[KS] R: Interesting site

[Andrea Campana]

The remarks and the document furnished by Henny is very interesting and it
is explaining lot about Koreans' feelings, in particular about the feelings
of the Korean-American people. I think that it is at least explaining in a
"scientific" way (!) the reason for the name of the ICAS (from which the
whole discussion has started, if you remember).

Andrea Campana

----------
> Da: Henny Savenije <adam&eve at henny-savenije.demon.nl>
> A: korean-studies at mailbase.ac.uk
> Oggetto: Interesting site
> Data: domenica 26 marzo 2000 18.22
> 
> For those of you who don't want to surf the net, I picked this up from
the 
> following URL
> 
>   http://goldsea.com/Poll/corea.html
> 
> I have no intention to fire up the discussion we already had a couple of 
> months ago, this is just for your information, since I have proof that
the 
> name Korea existed already before the Japanese came in.
> 
> 
> 
>        KOREA OR COREA?
> 
> We at GoldSea choose to honor the more natural rendering commonly used in

> the English-speaking world prior to the Japanese annexation and 
> colonialization of Corea beginning in 1905.
>       American and English books published during the latter half of the 
> 19th century generally referred to the nation as "Corea" as recently as
the 
> years immediately preceding Japan's formal annexation of Corea in 1910.
An 
> 1851 map of East Asia by Englishman John Tallis labels the nation Corea. 
> The same spelling is used in The Mongols, a 1908 history of the Mongol
race 
> by Jeremiah Curtin, the world's foremost Asia scholar of the day, as well

> as in several books by American missionaries published between 1887 and
1905.
>       Japan's annexation of Corea didn't become formal until 1910, but
for 
> all practical purposes Japan had become the power that regulated Corea's 
> relations with the outside world in 1897 when it defeated China in a war 
> over Japan's ambition to exercise control over Corea. The only other
power 
> willing to contest Japan's supremacy in the Corean peninsula was Russia. 
> When it was easily defeated by Japan at Port Arthur in 1905, the
annexation 
> of Corea became a fait accompli. Anxious to avoid a costly Pacific 
> conflict, President Wilson ignored the pleas of a delegation of Corean 
> patriots and their American missionary supporters and turned a blind eye
to 
> Japan's acts of formal annexation and colonization of Corea.  During that

> period Japan mounted a campaign to push for the "Korea" useage by the 
> American press. Why? For one of Japan's prospective colonies to precede
its 
> master in the alphabetical lineup of nations would be unseemly,
> Japanese imperialists decided.
>       Japan's colonial rule over Corea ended on August 15, 1945 when it 
> lost World War II. Now that Corea is eagerly shedding the last vestiges
of 
> the colonial period, even demolishing public buildings erected by the 
> Japanese (for example, the monstrously immense colonial governor's
> mansion), forward-thinking Corean and Corean American journalists, 
> intellectuals and scholars are urging the American media to revert to the

> original, more natural rendering of Corea.
>      The changeover will pose a problem only in English-speaking nations
as 
> other western nations never
> accepted the "K" spelling. For example, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, 
> Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, among many others, use the "C" 
> rendering.  English convention, too, is on the side of the Corea
rendering. 
> Non-European names are romanized with a "C" (Cambodia, Canada, cocoa, 
> Comanche, Congo, and even old Canton, for example) except where the first

> letter is followed by an "e" or an "i", (as in Kenya). Other than that,
the 
> "K" spelling is used only in connoting childlike ignorance of spelling 
> conventions ("Kitty Kat" and "Skool",
> for examples).  Therefore, the American "K" spelling is
>    1.offensive from a historical standpoint (remember "Peking" and
"Canton"?);
>    2.violates western rendering conventions;
>    3.suggests a lack of sophistication toward Corea; and
>    4.by connoting naiveté, imputes a lack of sophistication to Corea and 
> its people.
> 
> The Corea rendering will ultimately become universal when more Americans 
> are educated as to its offensive and relatively recent origin. The 
> English-speaking world was responsible for agreeing to Japanese efforts
to 
> change the spelling of Corea's name in English useage. Who better than 
> concerned Asian Americans to help change it back?  Tell us how you feel 
> about this issue by taking a moment to vote in our poll!
> 
> Should we use the conventional spelling of Korea, or Corea, the spelling
in 
> common western use before Japan began taking steps toward annexing Corea
in 
> 1904?
> 
> (Updated 3/25/00 to reflect the 100 most recent valid votes.
> NOTE: While we do appreciate the strength of conviction that motivates 
> repeated votes from a single computer, the practice does not help your 
> cause as such votes are screened out.)
> Stick with Korea | 19%  Help change American useage back to Corea | 81%
> -----------------------------
> Henny  (Lee Hae Kang)
> 
> Feel free to visit
> http://www.henny-savenije.demon.nl
> and feel the thrill of Hamel discovering Korea (1653-1666)


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