Bi-weekly #5 (113)

[Jeffrey Choi]

The past two weeks were a fresh change of pace and we focused on the history of Korea. We went through all of Korea's history and I really appreciated our learning partner for preparing such a large amount of information in a condensed manner so that it wasn't overwhelming. She literally started from the creation of Korea to the present. She presented us with a sheet of paper that presented the kingdom/historical era and keywords that are important to that specific time. She made sure to take more time on major historical events and people that made a large impact in Korea. Learning the history of Korea was depressing. They were constantly being invaded by other countries. There were a few moments of victory, but it was not long lasting. For example, after the end of the Japanese Colonial era, the Korean war soon happened. Once the war was paused and the republic of Korea was born, the Korean people still were not truly free. There was no democracy. Almost every president that Korea has had in office were almost like dictators. I remember my mom telling me how she has no hope in the Korean political system because they are corrupt year after year and it hasn't changed ever since she was younger.