Korea according to The New Era in Asia by Sherwood Eddy

In this thesis, the political, commercial and social situation of Korea under the Choson Kingdom (in the late 19th and early 20th centuries) was studied with reference to the book of 'The New Era in Asia' written by the American missionary Sherwood Eddy as a result of his travels to region. During the period that the Choson Kingdom was a dependent state on China through taxation, the changes that emerged after the introduction of Western technology, Western civilization and Christianity both in China and Japan, caused the change in Korea which was called the "hermit kingdom". With the Kanghwa Treaty signed between Japan and Korea in 1876, Korea rose to an important position in the balance of international politics by developing commercial relations firstly with Japan and then with European countries. As a matter of fact, Korea's strategic position changed the political balance in Asia and it also caused the annexation of Korea by Japan. In addition to this political competition, Christianity began to spread in Asia and Korea was the fastest affected one. As a result, in this study, considering these developments and Sherwood Eddy's work written in this context, the reformation of Korea was tried to be evaluated. In this context, in the first chapter, the life and books of Sherwood Eddy and his missionary work in Asia were examined. In the second chapter, the activities carried out to open up Korea to trade by the Westerners, the diplomatic relations that started with the Kanghwa Treaty, the wars that emerged, and finally Korea's condition under Japanese rule as a result of the Russo-Japanese War were evaluated. In the third chapter, together with the traditional and social structure of Korea, the spread of Christianity in the country within the framework of Sherwood Eddy's missionary work were examined. Keywords: Sherwood Eddy, Korea, Choson Kingdom, Christianity