Imperial State of Korea 한국 제국/簡㚁支㚁 Hangug Jegug |
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| Motto: "애국가" "Aegukga" ("The Patriotic Song") |
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| Capital | Seoul | |||||
| Official languages | Korean | |||||
| Demonym | Korean | |||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy | |||||
| - | Emperor | Seok | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Han Duck-soo | ||||
| - | Upper House | Yangban | ||||
| - | Lower House | Sangmin | ||||
| Currency | Won | |||||
OTE: North and South Korea, Yanbian
The Imperial State of Korea (Hangul: 한국 제국, Hangug Jegug; Hanja: 簡㚁支㚁) also known as Korea or the Korean Empire is a peninsular country located in East Asia. It borders Russia to the north, China to the south, and has maritime borders with Japan to the east.
During the first half of the 1st millennium, Korea was divided between three states, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, together known as the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
The first 200 years of the Joseon era were marked by relative peace. During this period, the Korean alphabet was created by Sejong the Great in the 15th century and there was increasing influence of Confucianism. During the later part of the dynasty, Korea's isolationist policy earned it the Western nickname of the "hermit kingdom". Korea was removed from Chinese suzerainty following the Qing dynasty's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, and Gojong of Korea subsequently proclaimed the Korean Empire in 1897. The unexpected victory of Japan in the Russo-Japanese War spelled the end of Russian imperial ambitions in Korea, and Japan was left with no other rivals in the region. The Korean Empire subsequently became a protectorate of Japan on 17 November 1905, and was later annexed by Japan on 22 August 1910.
Japan relinquished control over Korea after formally surrendering to the Allies on 2 September 1945, in the aftermath of World War II. As part of the North Pacific Agreement, Korea was designated as part of the Russian and Chinese spheres of influence, however both China and Russia disputed over this, and Korea became a focal point during the Russo-Chinese conflict - to which Korea officially became a Russian ally under a constitutional rule of the Joseon dynasty.
History[]
Three Kingdoms Era 57 B.C.E. - 668 C.E.[]
Same as our OT
Goguryeo[]
Baekjae[]
Silla[]
North-South States Period 698 C.E. - 926 C.E.[]
Same as our OT
Goryeo dynasty[]
Same as our OT
Joseon Empire 1392 C.E. - 1897 C.E.[]
Same as our OT
First Korean Empire 1897 C.E. - 1910 C.E.[]
Same as our OT
Japanese rule 1910-1945 C.E.[]
Same as our OT
Post-World War II[]
After the Second World War, Korea came under both the influence of China and Russia, but soon started to sway more into the Russian side. Conservative groups in Russia supported the installation of the Emperor of Korea, and due to its high Christian population. Korean aristocrats started to embrace Meiji-style modernization, while still respecting Korea's ancient connections to China. Korea's embracing of Russian influence did not please Chinese ultranationalists, who believed that Korea belonged in a larger Chinese superstate, that also included all of Mongolia. The more progressive wing of the Kuomintang believed that Korea was a Chinese ally, and is to be as such.
In 1947, Prince Imperial Yeong Uimin was installed as the new Emperor of Korea, however political power was under the leadership of a prime minister. Korea grew rich in both Russian and Chinese trade. However, it started to become threatened by Chinese military encroachments, due to activities by rogue Chinese officers, who disregarded Chiang Kai-shek's official acceptance of the North Pacific Agreement. After the Russo-Chinese conflict.
Hostilities with China and Russo-Chinese conflict[]
Eventually, (like Yugoslavia of OTL and their issues with Soviet spies), Korea found itself the victim of activities by Chinese military spies, and covert Chinese forces operating within Korea. This started to even-more, sway Korean opinion to favoring Russian influence. In 1951, the Korean Parliament officially banned Classical Chinese script, and began a pogrom to distance itself away from China. Hangul was considered the official script.
During the Russo-Chinese conflict, Korea sided with Russia, causing the Chinese to launch missile and artillery assaults into Korea. Afterwards, Korea banned Chinese students from studying in their country, and declared war on China. It also co-joined with Mongolia, forming an Asiatic alliance against China.
In the aftermath of the war, a war which China was considered to have lost, OTE Yanbian became part of the Korean Empire. Afterwards, the government of both Korea and China resumed trade and high ties (especially in the education sector), but like the way Yugoslavia never recovered its "alliance" with the Soviet Union after 1948 (in our OTL), opinions of China and Chinese influence never recovered in Korea. Hanja script was never brought back into public use.
Unlike Mongolia, Korea never joined Russia as a territory, but simply became a protectorate-like ally.
During the Cold War, Korea became one of the most economically-developed in East Asia, due to its smaller population, GDP per capita was high in Korea. Korea joined in the Imperial Russian space program, meant to compete against the United States and its Japanese puppet.
Spiritual Revival - 1970s[]
In the 1970s, Korea experienced a spiritual revival, but one between two competing religions: Confucianism and Christianity. Because there is never a communism to turn half of Koreans irreligious, Neo-Confucianism still retains a strong presence, and reaches a revival in the Cold War. Those who belonged to Neo-Confucianism supported strong cultural ties with China, and integrated elements of Traditional Chinese religion and culture in their life, including the celebration of Lunar New Year and the Moon Festival.
In this stage, the relations was not always peaceful, and turned somewhat violent at times between Neo-Confucians and Christians. The Cheondoists started gaining large tracts of followers, becoming their own faction within the broader Neo-Confucian camp.
Pan-Asian Awakening - 2011[]
In 2011, Korea experienced a Pan-Asian Cultural Reawakening, spearheaded by Cheondoists, as Korea had its first Cheondoist prime minister, Taewoong Kyung. Prime Minister Kyung re-officiated the Hanja script alongside Hangul. During this stage, Korea experienced a golden age of renewed relations with China, Vietnam, Japan and Mongolia, which Prime Minister Kyung praised as the true center of East Asian civilization, and a nation that Koreans ought to re-embrace ties with. The Korean parliament authorized for discounted use of its ports by Chinese merchant ships, and started again, re-introducing the public use of Hanja script and studied of Classical Chinese literature. This also saw a rise of Korean students studying in China. However, Korea did not cut off ties with Russia, and remained a political ally within the Russian sphere of influence.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Kyung, saw the public recognition of Lunar New Year, and other important holidays within the Chinese Zodiac calendar, translated into Korean, rise of Mongolian wrestling become popularized in Korea, with a number of Koreans becoming successful in Mongolian wrestling. Prime Minister Kyung's efforts however, successful in China and Mongolia, were not too successful in Japan and while successful in Vietnam for the most part, received bouts of opposition from Vietnamese ultranationalists.
In 2012, the first successful military cooperation and exercise took place between Korean, Chinese and Mongolian forces.
Religion[]
The two predominant religions of Korea are Confucianism, Christianity and Cheondoism, though often-not, Cheondoism is often classified as a Confucian sect, a conservative and ultra-nationalist extremist one that is, and in some statistics, is included within the larger Confucian group. Confucians currently are 50.4% of the population, and Christians comprise another 43.5%. Irreligious form the rest.
Christianity in Korea reached a rapid increase with the height of European contact, seeing a huge increase during the Great Spiritual Revival of 1970s with Roman Catholics forming the largest section. Although Christians do not make up the majority, Korea has one of the largest percentages of Christians in its population.
For the most-part, relations between Confucians, Cheondoists and Christians are cordial and positive, with a slight thorn during the 1970s where Confucians regarded Christians as tools of European exploitation. However, Korea has been regarded as one of the best places of religious tolerance.
Culture[]
In this timeline, in spite of Korea turning against China, Korea is still for the most-part, Chinese influenced. Lunar New Year is also celebrated in Korea as it is in China and Southeast Asia. Thanks to the influence of Western Christian missionaries, Christian holidays such as Easter and Christmas are co-national alongside the Traditional Asian festivals.
Politics[]
Currently, Korea runs on a constitutional monarchy, under the Joseon dynasty as the Heads of State. The Prime Minister is the Head of Government. The two main chambers of Korean politics are the Yangban (양반), which is equatable to the Senate in other constitutional monarchies, and the Sangmin (상민), which are equatable to the Assembly.
Economy[]
Korea is a very globalized economy, with its largest trading partners being China, Russia, Japan, ASEAN and the United States. It has one of the world's most modernized economies. For much of the modern history, Russia as Korea's largest trading partner, however as a result of the Asian Cultural Awakening under the leadership of Prime Minister Taewoong Kyung, China has grown to become Korea's largest trading partner.