뉴스레터

Editor's Note: Professor Edward J Shultz, who has maintained his connection to Korea for nearly half a century since his first visit in 1966, gave an interview with Research Fellow Lee, Jeong-il at the NAHF. Well aware of the changes of Korean universities better than any other Korean and concerned about the reality where ancient and medieval history is unpopular among young students of history, Professor Shultz talked about the history of Goryeo, and what the NAHF should do to activate the research of Korean history overseas.

Q After retirement last year, with over thirty years of an active career in Korean history in the English-speaking world behind you, you returned to Korea. I suppose it has brought back your old memories.

A Edward J Shultz I first came to Busan in 1966 as a member of Peace Corps. When I was a Ph.D candidate at the University of Hawaii, I visited Korea again to work on my thesis at Sogang University, where I studied under renowned Korean scholars, including Mr. Lee Ki-baek. I've maintained my connection to Korea as a student or professor visiting the country and interacting with Korean scholars and conducting research. Although everyone tried to stop me, I was happy to retire because it would give me the opportunity to come to Korea and continue my individual research. I will visit places and do things as my heart desires as long as my health allows. I don't think that professors are supposed to work for too long. They should make room for younger scholars for the progress of learning.

QThere are relatively fewer majors of the history of Goryeo even in the Korean history community. What made you decide to major in this particular period of Korean history?

A Edward J Shultz I started learning French in high school and Chinese in college. The Chinese class I was taking was small, with only two to three students, so it led to intensive learning. While I was in Sogang University Graduate School, my advisor suggested that I should study medial history because I knew a little bit more Chinese characters than did other students. It was a new territory for foreign students to explore, and when I started out I was almost the only foreign researcher. There was no one particularly exceptional out there. And Korean researchers offered me a lot of help when they found out that a foreigner was studying the history of Goryeo.

Q Your research is focused on political history in general and the 1170 Military Coup in particular. Is there any special reason for this?

A Edward J Shultz It was during the Park Chung-hee regime when I was working on my doctoral dissertation. I thought that it would be interesting to compare the military regime of Goryeo with the Park Chung-hee regime of the time. And there are actually many parallels between the two regimes. For example, both Choi Chung-heon of Goryeo and Park Chung-hee took power by military force. And then they both claimed to rule by civil administration. They received similar mixed reviews for the economic growths that they had achieved after the coups. The military subjects of Goryeo faced opposition primarily from Buddhists, especially monks of non-Zen sects. Similarly, during the Park Chung-hee regime, not only students and workers but religious leaders like Catholic and Protestant priests led the opposition forces.

Q In international academia, it is still Chinese history or Japanese history that is the main discipline of Asian history. When Korean history is studied, if at all, the primary focus is placed on modern or contemporary history. What are the difficulties one faces in studying medieval history?

A Edward J Shultz It is true that Korean history is not studied enough compared to Chinese history or Japanese history. And it seems to me that young people these days are attracted to Chinese history or Japanese history probably because of many scholarships or grants available, and not much interested in Korean history. If you major in Korean history, you basically need to know the Korean language. On top of that, if you study ancient or medieval history, you also need to know Chinese characters as well. This burden seems to scare away young students. It would be good if ethnic Koreans overseas who know the language studied ancient or medieval history. In reality, however, ethnic Korean researchers are interested in comtemporary history because that's the period familiar to them and riddled with historical issues facing Korea today.

However, one cannot gain a deep understanding of contemporary history and culture without the knowledge of ancient and medieval history. In my teaching experience in Korea, I have seen students asking high-level questions and engaged in heated debate in modern or contemporary history lose confidence as the subject changes into ancient or medieval history. That's why I always emphasize the importance of knowing the roots first. Without the knowledge of the roots, it'd be like learning only the surface. Between the Goryeo period and the present, there are more parallels than we might think. For example, the examination system, the printing culture, and the pluralistic culture of Korea today are all found in the Goryeo period. Therefore, if you look at the Goryeo period, you'll learn many things that will prove very helpful in understanding who we are in today's society and preparing to cope with problems that will arise in the future.

Q Specifically what are Goryeo's implications for contemporary Korea (and its history)?

A Edward J Shultz There are two contrasting figures of Goryeo: Myocheong and Kim Bu-shik. The former was a nationalist and the latter was a global-minded figure who valued practical foreign relations.
I think that the contrasting positions of this kind still persist in Korean society today, over, for example, the opening of the rice market. It is also necessary for Korean society today to review Goryeo's practical foreign policy. Kim Bu-shik at the time developed a global mind-set through his visits to China and enforced a lot of practical foreign policies. For instance, in 1127 when the Song dynasty under the attack of the Jin dynasty asked Goryeo to join forces in striking back, Goryeo chose the practical position of refusing the request of its long-time friend Song that it didn't think would serve its national interests. I think that Goryeo's diplomacy has significant implications for Korea, especially in today's situation where while the U.S. wants Korea to join its missile defense system, Korea, being conscious of China and North Korea, is hesitating to give a definite answer.

Goryeo‘s rich pluralistic culture also demands special attention. Goryeo was exceptionally good at creating a new culture by accepting the foreign culture and combining it with its own. For example, Goryeo blended together the traditions from the three kingdoms of Koguryo, Baekje, and Silla and used them in creating a new culture of its own. The people of Goryeo felt comfortable accepting Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and even shamanism. When Zen from China was introduced, they added their own touch and introduced it back to China. The same goes for celadon from China. Goryeo made celadon in its own style. If you can absorb the culture of another country and turn it into its own culture, you can develop your individual culture even further. For example, the content of the Korean Wave is not 100 percent Korean. There are elements inspired by foreign cultures, but they have been blended with Korean ones to create better content. This practice is traced back to the Goryeo period, and I think it is something that the Korean should be proud of. When I explain this close link between Goryeo and Korea today to ethnic Korean students relatively less interested in ancient or medieval Korean history, they become amazed and proud of Korea's time-honored culture, history, and heritage.

Q What do you think needs to be done to make ancient or medieval Korean history attractive for the international academia?

A Edward J Shultz First of all, it has to be interesting. One of the strengths of ancient and medieval story is that it has stories. For example, there is a fascinating story where the Great Buddhist Monk Wonhyo had a romantic relationship with a princess and had a son, Seolchong. This story can make a good introduction to Goryeo's Buddhism. There are really many interesting figures in Korean classics. If we tell their stories in relating the history of Goryeo, it will make it easier for foreigners to approach ancient or medieval Korean history. That's why I try to translate the biographies of figures who might be attractive for foreigners, including The History of the Three Kingdoms which I'm in the process of translating.

Q What can the Korean academia do to interact with the international academia in ways that contribute to the research and education of medieval history?

A Edward J Shultz I'm afraid that the research of medieval history is going backwards. It is still my generation that is working on translation, and I don't see any new remarkable studies yet. There are not enough professors, nor are there enough students. To overcome this situation, the Korean academia should take the initiative in contacting like-minded foreign scholars for collaboration. It is important that they should hold workshops, instead of simply working on translation, for discussion, learning together, and constant dialogue. After collaboration for a certain period of time, foreign scholars could work on papers and present them in English and Korean. This could led to the production of a large amount of quality material. Of course, it requires support from various channels. But what I'd like to see is a some kind of system in place that allows the participation of not only researchers from countries around the world but foreign students as assistants. Given additional support when they study in Korea or other countries later on, the research of ancient and medieval history will be activated.

Q Please tell us about the research you are currently working on and the research you are planning to do.

A Edward J Shultz I haven't had done much individual research lately. I'm focused on translating The History of the Three Kingdoms and The Condensed History of Goryeo, and editing the papers supported last year by the University of Hawaii and the Northeast Asian History Foundation. Once I'm done, I'll write a college textbook on medieval East Asian history. Just as Westerners study France, Germany, and Britain together when they learn medial European history, I think it'll be interesting to make an English textbook that allows them to study Korea, China, and Japan together. The Buddhist culture, Confucian culture, and architecture of the three countries are good, interesting topics that could yield interpretations that haven't been seen before. This is a project that also requires me to exchange with Korean scholars.

Q Please give some advice to the NAHF regarding its academic research.

A Edward J Shultz I think very highly of the Early Korea Project that was carried out by the NAHF together with Harvard University. The six volumes of books published so far will be good references of Korean studies quite attractive for not only scholars but ordinary intellectuals. I want to see more of projects of this kind. The Project has produced results through collaborative research between Koreans and Westerners. In this respect, I think it will be a very good model for the promotion of Korean studies to the international academia.

For a long time, Northeast Asia has failed to attract the attention it deserves for its importance from the international academia. It is necessary for us to publicize everything, from the Dokdo issue to the history of Goryeo, to other countries. Looking only at Japan's claims known to other countries and China's logic is not sufficient to understand the essence of the issue. The NAHF has played an important role in publicizing Korea's research results. Additionally, we need to always think about twenty years from now. To foster future researchers, we need to think in detail about the networking of graduate students as well as scholars. I hope that the NAHF will lend its effort to the fostering of next-generation international researchers of Korean studies.