뉴스레터

In the traces of our Korean ancestors, we occasionally encounter strange features that we couldn't have imagined possible. For example, the Gwoereung Royal Tomb in Gyeonggju features foreign warriors of sturdy build with thick beards, and the Tomb of Koguryo with a Mural Depicting a Traditional Wrestling Match features the face of a foreigner with a big nose wrestling with a man of Koguryo. On the other hand, we are also well aware that ambassadors of Koguryo wearing feathered official hats are depicted in the Afrasiab mural painting in Samarkand thousands of miles away from Korea. Why and how did these people travel to another space? We want to find the answers from these strange features.

On December 10, 2014, the Northeast Asian History Foundation hosted an international conference on 'Eurasian Civilizations and the Silk Road' at the Seoul Press Center, co-organized by the Institute of Eurasian Silk Road Studies at Dongguk University, for presentations and discussions by eighteen scholars from seven countries--Korea, China, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Iran. Scholars with majors in various fields of study, including history, anthropology, archaeology, ethnography, linguistics, international politics, and international economics, participated in the detailed analysis of the exchange that had taken place between Eurasia and the Korean Peninsula through the Silk Road. In doing so, they demonstrated that our Korean ancestors were among the leading players of the Silk Road, and, taking one step further, discussed topics related to what kind of exchange with that region we should pursue in the future.

In Session 1, "The Categories of Eurasian Civilizations and the Silk Road," the basic identities, including each country's conceptual definition, of Eurasian civilizations and the Silk Road were identified, and Eurasia's historical contributions, and cultural exchange between Eurasia and Korea, through the Silk Road were examined through specific examples.

First, in 'Eurasian Civilizations and the Silk Road as Viewed in Korea,' Professor Lee Hee-su at Hanyang University, while giving a diachronic presentation of the historical contacts between the Eurasian region and Korea from ancient to modern times, proposed specific ideas for cooperation between the two regions. Professor Mohammad Bagher Vosooghi at the University of Tehran in Iran gave a presentation on 'Ancient Iranians' Migration to China and the Korean Peninsula through the Silk Road,' which drew attention from many people. He used several Iranian historical records in explaining that ancient Iranians had well known the geographical and cultural characteristics of ancient Korea (Silla) from the history and geography books that they had read since pre-Islamic times, and that they had perceived ancient Korea as an immigrant-friendly country and 'utopia.' Director Berdimurodov A. at the Institute of Archeology in Uzbekistan, in his presentation 'Uzbekistan's Contributions to the Development of the Eurasian Silk Road,' argued on the basis of archaeological evidence that the Sogdians, the Bactrians, and the Khorezm people who had lived in the present-day Uzbekistan region had made tremendous contributions to economy and culture across the Silk Road regions.

Eurasian Silk Road Civilizations and Ancient Korea

In Session 2, "Eurasian Civilizations, the Silk Road, and the Ancient Korean Peninsula," the link between Eurasian Silk Road civilizations and Korea was examined in detail. In 'A Comparative Review of the Tomb Structures between Silla and Xiongnu,' Principal Curator Yoon Hyung-won at Jeonju National Museum gave a review, with focus on the structures of the large tombs of Silla and Xiongnu in archaeology, of similarities and differences between the two cultures. In 'Revisiting the Silk Road: Kyrgyzstan Meets Korea,' Professor Baek Tae-hyun at Kyrgyz National University gave an introduction to Kyrgyzstan in general and its history, and talked about the importance of Central Asia and Kyrgyzstan, and presented what Korea's tasks were in working toward a new Silk Road. In 'The Exchange of the Costume Culture of the Silk Road,' Professor Kim Yong-mun at Gangneung-Wonju National University identified the costume of the Silk Road as that of a nomadic people. Through a comparison, with focus on the costumes unearthed in these regions, literature and pictures, she explained that ancient Korean fashion was a Scythian style, characterized by tiara-shaped hats, tops with tube-shaped sleeves, trousers with flags, belts, and skin boots.

In Session 3, "Politics and Economy in the Eurasian Silk Road Regions," the geopolitical and geoeconomic values of the Eurasian Silk Road regions were highlighted, and Korea's development strategy was explored. In 'President Xi Jinping's Silk Road Diplomatic Policy,' Researcher Li Juanyang (李雋暘) at China Foreign Affairs University stressed that China's Silk Road diplomatic policy aimed for the development of both China and the regions surrounding the Silk Road, and that its purpose was far from political. He claimed that the policy had been established for the cooperation and common development of the whole regions, and it was a new and creative attempt to create the new order system of international economy.

The Present and Future of the Eurasian Silk Road

In 'Changes in the Eurasia/Silk Road Regions and Korea's Diplomacy: Beyond Asia and Toward Europe,' Research Fellow Lee Jong-guk at the Northeast Asian History Foundation stressed the need for initiatives and specific programs that would ensure the development of both Eurasia and the Korean Peninsula at the same time, and insisted that diplomacy between us and Eurasia, given that its role is to be strengtened in a new space, should proceed at the levels of. politics and security, history and culture, and economy, all at the same time. On the other hand, Professor J. Battur at the National University of Mongolia gave a presentation on 'The Relationship between Korea and Mongolia in the Northeast Asian International Order.' Professor J. Battur pointed out the need for the execution of large-scale economic projects participated by countries in the Northeast Asian region, and emphasized that the economic cooperation between Korea and Mongolia was the task at hand for moving on to a new step, and that it was necessary to build a foundation on which to execute the effective and long-term economic cooperation between the two countries.

If our knowledge about Eurasian civilizations and the Silk Road regions had been vague, this conference was an occasion for us to express our deep interest in them. It allowed us to understand the various histories and cultures of the Eurasian regions, confirm that they were linked to us, recognize once again the new face and importance of Eurasia and the Silk Road, and explore together the future of the countries concerned.