Essay Contest Result

Histories of certain regions and periodshave gained prominence in the minds of people in modern societies. Both laypeople and specialists have given importance to some historical developments and these play an influential role in how people form opinions. Since such perceptions shape decision-making and the trajectory of the modern world, it's crucial to ensure that awareness of historical content benefits our societies. When thinking about Korea, the label of "hermit kingdom" was applied by outsiders. This label has shaped a perception of Korea's history as isolated and deliberately cut off from the world. However, one of the elements of history that has gained prominence in recent decades is the Silk Road. With the rise of Asia's economies, many people have emphasised the Silk Road as an example of how prosperous and connected Asia was historically. When people think of the Silk Road, however, they rarely think of Korea. A basic definition of the Silk Road is that: "it was a network of trade routes connecting China and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe."

It was not only a trade route. It also connected different people from different areas. It was a source of trade in objects, information, people, and culture. Objects traded along the Silk Road have been found in China, India, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Britain, and most importantly Korea. Would this fact surprise many people in the West? Even though the people of Asia might be aware that Korea was part of the famous trade route, many students of the West are unaware and their perception of Korea historically is shaped by the hermit kingdom label. Korea is not seen as a country of explorers and successful international traders, interested in the culture and objects of other countries along the Silk Road. However, Korea's position on the Silk Road is undeniable. As UNESCO says, "The Korean Peninsula was, connected by the ring of the large-scale network called the 'Silk Roads'. The culture of the Silla Kingdom can be characterized as international and global at that time because the various other cultural elements were harmonized in it." UNESCO highly respect Korea's culture and definitely provides evidence that the Silk Road was strongly connected with Korea. In addition to this, Korea developed its own trade center, Gyeonju, during the period of the Silk Road. UNESCO says:

"As such, because of its geographic location, Gyeongju was slowly and gradually influenced by cultural elements coming from the other regions of the Silk Roads. In this way, rather than accepting directly (and blindly) different cultural influences, Gyeongju – and to a broader extent, Silla – could assimilate these incoming influences. Thus, a harmonized Korean culture could bloom while cultural features of the Silk Roads were progressively inserted on Silla's culture."

The Silk Road and Gyeonju's interconnection contributed to Korea's development as a state and its status as a highly developed region. Then why are people of the West unaware of Korea's position on the Silk Road? One of the biggest reasons why such problems occur is because of the textbooks provided by schools, and there is a great necessity to fix this problem through cooperation with Korean representatives in the United States. Some may ask why such changes are necessary, when modern Korean culture has spread widely to the world already. Even though K-pop groups including: BTS, Black Pink, Twice, NCT-127, and other great artists has been widely known to the people of the US, history is a different story.

History shapes perceptions of a country and ultimately decision-making regarding that country. Korean manufacturing and culture are sold around the world today, but this is perceived as a modern phenomenon after Korea "opened up" and "westernized' following the Korean War. History shows, however, that Korea was part of one of the greatest international trading networks ever created by humanity, hundreds of years before the creation of the modern Korean export economy. Perceptions are important. One way that Korea can take action to fix the problem is to connect with Korean representatives, like ambassadors, residing in the United States. We must raise awareness of Korea's historical position on the Silk Road and contact educational boards in different states, so that each state can take action to fix information in textbooks that lack information about Korea andthe Silk Road. If the Korean representatives consider this problem not as important as other problems, Korean-American students residing in the US may take action.

As mentioned before, many people in the US have been attracted to Korean culture for the past few years. If we attempt to contact these students in order to spread the word of Korea's true history as a dynamic, outgoing trading state there will be students willing to participate in promoting Korean history through social media. After gathering the students, we may ask them to create organizations in their school, so that they can influence other students in learning Korea's history in the correct manner. Student organizations may set up meetings and clubs with groups of students in order to teach their fellow classmates what is correct history and what is wrong. All in all, history is an essential factor in people's decision making related to a country.r, Korea should not be seen as a dynamic trading state only because of Western intervention 80 years ago. Such a perception devalues Korea and shapes how Westerners think about our country and people. The Korean people's long history as an outgoing, adventurous, and open trading nation should be promoted for these reasons.