Constructing "Korean" origins: a critical review of archaeology, historiography, and racial myth in Korean state-formation theories

Abstract

In this study, the author examines how archaeological finds from throughout Northeast Asia have been used in Korea to construct a myth of state formation. This myth emphasises the ancient development of a pure Korean race that created a civilisation rivalling those of China and Japan and a unified state controlling a wide area in Asia. Through a new analysis of the archaeological data, Pai shows that the Korean state was in fact formed much later and that it reflected diverse influences from throughout Northeast Asia, particularly the material culture of the Han China. Her deconstruction of the uses of the archaeological finds by nationalistic historians reveals how they have been utilised to legitimate Korean nationalism and a particular form of national identity.