The Role of Confucianism in Contemporary South Korean Society

Abstract

The studies concerning the role of Confucianism in East Asian countries, including South Korea, predominantly concern the specific aspects of either ancient or modern forms of Confucianism in Korean Peninsula, the time frames tending to be analyzed exclusively. The goal of this paper is to prove the existence of significant parallels and derivative connections between the economic, political, cultural and social traits of the contemporary Republic of Korea the specific aspects of life during Confucianism-influenced Joseon period and; it aims to achieve this goal through the contrastive perspective, taking into account the factors of temporal development (from Joseon period to the modernity) and spatial divisions (such as work, education and family). The formalized rules of social conduct deriving from the Confucian roots in the XIVth–XIXth century gradually became the way of life in the modern South Korea, making the ancient origins of this nation apparent.