Why are Koreans referred to as "Asian Irish"?

Question

I've heard this term only a couple of times but I want to know why Koreans are referred to as "Asian Irish".

What are the sterotypes of Koreans and Irish?

Or is it because the two countries have gone through similar history?

Answer 1

The histories of Ireland and Korea are roughly similar.

They both had a lot of monasticism in their early history although in Ireland it was Christian (both Greek Orthodox and Roman until about 750 A.D.) while in Korea it was Mahayana Buddhist.

Buddhism came to Korea from China  in 372 A.D. Christianity seems to have arrived in Ireland from the Roman Empire about the same time despite the story about the Welshman, St. Patrick introducing it there in the 5th Century A.D.

In 1592, the Koreans would experience their first Japanese invasion  led by the samurai, Toyotomi Hideyoshi .About the same time, the Irish were experiencing their first major invasion by the English (or British) under Queen Elizabeth I. The Irish Earls of Tyrone fought back with some success at first but were defeated by 1603.

In the centuries that followed, British imperialism in Ireland was a lot like Japanese imperialism in Korea: very opressive, often vicious and brutal. For example,  British leader Oliver Cromwell massacred over 3,000 Irish at Drogheda during a revolt  in 1653.

As conquered peoples, Koreans and Irish both found themselves living as second and even third class citizens in their own countries during these times. They often did menial  jobs that Japanese and British people were unwilling to do.

The only difference between  the two imperialisms  was that Japanese imperialism in Korea lasted only about seventy years (1876 - 1945) where as British Imperialism in Ireland lasted over three hundred years (1603 - 1922).

The United States played a role indirectly in the independence of both countries. British rule in Ireland began to wane after it lost its American colonies (1783) while Korea won its independence from Japan as a result of the American military victory over  Imperial Japan in 1945.

Tragically, both countries have been divided for political or religious reasons (See British Northern Ireland and The Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and their peoples hope for the eventual reunifications of their respective countries.

In America, it is the Chinese who are sometimes referred to as "The Jews of the Orient" even though Korean immigrants still have a reputation of being very good businessmen.

If the original Neolithic inhabitants of Scandinavia and the British Isles were Finno-Uralic hunter gatherer peoples, there actually could be some distant relationships between populations in Ireland and Scotland on the one hand and Korea on the other hand, as strange as that may seem. After all, there is no evidence that any of the Neolithic peoples completely vanished after the arrival into Northern Europe of the Indo-European Celts and Teutons (Germanic peoples) beginning about 500 B.C.

Answer 2

I'm not sure what your smoking but send me some.

Answer 3

im preety sure ireland and korea have nothin 2 do with eatchother! nd no the history is not the same!

Answer 4

In what context did you hear this expression used?

Perhaps it's because Korea is partitioned

Answer 5

I've never heard that before..... Now you've made me curious!

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