Start with the basics—Learning some Korean

Learn the basics of the Korean alphabet, Hangeul (also written Hangul). Of note, Hangeul refers to the writing system, not the language. The word for the Korean language is Hanguk-oh or Hanguk-mal. The great King Sejong and his scholars created Hangeul in 1446. They officially released it on 9 October, a day Koreans now celebrate as Hangeul Day. Before this, only elites could write because only elites could afford the education necessary to learn Chinese characters. King Sejong wanted all Koreans to be able to write their native language—probably the most noble origin story of any alphabet in history. 

Also, this means Hangeul is easy to learn by design. As a Korean scholar once said, “A wise man can learn it in one morning, and a fool can learn it in the space of ten days.” There are many YouTube videos and online tutorials to learn the alphabet. Find one you like. To understand what you’re reading, popular podcasts include Talk to Me in Korean and Essential Korean. You might also order a beginning textbook. Integrated Korean is a popular choice for colleges and is available on Amazon. 

What to Read

Korean history didn’t start in June 1950 when the North invaded across the 38th parallel. Yet, for many on assignment to Korea, their knowledge of the region starts and ends with the Korean War. The war is important, and the reason we are here, but it is not a good place to start. Limiting yourself to the Korean War disrespects our Korean allies by disregarding Korea’s long, complex, and fascinating history. 

Instead, begin with an overview. Wikipedia’s entry on Korean history is a good introduction, and you can follow that with the pages on North Korea (officially the DPRK) and South Korea (officially the ROK). Then, work to understand the basics of modern South Korean politics. Complement your Wikipedia reading with some recent studies to shed light on South Korea today. For instance, recent polling shows that many South Koreans hold negative views toward China, and generally positive (although sometimes complicated) views toward the US. For current events, English-language news sources include Yonhap and the Korea Herald. 

Once you grasp some of the basics, you may want to dive in a little deeper by reading a few books. If you want to learn more about modern Korean history and how the two Koreas have developed, try Korea: A New History of South & North by Victor D. Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo.

If you want to learn more about the Korean War, consider Rethinking the Korean War by William Stueck, which situates the conflict in its global context. For a Chinese perspective, try Mao’s Generals Remember Korea. It includes translated remembrances from seven Chinese military leaders, accompanied by useful essays on what China learned from the Korean War. Academy Professor and U.S. Army Colonel Bryan Gibby’s recent book Korean Showdown explains why the war lasted so long. Its chapters can also help readers learn more about specific parts of the war. For example, chapter 2 concisely summarizes the war’s first year, chapter 4 covers the war in the air, and chapters 5 and 8 address how Chinese and North Korean leaders reformed their forces. Similarly, his previous book The Will to Win covers how ROK forces, enabled by U.S. advisers, transformed throughout the war. In my (admittedly anecdotal) experience, the thing most non-Koreans understand the least about the war is the ROK perspective—I encourage you to explore it. You can also find numerous pamphlets and publications about the Korean War on the Center for Military History website.

If you want to learn more about North Korea, read Nothing to Envy. It tells the stories of ordinary North Koreans. Journalist Barbara Demick uses extensive interviews to reconstruct the lives of six people over fifteen years. Without You There is No Us gives readers a sense for how today’s North Korean elite thinks, seen through the experiences of Korean-American journalist Suki Kim, who taught English at an elite Pyongyang university during the final months of Kim Jong Il’s rule. Becoming Kim Jong Un is an easy-to-read overview of Kim Jong Un’s rise to power and mindset. 

Listen and Watch

Try the podcast Wiser World, which has three easy-to-understand episodes about North Korea, plus additional episodes on regional actors like China, Russia, and Taiwan. 

South Korea makes excellent films and television, and they are easy to find online. Here are two film recommendations focused on important moments in Korean history. The Admiral: Roaring Currents is available on streaming services. It is about Admiral Yi Sun-Sin’s great victory at the Battle of Myeongnyang in 1597. Yi Sun-Sin is one of Korea’s great heroes. During the devastating Japanese invasions of 1592-98 known as the Imjin War, Yi Sun-Sin’s extraordinary leadership helped to stop Japan’s rapid advance up the peninsula, ultimately allowing Korean forces (ruled by the Joseon dynasty) and Ming China to repel the Japanese. 

Just a few decades later, the Manchus invaded China from the north and toppled the Ming dynasty. They took over, calling themselves the Qing dynasty, and quickly invaded Joseon Korea. The Fortress, based on a South Korean novel, is another film available on streaming services. It is set in 1636 and depicts a point in this invasion. 

Based on the popular novel, Pachinko is a streaming series about a Korean family through three generations, beginning in Japanese-occupied Korea and ending in the 1980s. It provides a fascinating overview of recent Korean history as well as changing relations between Korea and Japan.

Under the title K Food Show, you can find miniseries such as ‘A Nation of Kimchi”, “A Nation of Banchan”, and “A Nation of Broth”. The show’s stars travel to Korea to explore these food themes. The result is a great introduction to Korean cuisine in its historical and cultural context. It is also a fantastic way to get excited about traveling to Korea.

Regional relationships

Many Koreans look at their history and see evidence to support the Korean proverb “When whales fight, shrimp get crushed,” meaning that Korea was often caught in the middle of disputes between great powers. After reading the below synopses of regional relationships, consider your thoughts on this interpretation of Korean history. 

Korea-China. This is a complicated relationship. A Chinese perspective is that Korea was either ruled by Chinese dynasties or was a Chinese tributary for thousands of years. Most Koreans (often vehemently) disagree. A Korean perspective might be that Korea resisted China when it could, and accommodated when it could not. Korea incorporated some elements of Chinese culture but retained a distinct cultural identity and history—Koreans are not Chinese. 

Korea-Japan. Korea also has a long and painful history with Japan. This began in the ancient era with centuries of cultural, economic, and technological exchange, sometimes marked by conflict, as when Japanese pirates (called wako or waegu) raided coastal Korean towns. Japan invaded Korea twice between 1592 and 1598. Later, in 1854, the US Navy forced Japan to trade with Western nations. Japan quickly militarized to become a regional power. After two destructive wars, Japan forced Korea to be a protectorate in 1905, and annexed it in 1910. Many Koreans resisted Japanese rule. One famous example is the 1919 March 1st movement. Decades of colonization ended in 1945 with Japan’s defeat, leaving behind bitter and unresolved issues that are still relevant today. 

Korea-Russia. Russian influence on Korea is relatively recent, beginning in the late 1800s when Korea cultivated Russia as an ally to counterbalance Japan. Japan violently contested this strategy. When Korean Queen Min (Empress Myeongseong) sought Russian help, Japanese agents assassinated her. Russian influence faded while Japan ruled Korea and only resurged in 1945 when the Soviet Union occupied North Korea north of the 38th parallel. 

Korea-US (pre-Korean War). The US is the newcomer here. It had some limited interactions with Korea in the late 1800s (see the Sherman Incident), culminating in an 1882 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. However, after the Russo-Japanese War, Roosevelt mediated the 1905 Portsmouth Treaty. The document, signed by Russia and Japan, cleared the way for Japan to control Korea. 

Korea-US (post-Korean War). The ROK-US relationship started in earnest after WWII when US forces occupied the peninsula south of the 38th parallel. The ROK-US mutual defense treaty dates to 1953, when the Korean War ended. Since then, the ROK-US Alliance has become deeply important to both sides—forged in blood and lasting across the decades. One unique expression of this relationship is the Korean Augmentation to the US Army program. Male citizens in the ROK (who are medically cleared) complete mandatory military service for at least 18 months. Every year, conscripts with English skills can enter a lottery to become KATUSAs. In 2023, over 15000 young men applied for under 2000 spots. Those selected do their service in a US unit instead of a ROK one.

South Korea-North Korea

Pre-war. The modern DPRK and ROK formed when the Allies defeated Japan and decided to put the formerly Japanese-occupied Korea under an Allied trusteeship (rather than grant Korea its outright independence). The USSR occupied the north, the US the south. Each used its resources to build up its chosen local government and leader—the charismatic communist Kim il Sung in the north, and the staunchly anti-communist and US-educated Syngman Rhee in the south. 

Korean War. The differences between these two Koreas grew, and after several years of smaller conflicts, the North invaded the South on 25 June 1950 (called the 6.25 war today in South Korea). Because the USSR was boycotting the UN at the time, the United Nations Security Council authorized the formation of the United Nations Command (UNC). The north’s Korean People’s Army (KPA) pushed ROK forces, supplemented by the few remaining US forces (most WWII-era forces had left by 1950), all the way down to the southeastern portion of the peninsula, called the Busan perimeter. They barely held on until reinforcements arrived. Soon, UNC forces landed at Incheon and retook Seoul, cutting the KPA’s supply lines and forcing them to move back. UNC forces continued pushing the KPA back until they were nearly at the DPRK’s northern border at the Yalu River. China sent a massive force called the People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) over the border that radically changed the war, retook Seoul, and pushed the UNC back south, but UN forces fought their way back to lines near the 38th parallel. Fighting continued around the 38th parallel for about two years, from July 1951 to July 1953, as all parties debated a potential armistice. Ultimately, several factors (including Stalin’s death in March of 1953) led to its finalization. The UNC, KPA, and the PVA (ROK leader Syngman Rhee refused) signed the armistice on 27 July 1953 in Panmunjom. The war had destroyed the peninsula and cost millions of lives.

Post-war. After the armistice, the DPRK continued to commit sporadic acts of aggression. This included a large number of border incursions from 1966-1969, now called the Second Korean War; the 1968 DPRK commando raid that sought to assassinate the ROK President; the 1976 axe murder incident in the DMZ where KPA soldiers killed two American officers serving in the UNC; a DPRK submarine that torpedoed and sank the ROK ship Cheonan in 2010, killing 46 ROK sailors; and the 2010 DPRK shelling of Yeonpyeong Island that killed four people.

Opposite trajectories. Initially, the DPRK’s highly centralized state seemed to work, but the Soviet Union’s fall and disappearance of Soviet aid revealed staggering inefficiencies. In the 1990s, economic decline became famine. Perhaps 500,000 North Koreans died. None of this disrupted the Kim regime’s extraordinary level of control over the DPRK. Today, the DPRK invests heavily in missiles and nuclear weapons. In the south, after massive protests forced the authoritarian Syngman Rhee’s ouster, General Park Chung Hee took power in a coup and the ROK remained a military dictatorship for decades. The ROK experienced astonishing rates of economic growth throughout the 1970s and 1980s, in a sustained wave of development known as the Miracle on the Han. In the 1990s, the ROK remains a genuine democracy. The ROK today has considerable economic power and seeks continued growth. It is also a global cultural force, with Korean food, music, and beauty products gaining in popularity. 

Note on Confucianism 

You will likely hear references to Confucianism, a Chinese philosophy that Korea embraced. In fact, for centuries, Koreans emphasized that they were better Confucians than the Chinese. Where the philosophy of Taoism is about natural balance in the world, achieved by a dynamic universe (as shown by the Taegeuk on the Korean flag), Confucianism is about balance in human society. Confucians believe that individuals and societies can become perfect if people improve themselves, using values like filial piety and faithfulness to fulfill their social roles. It also places a heavy emphasis on ritual—doing the right things in precisely the right way. 

Confucian social harmony is about knowing your place. Confucian social roles (the Five Bonds) come in pairs. Four are superior/subordinate relationships: ruler to ruled, father to son, husband to wife, and elder brother to younger brother. Lastly, there is one equal pair: friend to friend. The point is mutual obligation. The subordinate gives loyalty, the superior gives benevolence. In practice, of course, those who wielded power often failed to be benevolent. Despotic kings, fathers, and husbands mar the historical record. Moreover, this strict, hierarchical arrangement disenfranchised most of the population (commoners, women). Still, reciprocity mattered. Korean and Chinese history are full of uprisings against rulers who failed the people.

In South Korea, Confucian roots show in rituals during Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (fall harvest), maintaining family graves, respect for elders and a person’s rank, and the high social value of education. In North Korea, Confucian values influenced the ruling philosophy of Juche (often translated as self-reliance, more like hyper-national autonomy). North Korean propaganda emphasizes that the leader keeps the people safe, and the people reciprocate by providing what the state needs—Confucian reciprocity between ruler and ruled. Also, North Korea is full of rituals celebrating the Kim regime. These demonstrations of filial piety range from massive parades to requirements that families maintain portraits of leaders and wear certain pro-regime pins.

Traveling in Korea

Papago is a useful translation app, plus you can download the dictionary to use when offline. You cannot navigate using Google Maps in South Korea. Waze is best for on-post navigation, and Naver is best for off-post navigation. In Naver, you can select additional layers like bike and hiking trails. There are lots of both here, and Koreans enjoy the outdoors. People especially like getting outside in spring and fall when the world seems full of cherry blossoms or golden gingko leaves. 

You can also use Naver for public transportation. The official subway app has an English language option. For the subway, most people use a T Money card that you tap on your way in and out of subway stations. You can also use T Money cards in Seoul for buses and taxis. Most convenience stores sell them, and you can add money to your card there or do so with the subway station card reloading machines. You can reserve train tickets using the Korail app or buy tickets at the station. Trains are punctual and inexpensive. 

You can find useful information on the newcomers tab of the Eighth Army website. There are also many social media options, like the Camp Humphreys Support Group on Facebook, which includes advice, links to travel blogs, and information on upcoming events. 

Traveling in Korea is great, whether solo, with other adults, or with kids. We have found Koreans to be incredibly kind to our two children. Public facilities are high quality and numerous. If you drive, the highways have wonderful service stations with delicious, inexpensive food. If finding hotels feels daunting, try the Booking app, which I just used for a family road trip around the peninsula. On our recent journey, we rode the Seoraksan National Park cable car to the top of the mountain and walked to an 800-year-old pine tree, before having traditional herbal drinks in a lovely teahouse. In Gangneung, we had platters of crabs, Korean-style sashimi (hwe), prawns, and grilled fish, and swam in a rooftop infinity pool, looking out on a beautiful sea. 

We stayed in a traditional Korean house to explore Gyeongju, the ancient capital of Silla, a dynasty that remained powerful for almost one thousand years and emerged victorious from Korea’s three kingdoms to unify the peninsula. We drove to a beach that looked out to the underwater grave of King Munmu, a Silla monarch who demanded to be buried at sea so he could become a water dragon and protect his people from invaders, and for whom a ROK Navy destroyer is now named (he got his wish!). We enjoyed the famous Jinhae cherry blossom festival, walking under endless rows of blooming trees. In Yeosu, we had piles of oysters, cooked on our table’s built-in in grill and accompanied by heaping bowls of local side dishes. In Damyang, we bought local wine aged and sealed in harvested bamboo and walked through a vividly green bamboo forest.

To encourage yourself to explore and to have something on hand that does not depend on battery life or cell service when you arrive, it may be worth buying a physical copy of a travel guide or two. Insight Guides offers significant detail on Korean history and culture. Lonely Planet remains an excellent all-around choice for travel. As you find places you want to visit, save them in Naver. 

One way to schedule your travel around the peninsula is to go to festivals. Visit Korea offers maps for festivals in each province. We went to the Anseong Namsadang Baudeogi festival last fall, which celebrates traditional performances and is just a thirty-minute drive into the country east of Camp Humphreys. We watched acrobat troupes and tightrope walking, tried freshly made traditional candies, watched martial arts demonstrations, and ate chickens deep-fried whole in enormous iron cauldrons. There are also Outdoor Recreation trips, BOSS trips, and trips organized by Discover Seoul, the travel agency on Camp Humphreys. 

There is much to explore. Stroll through Seoul’s stunning palaces and admire the many groups attired in traditional Korean clothing (hanbok) or rent some to wear yourself. Explore the large shopping centers attached to every large train station and see a movie in 4DX where the seats move around like a theme park ride. Eat all sorts of local specialties in colorful markets, from savory pancakes (jeon) to hand-cut noodles, huge dumplings, and even fish still swimming in large tanks that the vendors cook to order. Go to the beach, or hike past clear mountain streams to rocky peaks, and share a bottle of makgeolli (fizzy Korean rice wine) at the top. Whatever you do, I hope you come away from this article ready to start your own adventure. Welcome to Korea! 

About the Author

Justine Meberg serves in the U.S. Army as a Major in the 501st MIB(T) Analysis and Control Element ChiefPreviously, she was the Eighth Army collection manager. She deployed to Iraq as a platoon leader and commanded two companies. She has also served as a company executive officer, squadron S-4, division artillery assistant S-2, and battalion S-2. She taught history at the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a doctorate in U.S. History from Columbia University.

*The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.