Vol.12, No.1 | [Article] The Yellow Sea in East Asian History

The history and culture of East Asia grew and developed by exchanges and negotiations through the Yellow Sea. The Yellow Sea has been the physical boundary between Korea, China, and Japan as well as the setting for communication and convergence. These characteristics of the Yellow Sea were caused by the geographical conditions, such as being surrounded by the Chinese mainland and the Korean peninsula, together with its human environment, i.e., its Mediterranean-like features. Nevertheless, so far we have paid little attention to the Mediterranean nature of the Yellow Sea as a historical space in East Asia. Therefore, research and interest in Yellow Sea from the standpoint of Mediterranean studies is urgently needed.


Keyword : East Asian history, the Yellow Sea, mediterranean sea, the Mediterranean, historical ecology