Korean Americans Dale Anderson AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS rourke publishing
CHAPTER ONE Korea and the Korean People Korea Korea is a peninsula in East Asia that sticks out from northeastern China into the sea It is mountainous on the eastern side of the country and flatter in the west Japan lies about 100 miles 160 km to the east across a narrow sea Foreign Influence Throughout its history Korea was influenced by its neighbors China and Japan As the first kingdoms formed in Korea about two thousand years ago Chinese leaders ruled a large empire known for its wealth and power Thinkers there formed a philosophy called Confucianism that taught people how to live moral lives Koreans admired the Chinese Korean kings and teachers wrote using Chinese characters From around A D 400 the people began to follow Confucianism Buddhism an ancient religion that started in India also spread to Korea from China Opposite Korea is a mountainous region especially on the eastern side The best soil for farming is found along the southern and western coasts 4
KOREAN PENINSULA CHINA RUSSIA NORTH KOREA Korea Bay P’yongyang Sea of Japan Seoul SOUTH KOREA Strait Korea Yellow Sea 100 miles 150 kilometers JAPAN 5
