Korean people

Korean people
Name	Korean people
Native name	한국인·조선족
Population	~80 million
Regions	Korea, China, United States, Japan, Russia, Uzbekistan
Religions	Korean Buddhism, Korean Shamanism, Christianity in Korea, Cheondoism
Languages	Korean language

Korean people are an East Asian ethnolinguistic group originating on the Korean Peninsula and adjacent parts of Northeast Asia. They share a common heritage shaped by historical states such as Gojoseon, Goryeo, and Joseon and modern polities including the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Contemporary Korean identity spans diasporic communities in China, Japan, the United States, and Central Asia, with cultural exchange involving China, Japan, and Mongolia.

Terminology and Identity

Terms for Korean identity vary by historical, political, and regional context. On the peninsula, endonyms include "Hanguk-in" in South Korea and "Chosŏn-in" in North Korea, while diasporic groups are described as Joseonjok in China and Korean Americans in the United States. Identity has been contested through events such as the March 1st Movement and the Korean independence movement, and through legal frameworks like the Korean nationality law. Cultural markers include affiliation with institutions such as Yonsei University, Seoul National University, and Kim Il-sung University, as well as participation in celebrations linked to Seollal and Chuseok.

History

Korean ethnogenesis and state formation are documented through archaeological cultures like the Mumun pottery period and early polities such as Gojoseon and the Three Kingdoms of Korea—Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla. The unification under Unified Silla and later dynasties including Goryeo and Joseon shaped social institutions and bureaucratic elites exemplified by the yangban class. Contact and conflict with neighbors occurred in events like the Mongol invasions of Korea (1231–1270), the Imjin War, and treaties such as the Treaty of Ganghwa. The 20th century brought colonization under Empire of Japan and resistance movements culminating in liberation and the division of the peninsula after the Yalta Conference and Potsdam Conference, leading to the Korean War and the establishment of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Language and Dialects

The primary tongue is the Korean language, traditionally written in Hangul (invented under Sejong the Great) and historically supplemented by Classical Chinese. Major dialect groups include Gyeongsang dialect, Jeolla dialect, Gangwon dialect, Chungcheong dialect, Gyeonggi dialect, Jeju language, and northern varieties spoken in Pyongan Province and Hamgyong Province. Linguistic scholarship engages with hypotheses linking Korean language to language families and with comparative studies involving Manchu, Japanese language, and Mongolic languages. Standardization processes in Seoul and Pyongyang reflect divergent phonological and lexical developments.

Culture and Society

Korean cultural traditions encompass court arts of Joseon and folk practices like pansori and talchum. Visual and material culture include Goryeo celadon, Joseon white porcelain, and contemporary phenomena represented by K-pop, K-drama, and the global presence of artists such as BTS and filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho. Religious life features institutions including Jogye Order and Daesoon Jinrihoe, while philosophical influences stem from Confucianism in Korea and Neo-Confucianism. Social values are mediated through family registries like the hoju system (historically) and civil society organizations such as Minjung movement groups and NGOs active in Seoul and beyond.

Demographics and Distribution

Population centers on the peninsula include Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Pyongyang, and Kaesong, while diasporic concentrations occur in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Osaka, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Tashkent. Migration waves have been influenced by events such as the Korean diaspora in the Soviet Union and labor movements tied to the Japanese colonial period. Demographic trends reflect urbanization, aging populations in South Korea, and differing population policies in North Korea. Institutions such as the Korean Statistical Information Service and censuses in South Korea and China document these patterns.

Genetics and Ancestry

Genetic studies of Koreans examine Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA lineages, noting haplogroups shared with neighboring populations in Northeast Asia and affinities seen in comparisons with Han Chinese, Japanese people, and Mongolians. Research published in journals and carried out by institutions such as universities in Seoul and Tokyo investigates migration models from the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, with archaeological correlations to sites like Jeulmun pottery period settlements and Bronze Dagger Culture contexts. Analyses involve autosomal studies, ancient DNA recovered from regions including Manchuria and the Amur River basin, and discussions about admixture events during periods of state expansion such as Goryeo and Joseon.

Category:Ethnic groups in Asia