Kristina Newton: Web Source Evaluation, The Ongoing Division of Korea
Information regarding the current state of divided Korea is readily accessible on the internet, especially because North Korea’s nuclear program has been making headlines in the news. However, it is more difficult to find reliable sites devoted to the ongoing Korean conflict. To find sites dedicated to the relations between North and South it was necessary to broaden my search to include the Korean War and the reunification of Korea. While newspaper articles and commentaries on North Korea’s nuclear program dominated my search results, I was able to compile a list of sites that focus on the information desired.
Korea Weekly Web
http://www.kimsoft.com
This site combines overviews of Korean history with primary sources and links to current news involving North and South Korea. The site is part of Korean War Web Ring whose purpose is “ to increase awareness of The War and to foster appreciation for the great honor, valor, sacrifice, and dedication of the patriotic members of the armed forces of the United States and the other nations who successfully opposed the spread of communism on the Korean Peninsula” (http://f.webring.com/hub?ring=kwarring). While this description of the web ring makes it appear to have a bias against North Korea, the Korea Weekly Web site shows both sides of the picture; it even includes a link to pro-North websites. The site describes itself as “an independent, non-partisan, non-profit, and educational web on all things Korean” (http://www.kimsoft.com/korea.htm). The site contains such features as links to current news articles and other sites about Korea, a brief history of the area, and primary accounts of the war and life in Korea. The author of the site is easily identified and a credible source. Young Sik Kim, the author of the site, provides his biography and first hand accounts of his life in Korea on a page entitled “Eyewitness: A North Korean Remembers”. Korea Weekly Web appears to be an accurate reliable source as it contain many primary documents and links to credible sources such as the Korean Times and OhMyNews, another reputable Korean news source. Most importantly, Korean Weekly Web covers both sides of the conflict in a truly nonpartisan manner. The only drawback to the site is that it can be hard to navigate; as the links took me deeper into the site it was difficult at times to find pages that I had already seen and wanted to back to again. This site concentrates more on current events than history and is regularly updated with the latest information, making it the most up to date site on the Korean division.
Korean History Project: “Where the Past is Always Present”
http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org
Korean History Project spawned from a manuscript about Korea and its neighbors entitled Korea in the Eye of the Tiger. Rather than publishing the manuscript the author decided to turn it into an interactive website in order to reach a wider audience. The author and mission is easily identifiable. The project is “a registered non-profit, tax-exempt corporation dedicated to researching and bringing Korea's amazing story to life” (http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/KHP Descr.htm). This site too contains current news articles conveniently located under the heading “News from Asia”. It gives a history of East Asia and explains in depth the governmental structures of both North and South Korea. This site contains personal accounts of history in a section called “Its About Time”. The reflections of Keith Keller, in particular, addressed the current state of the North-South border and put the possibility of Korean unification in perspective. This site also appears to be accurate and credible. Korean History Project was the easiest site to use, being well organized and easy to navigate, as well as creative and aesthetically pleasing.
Gateway to Korea
http://www.korea.net/
This site is “the Korean government’s official English homepage run by the Korean Overseas Information Service (KOIS) of the Government Information Agency” (http://www.korea.net/about/eng_koreanet.asp). It contains the most up to date information including government press releases. However, because this is a government site, they only put out what they want the public to see. Gateway to Korea is the most optimistic about the chances for unification and stresses the positive accomplishments, such as reuniting families that were separated by the North-South divide. The site also contains the general information that one would expect from a government website, including information on the culture, climate and tourism. This site is not tailored specifically to the information needed, the divide between North and South Korea, but does address the topic, though in a biased manner.
Demilitarized Zone
http://www.korea-dmz.com
Demilitarized Zone examines in depth the relationship between North and South Korea from the signing of the armistice agreement in 1953 until roughly 2001. This is the site that is most focused on the topic at hand. This site includes pictures of the border between North and South Korea; the barbed wire and armed soldiers seen in the pictures make clear what life is like along the border. The pictures add to the sites credibility. It is, however, difficult to find the author and sponsor of the site. While the other sites had clear authors and objectives, this site’s remain unclear. The best guess I have as to that information is that this site is sponsored by the Department of Tourism Policies, although that seems odd that a tourism site would contain pictures of armed soldiers and barbed wire. In addition to information on the division of Korea, this site contains environmental and geological information about the area. Most of the site is devoted to the topic at hand and even though the sources of this information are in doubt, the information seems credible as much of it aligns with information found on other sites.
These websites provide reliable information about the current state of affairs between North and South Korean. In addition, information can be found on the culture and history of Korea, specifically during Japanese occupation and the Korean War. These sites are filled with primary sources, personal accounts, and current news in North and South Korea and their international standings in the world today. Korean History Project is the best site for information on Korea’s past, while Korean Weekly Web provides the most, unbiased information on current events. Gateway to Korea and Demilitarized Zone also seem to be reliable and credible, but since they are (or appear to be) government sites they innately must have some bias. These four sites can help guide further research on the division of Korea, past and present.
Sites Evaluated
Caraway, William M. 19 December 2003. Korean History Project: “Where the Past is
Always Present” . <http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org> [16 November 2004].
Chon, Hyun-Joon. 2002. Korean Institute for National Unification.
<http://www.kinu.or.kr/eng/main/index.asp> [16 November 2004].
Evanhoe, Ed. 9 November 2004. The Korean War. <http://www.korean-war.com>
[16 November 2004].
Gangwon Cyber DMZ. 2001. Demilitarized Zone. <http://www.korea-dmz.com>
[16 November 2004].
Hoffman, Frank. 2001. Frank’s Korean Studies Portal. <http://www.koreaweb.ws>
[16 November 2004].
Kim, Sik Young. 13 November 2004. Korea Web Weekly. <http://www.kimsoft.com>
[16 November 2004].
Korean Overseas Information Services. 16 November 2004. Gateway to Korea.
<http://www.korea.net> [16 November 2004].
Marshall, Winston. 16 November 2004. Power Politics: Opinions on Public and
International Affairs from a Realist-Libertarian . <http://www.powerpolitics.com>[16 November 2004].