ABSTRACT
Westerners have a tendency to view all East Asians alike and to think of East Asian nations as having similar backgrounds. Understanding Koreans comes from looking at their historical and cultural roots. Korea has been shaped by four main influences: the tradition of its own people; the power and culture of neighboring China; the impact of Japan; and the economic and cultural inroads of the West. People have lived in the Korean peninsula since the Paleolithic period, but the origins of the first settlers have not been clearly established. Outside the Chinese commanderies, the Koreans gradually came together into three kingdoms, Koguryo, Silla, and Paekche—a process doubtless helped by the influence of Nangnang. Western religious and philosophical ideas had seeped into Korea since the seventeenth century, by way of the tribute missions to Peking. Korea's long history has been characterized both by persistent assertion of a distinctive Korean identity and by military, political, and cultural assaults from external sources.
