Korean nationalism can be viewed in two different contexts. One encompasses various movements throughout history to maintain a Korean cultural identity, history, and ethnicity. This ethnic nationalism was mainly forged in opposition to foreign incursion and rule. The second context encompasses how Korean nationalism changed after the partition in 1945, with both North and South Korea espousing their own distinct variations of a national identity.
Korean nationalism in its current form first developed during the period of Japanese rule, where nationalist groups formed to foster the Korean independence movement. Following World War II and the surrender of Japan, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel between north and south by the Soviet Union and the United States. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was created in the north, while the Republic of Korea was formed in the South. Following the division, both nations have utilized nationalism to bolster the claim to be the legitimate representative of Korea. The concept has played an important role in promoting Korean reunification, with both Koreas historically promoting the idea of being a one nation despite the difference in political systems.
Support for ethnicity-based nationalism has been dropping in both Koreas. In 2023, North Korea abandoned reunification as a goal and started de-emphasizing its ethnic ties with South Korea, instead designating the South as a hostile state. Conversely, surveys in South Korea have found both support for reunification and nationalism based on the concept of minjok has been dropping, especially among younger generations.
Types Korean nationalism () emphasizes minjok as a key part of Korean identity. It is centered on the notion of the minjok (), a term that had been coined in Imperial Japan ("minzoku") in the early Meiji period. Minjok has a similar meaning to the German "volk", officially translated as "nation", "people", and "ethnic group", or unofficially translated as "race". A number of scholars have argued that this concept has influenced Korean society and politics,Gi-wook Shin, Ethnic Nationalism in Korea: Genealogy, Politics, and Legacy (2006), pp. 1–3. and has influenced Korean reunification sentiment.Gi-wook Shin, Ethnic Nationalism in Korea: Genealogy, Politics, and Legacy, chapter 10: "Ethnic Identity and National Unification" (pp. 185–203). Also, minjok nationalism is primarily characterized by indigenousness, anti-imperialist sentiment hostility toward Great Power. Though historically extant in both Koreas, minjok-based nationalism has been decreasing in South Korea, while it was abandoned by North Korea in 2023.
State-aligned nationalism (), state nationalism, or "statism" is a nation building based on 'state/country' () identity; it appears in North Korea as nationalism emphasizing the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" identity and in South Korea as nationalism emphasizing the "Republic of Korea" identity. These forms of nationalism are called North Korean nationalism and South Korean nationalism, respectively, and are distinct from the general Korean nationalism (minjok).
History
Historically, Korean nationalism, or its earliest concept can be found as early as Silla, who expressed its unification as a unification of Samhan. Other examples of this would be Goryeo, whose name signifies that it is a direct descendant of Goguryeo, as they took its exact name as its own. The same goes for Joseon, who took its name from Gojoseon. In Joseon, there existed the traditional word ajokryu (), which referred to a "Korean nation" or "Korean ethnicity".
Japanese occupation However, the current concept of Korean nationalism came to be emphasized in order to resist Japanese influence during Japanese Occupation. The central objectives of Korea's nationalist movement were the advancement and protection of Korea's ancient culture and national identity from foreign influence, and the fostering of the independence movement during Japanese rule.Ryu Tongshik (1999) - While Japanese scholars were pursuing colonialist aims in research on Korea culture, Korean scholars on the other hand began their own research in order to discover in the traditional culture the spiritual basis for the independence movement against Japan. In order to obtain political and cultural autonomy, it first had to promote Korea's cultural dependency. For this reason, the nationalist movement demanded the restoration and preservation of Korea's traditional culture. The Donghak (Eastern Learning) peasant movement, also known as the Donghak Peasant Revolution, that began in the 1870s, could be seen as an early form of what would become the Korean nationalist resistance movement against foreign influences. It was succeeded by the Righteous Army movement and later a series of Korean resistance movements that led, in part, to the current status of the two Korean nations.
In the colonial period, the Imperial Japanese's assimilation policy claimed that Koreans and Japanese were of common origin but the former always subordinate. The pure blood theory was used to justify colonialist policies and to replace Korean cultural traditions with Japanese ones in order to supposedly eliminate all distinctions and achieve equality between Koreans and Japanese. As was previously done with the Ainu and Ryukyuans, Japan's extensive policy of cultural genocide included changing Korean names into Japanese, exclusive use of Japanese language, school instruction in the Japanese "ethical system", and Shinto worship. This policy was an attempt of forced assimilation, in which Korean language, culture, and history were suppressed. Around the 1920s, the term "white-clothed people" () developed as an ethnonationalist term for Korean people. The term was a reference to the historic Korean practice of wearing white clothing. It also arose in response to unsuccessful Japanese attempts to end the practice.
National resistance movements
Nationalism in late 19th century Korea was a form of resistance movements, but with significant differences between the north and south. Since the intrusion by foreign powers in the late 19th century, Koreans have had to construct their identity in ways that pitted them against foreigners. They have witnessed and participated in a wide range of nationalist actions over the past century, but all of them have been some form of resistance against foreign influences. During the colonial period, the Korean nationalists carried on the struggle for independence, fighting against Imperial Japan in Korea, China particularly Manchuria and China proper and Far East Russia. They formed 'governments in exile', armies, and secret groups to fight the imperial Japanese wherever they are.Shin Chae-ho (1880–1936), the founder of the nationalistic historiography of modern Korea and a Korean independence movement activist, published his influential book of reconstructed history Chosŏn sanggosa (The Early History of Joseon) from 1924 to 1922. In it, he proclaimed that Koreans are descendants of Dangun, the legendary ancestor of Korean people, who merged with Buyo of Manchuria to form the Goguryeo people.The Koguryo Controversy, National Identity, and Sino-Korean Relations Today , Peter Hays Gries, Institute for US-China Issues, The University of Oklahoma Dangun nationalism () is based around this principle. In the March First Movement, the Korean Declaration of Independence marked the date of declaration as , and the identity of the Korean minjok and the subject of independence were set as 'the descendants of Dangun'.
Partition of Korea
Korea was divided at the 38th parallel between north and south by the Allied powers in 1945 as part of the disarmament of Imperial Japan, and the division persists to this day. The split is perpetuated by rival regimes, opposing ideologies, and global politics; it is further deepened by a differing sense of national identity derived from the unique histories, polities, class systems, and gender roles experienced by Koreans on different sides of the border. As a result, Korean nationalism in the late 20th century has been permeated by the split between North and South. Each regime espouses its own distinctive form of nationalism, different from the opposing side's, that nonetheless seeks to encompass the entire Korean Peninsula in its scope. Despite the split between North and South Korea, neither side disputed the ethnic homogeneity of the Korean nation based on a firm conviction that they are purest descendant of a legendary progenitor and half-god figure called Dangun who founded Gojoseon in 2333 BCE based on the description of the Tongguk t'onggam (1485). A holiday marking the mythological formation of the "Korean ethnicity", a concept shared and celebrated in both Koreas (as can be seen with the presence of the Mausoleum of Tangun in North Korea), in 2333 BC can be seen commemorated with a national holiday (National Foundation Day) in South Korea each October.
Korean reunification
Korean reunification refers to the hypothetical future reunification of North and South Korea under a single government. South Korea had adopted a sunshine policy towards the North that was based on the hope that one day, the two countries would be re-united in the 1990s. The process towards this was started by the historic June 15th North–South Joint Declaration in August 2000, where the two countries agreed to work towards a peaceful reunification in the future. However, there are a number of hurdles in this process due to the large political and economic differences between the two countries and other state actors such as China, Russia, and the United States. Short-term problems such as a large number of refugees that would migrate from the North into the South and initial economic and political instability would need to be overcome.
From 1945 until 1950, minjok nationalism was a factor in Korean reunification sentiment, especially among political centrists. This has been dubbed "centrist [minjok] nationalism" (). For example, centre-right Kim Kyu-sik formed the National Independence Federation (centered around the minjok) and opposed the construction of a South Korean independent government promoted by Syngman Rhee; centre-left Lyuh Woon-hyung also opposed far-left proletarian internationalism and argued that "Korean minjok'''" interests were more important. Centrist nationalists tried to prevent the division of the Korean Peninsula through the Left-Right Coalition Movement. In 2024, North Korea officially abandoned reunification as a goal. Pyongyang went on to declare South Korea a separate hostile state and remove all references to a shared heritage after amending its Constitution in May 2026.
Modern-day nationalism Scholars and institutions, including the Academy of Korean Studies, have noted parallels between the development of modern Korean nationalism and Zionism. Both emerged among stateless nations (Koreans and Jews) that faced severe persecution under authoritarian regimes and the Axis powers (Empire of Japan and Nazi Germany), leading to significant diasporas formed through war and displacement. Additionally, both traditions emphasize narratives of "victimhood nationalism" and exhibit stronger ethnic than civic identities. However, Korean nationalism differs from Zionism in that it lacks a legacy of settler colonialism and remains strongly rooted in anti-imperialism.
North Korea