geography-demography Contemporary East Asia

What I found most interesting is the changing roles in Korea. Korea is experiencing many changes which will inevitably change the way people live. This can lead to great discussion in my classroom. I will definitely use this article as well as the others in my classroom.

I really enjoyed learning more about the geography and history of China, Korea, and Japan. I think the comparisons between Korea and Japan were interesting and valid-- similar language, topography, culture-- but it should also be noted that Japan and Korea (North and South) have had very strained relations for centuries and there is extreme mistrust between them, especially among Koreans. When Japan occupied Korea during WWII, they tried to destroy their culture. They sacked temples, cut the heads off of statues of national heroes, raped countless women, forced children to learn Japanese in school, in addition to the torturing and killing that they did throughout Asia and the Pacific. Even today, Koreans in Japan face discrimination. To mistake a Korean for a Japanese person would be deeply offensive, much more so than mistaking them for Chinese. I learned that in a very embarrassing way. :}

The water is world issue and obviously China is part of it. The interesting part of the lecture was to learn that the two most populated countries in Asia -China and India are on the way of possible conflict. They have to deal with this problem in the future in addition to other border issues the two countries already have. :}

I think in looking at the geography we see a continuity throughout history over conflict over land. Whether it be terrain, rivers, mountains or seas. That was one of the recurring thoughts from this session. Many nations/states feel they should have claim over others. From, the Middle East to Latin America. It is evident that East Asia is no different.