- Title : Exploring the Historical Foundation of Korea's Connections with South Asia Using the Framework of "Mega-Asia"
- Author : Ilhong Ko(HK Research Professor)
- Journal : Journal of Humanities 80(3)
- Publication Date : 2023.08.31
- Abstract
Due to the changing geopolitical environment of Northeast Asia, the Republic of Korea has come to adopt a broader geographic approach to its foreign policy in Asia, with heightened interest in South Asia. Accompanying this has been the need to explore the historical foundations of Korea’s connections with South Asia. The narrative of Heo Hwang-ok, the Indian princess who became the Queen of Gaya, has played a central role in illustrating the deep bilateral links between Korea and South Asia. However, the Heo Hwang-ok narrative is a contested topic within the academic community, so other examples are required. This paper argues that the recently developed “Mega-Asia” approach has the potential to generate other narratives of connectivity between Korea and South Asia due to its broad analytical lens, focus on a networked Asia, and adoption of a multidisciplinary approach. Such additional narratives of connectivity, produced through the adoption of the “Mega-Asia” approach, are centered on the following: (1) the activities of Buddhist monks, who were the transnational intellectuals of their time; (2) the exchange of Indo-Pacific glass beads; and (3) the spread of Sesamum indicum, a key component of Korean cuisine, which was first domesticated on the Indian subcontinent.
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