time, but her people claim a history of more than 42 centuries. Korean legend celebrates a founder found-er named Tan Gun. of superhuman origin, whose alleged tomb is still venerated. More credible are the historic references to a Chinese The Koreans have a number of customs which people of this country coun-try find amusing. For instance, by long established custom, the Korean bridegroom stays with his bride three days in his father-in-law's house before returning re-turning with her to his own parents' house. Official manhood begins for the Korean only after marriage Even if he is 70. a bachelor's opuv ion has little influence. White is the traditional color of mourning in Korea. Since it is worn for three years for close relatives, Korean families are in mourning white much of the time. Potential barrier to an invader's progress is the population of South Korea. It is now 20 million, three-fourths three-fourths of them on farms. Despite the mountains that rule out cultivation cul-tivation of most of the area that is more than twice the population of North Korea, and five times that of Indiana, comparatively a farmma paradise. |