The Dangun myth as a factor of Korean national identity formation

The article is devoted to Korean national identity formation. Based on the analysis of the opinions of South Korean researchers on this process, the major stages of Korean national identity formation were shown and main problems were pointed out. Shin Yong-Ha views the development of the Korean nation as a long process that had stages of proto-nation, pre-modern nation and modern nation. Kim Tae-Heui associates the formation of common national consciousness with the late Goryeo Dynasty, when "Dongin-consciousness" was formed. Kim Gi-Bong takes the view that history and historical chronicles can be used as one of the sources to define the Korean identity. As he noted, in each period of history people wrote their own version of Korean history, by analyzing these versions we can try to understand their idea of who Koreans are. Jeong Young-Hun, the researcher of the National integration movement in Korea, supposes that the Integration movement had developed in three stages, which were closely related to the stages of the Korean nation development. Thus, many researchers agree that the period of the formation of the Korean national consciousness is related to Modern history. However, the statement that there was a special form of a common ethnic identity of the population of the Korean Peninsula in the Late Goryeo period and Early Joseon period is not disproved. The role of the idea of Dangun on each stage of the Korean identity existence also was observed in this article. Shin Yong-Ha showed that on the stage of proto-nation there was the worship of Dangun. The author of the article pointed out one of the features of the Korean consciousness development. This feature is an importance of the religious factor in national consolidation. The earliest documented records of the myth of Dangun are found in Samguk Yusa (1285). According to some scholars, the formation of the Korean identity and the recall of the Dangun myth in that time was a result of the fight against strong foreign power such as the Mongol Empire. From that time the idea of Dangun is not only a local belief anymore, but also has a political meaning and is a base and main part of the Korean consciousness. By the beginning of the 20th century this idea gained the leading position in the Korean national identity. In this way the idea that Dangun is the Korean's common ancestor underwent some changes, but always was an integral part of Korean consciousness. The particular interest in Dangun was manifested in critical situations, such as a fight against foreign invaders or periods of socio-economic instability. The idea that Dangun is the Korean's common ancestor became gradually stronger in the consciousness of the Korean people.

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