Koreans

Koreans
Allice Hunter · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Group	Koreans
Native name	한국인 · 조선인
Population	c. 77 million
Regions	Korean Peninsula, China, Japan, United States, Russia, Canada, Australia
Languages	Korean language
Religions	Korean Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity in Korea, Shamanism

Koreans are an East Asian ethnic group originating from the Korean Peninsula and adjacent parts of Manchuria and Northeast China. They constitute the majority populations of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and form substantial diasporas in China, Japan, United States, Russia, and Central Asia. Korean identity has been shaped by interactions with neighboring polities such as Gojoseon, Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Balhae, the Goryeo dynasty, and the Joseon dynasty.

Etymology and Terminology

The ethnonym derives from historical polities and exonyms: Gojoseon appears in Samguk sagi and Samguk yusa, while the name Korea originates from Goryeo as used in Marco Polo's accounts and Ming dynasty cartography. The native autonyms include terms used in Joseon-era documents and modern state names such as Daehan Minguk and Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk. Linguistic scholars reference Old Korean and Middle Korean stages when discussing self-designation evolution. Alternate names adopted by diaspora communities appear in records of Korean Empire migration, Meiji-era Japan, and Russian Empire censuses.

History

Archaeological sequences link early Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures on the peninsula to later states like Gojoseon, which interacted with Xiongnu, Han dynasty, and Wiman Joseon. The Three Kingdoms period saw rivalry among Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla with diplomacy involving Tang dynasty and Yamato Japan. The Unified Silla and Balhae polities preceded the Goryeo dynasty, which institutionalized civil bureaucracy influenced by Song dynasty models and produced the Tripitaka Koreana. The Joseon dynasty codified Hangul under Sejong the Great and shaped Neo-Confucian statecraft while facing invasions such as the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) and conflicts like the Manchu invasions of Korea. Modern transformations include contacts with Qing dynasty, unequal treaties with United States and United Kingdom envoys, colonization under Empire of Japan, resistance movements like the March 1st Movement, division after World War II, the Korean War, and subsequent development trajectories in South Korea and North Korea involving actors such as Syngman Rhee, Kim Il-sung, Park Chung-hee, and Kim Jong-il.

Demographics and Distribution

Population censuses by the Korean Statistical Information Service, Statistics Korea, and national registries report major concentrations in Seoul, Busan, Pyongyang, Incheon, and metropolitan regions. Overseas Koreans trace settlements to waves of migration: 19th–20th century to Manchuria and Primorsky Krai; prewar and colonial flows to Japan (notably Zainichi Korean communities); post-1960s labor and education migrations to United States (e.g., Los Angeles, New Jersey), Canada (e.g., Toronto), Australia (e.g., Sydney), and Brazil; and 20th-century deportations to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan (the Koryo-saram). Diaspora organizations such as Hwagyo associations and institutions like Korean American Association of Greater New York maintain transnational ties.

Language and Dialects

The Korean language is the primary language, historically represented by Old Korean and Middle Korean texts, and standardized variants in South Korea and North Korea. The Hangul alphabet, promulgated under Sejong the Great, coexists with Hanja in historical usage. Major dialect regions include Gyeongsang dialect, Jeolla dialect, Gangwon dialect, Gyeonggi dialect, and the Pyongan dialect and Hamgyŏng dialect in the north; island varieties include Jeju language. Contact varieties include Koryo-mar among Koryo-saram and Zainichi Korean in Japan. Linguists study phonological features such as the Middle Korean vowel shift and morphosyntactic typology compared with Altaic-hypothesis discussions and loanword influence from Sino-Korean vocabulary and Japanese language.

Culture and Society

Korean culture integrates practices from the Three Kingdoms of Korea heritage, Confucian rites codified during Joseon, Buddhist traditions from Seon Buddhism, and modern cultural production exemplified by K-pop, K-drama, Hangul Day celebrations, and culinary items like kimchi, bibimbap, and bulgogi. Classical arts include gugak, pansori, hanbok clothing, cheonmin artisan guild histories, and craft traditions such as celadon from Goryeo kilns. Contemporary institutions include universities like Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University, research centers such as KAIST and POSTECH, and media conglomerates like CJ ENM and SM Entertainment. Social movements and labor activism reference events such as the Gwangju Uprising and organizations like Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

Religion and Belief Systems

Religious life comprises Korean Buddhism traditions including Seon, indigenous Korean shamanism practices and ritual specialists (mudang), the growth of Christianity in Korea with institutions such as Presbyterian Church in Korea and Korean Methodist Church, and folk beliefs tied to ancestral rites (hyangyak) maintained in Confucian-influenced ceremonies. New religious movements and sects have emerged, some tied to political controversies and legal proceedings involving figures associated with groups registered with national religious councils.

Genetics and Ancestry

Genetic and anthropological studies analyze Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA lineages among Korean populations, comparing haplogroups common to Northeast Asia populations, including affinities with Han Chinese, Japanese people, and Tungusic groups. Ancient DNA from Bronze Age and Iron Age sites on the peninsula is compared with genomes from Neolithic and Steppe contexts to infer admixture events, population continuity, and migration patterns relative to neighboring groups studied in projects led by institutions like Korea National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and international collaborators.

Category:Ethnic groups in Asia