KOREA AS PART OF THE MONGOLIAN WORLD:PATTERNS AND DIFFERENCES

Abstract

The Mongolian world order was never a single unified, focused entity in large part because of a strong tradition persisting to the end of communality. As time went on this included Koryo Korea, a “son-in-law state” with strong marriage and other links to the center, in its case Mongol China, and one which used its special position to parley economic and political power within an expanded East Asian realm. Its relationship with Mongol China included many resident Koreans in Daidu and elsewhere and powerful consorts such as Empress Ki who dominated the last reign in Mongol China and whose son inherited. The present paper looks at this special relationship between Korea and the Mongol world and also at some of the cultural interaction involved, in this case cultural influences from the Mongol world as seen in the many changes in Korean foodways that took place during the time, including the coming of the national drink, distilled soju. It emerged based upon Mongol technological innovations and the known interest of the Mongol occupiers in distilled alcohol, based in milk for the conquerors but more typically in rice for the Korean conquered.