Answers: 1 (a); 2 (c); 3
(b); 4 (b); 5 (b); 6 (a); 7 (b); 8 (a); 9 (b); 10 (c); 11 (c); 12 (b); 13 (a): 14 (c); 15
(b); 16 (a); 17 (a); 18 (c); 19 (a); 20 (a); 21 (b); 22 (a); 23 (a); 24 (b); 25 (a); 26
(c); 27 (c); 28 (c); 29 (a); 30 (a); 31 (b); 32 (a); 33 (c); bonus (a)
December
31, 2002
Pop Quiz on the
History of Korean-American Relations
by GARY LEUPP
(Choose the best
answer. 3 points each. Answers at the end.)
1. In 1866 the U.S.
merchant ship General Sherman defied the laws of Korea (then pursuing a policy of
strict isolation) by entering Korean waters, and sailing up the Taedong River towards
Pyongyang to demand trade. What happened to the ship?
a. It was attacked
by local people and soldiers, burned, and sunk, with the loss of its entire crew.
b. Its crew was
politely told that since Korea was a satrapy of China all negotiations concerning commerce
had to take place via Beijing.
c. It was welcomed,
and Korean officials began discussing with the Americans a Treaty of Amity and Commerce.
2. In 1882 the Korean
government signed a treaty with the U.S. It is usually considered an "unequal
treaty" like those signed with China and Japan. Its provisions included:
a.
extraterritoriality (exempting U.S. citizens from Korean law and courts); U.S. rights to
export opium to Korea; and the establishment of a U.S. legation
b. leasing of land
for a legation; a most favored nation clause (assuring that no other foreign country would
receive better treaty conditions than the U.S.); and the Korean renunciation of Chinese
suzerainty
c.
extraterritoriality; relatively low tariffs on imported U.S. goods; and a most favored
nation clause
3. After the
Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5, Japan acquired control over Korea, annexing it formally in
1910. In 1905 Japanese Prime Minister Katsura Tarô met secretly with U.S. Secretary of
War William Howard Taft, producing the Taft-Katsura Agreement in which the U.S. recognized
Japan's interests in Korea. What did the U.S. receive in return?
a. Japanese
agreement to limit emigration to the U.S.
b. Japanese
recognition of U.S. colonial rule over the Philippines.
c. Japan's
renunciation to all claims to the Hawai'ian Islands.
4. At the Yalta
Conference in February 1945, U.S. President Roosevelt and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
discussed the postwar future of Korea. Stalin advocated independence as soon as possible.
Roosevelt
a. agreed to
immediate independence
b. advocated a
trusteeship of 20-30 years, citing the positive example of U.S. rule in the Philippines
c. suggested Korea
remain a part of the Japanese Empire, to be occupied by Allied forces
5. In accordance with
a wartime agreement that the USSR would enter the war with Japan following the German
surrender, Soviet forces invaded Korea in August, advancing to the 38th parallel by August
10. They could easily have occupied the whole peninsula. What did they do?
a. They accepted
the Japanese surrender, provided arms to local communist forces led by Kim Il-sung, and
withdrew within the year.
b. They consulted
with their American allies, who requested that they stop their advance at the 38th
parallel, so that U.S. forces could in the next month occupy the rest of Korea. The
Soviets agreed to the U.S. proposal.
c. They proclaimed
the Korean Soviet Republic and made plans for permanent incorporation into the USSR.
6. In August 1945
defeated Japanese forces formally turned over authority in Korea to the broad-based
Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence, led by Lyuh Woon-hyung, which in
September proclaimed the Korean People's Republic (KPR). When U.S. forces under Gen. Reed
Hodge arrived in Inchon to accept the Japanese surrender, they
a. ordered all
Japanese officials to remain in their posts, refused to recognize Lyuh as national leader,
and soon banned all public reference to the KPR
b. recognized Lyuh
as the legitimate head of state
c. negotiated with
Lyuh to facilitate swift attainment of independence of a united Korea
7. As of 1945, most
Koreans associated the majority of Korean big landowners and businessmen with the Japanese
colonial regime. How did U.S. occupation forces deal with this stratum?
a. They subjected
it to a thoroughgoing purge.
b. They relied upon
it for support.
c. They remained
neutral as the numerous "people's committees" loyal to the PRK organized against
it.
8. In August 1948 the
U.S.-occupied zone of Korea became the Republic of Korea. The next month, the KPR
operating in the north became the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).
Around this time there were many revolts against the U.S.-backed authorities in the south
led by supporters of the original KPR. Where was the biggest one?
a. on Cheju Island,
off the south coast of South Korea, where there was minimal Soviet or North Korean
influence
b. along the North
Korean border, organized by communist operatives
c. in Seoul, led by
communist agitators
9. In June 1950 North
Korean forces attacked the South and by September controlled all but the southeastern
region around Pusan. What was the reaction of South Koreans?
a. stiff
resistance, in support of the popular U.S.-backed Syngman Rhee regime
b. little
resistance, and initially much cooperation
c. general apathy
10. The United
Nations Security Council approved a U.S. proposal for war on North Korea. Why, when both
the USSR and China were on the UNSC, was the proposal passed?
a. At the time,
both China and the USSR continued to maintain their World War II-era alliances with the
U.S.
b. UN rules did not
require UNSC unanimity but only a majority vote to commit the body to war.
c. China's seat was
held by the pro-U.S. Guomindang regime headquartered on Taiwan, and the Soviet delegate
was absent when the vote was taken.
11. How many people,
military plus civilians, died in the Korean War?
a. 500,000-1
million
b. 1 million-2
million
c. about 4 million
12. How many American
soldiers died (officially) in the Korean War?
a. 25,513
b. 54,246
c. 41,739
13. Between 1954 and
1960, how much of South Korea's government budget came from foreign, especially U.S., aid?
a. about half
b. about one-third
c. 20%
14. Park Chung-hee,
who had served in the Japanese army during the Second World War, participated in a coup in
1961, and then became president in 1963. His rule, to 1979, was characterized by
a. economic growth
and political liberalization
b. a "sunshine
policy" towards North Korea
c. economic growth,
martial law, censorship, political repression, and torture of political prisoners
15. The KCIA abducted
dissident Kim Dae-jung from a Tokyo hotel in August 1973, intending to drown him.
Following a conversation between U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Philip Habib and Park Chung-hee
the U.S. CIA sent a helicopter to the Korean spy ship on which he was confined. The CIA
a. demanded his
immediate release
b. demanded that he
not be killed
c. requested an
explanation
16. Park's political
career ended in 1979 when
a. the head of the
Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) assassinated him
b. student protests
toppled him
c. his
constitutional term as president expired
17. In May 1980,
after the the proclamation of martial law, there was a massive uprising in the South
Korean city of Kwangju involving tens of thousands. By official estimate, about 200
civilian pro-democracy protestors were killed by military forces; Kwangju residents claim
about 2000. Which of the following best describes U.S. behavior during this incident?
a. The Carter
administration gave prior approval to South Korean contingency plans to use military units
against the protesters.
b. The U.S.
cautioned against violence against peaceful demonstrators.
c. The U.S.
remained scrupulously neutral during the event.
18. Which of the
following South Korean presidents have been convicted of the crimes of corruption,
participation in the 1979 coup, and involvement in the Kwangju Massacre?
a. Roh Tae-woo
(1987-93)
b. Chun Doo-hwan
(1980-87)
c. both of the
above
19. Early in his
presidency, Jimmy Carter announced plans to withdraw all U.S. troops from South Korea.
What happened to this plan?
a. After meeting
Park Chung-hee in Seoul in June 1979, Carter announced that U.S. troops would remain, and
that the U.S. would expand its security relationship with South Korea.
b. It was abandoned
when Carter left office.
c. It was
implemented, but troops were returned during Reagan's presidency.
20. After meeting
with Chun Doo-hwan in 1985, President Ronald Reagan
a. praised Chun for
his government's "considerable progress" in "promot[ing] freedom and
democracy"
b. mistakenly
referred to him publicly as "President Marcos"
c. doubled U.S. aid
to South Korea
21. Like many
nations, the DPRK has sought in the past to acquire nuclear weapons. It may have produced
two as of 1992, during the first Bush administration. The Clinton administration
negotiated a deal in 1994 whereby Pyongyang suspended its nuclear program in exchange for
oil and the foreign-sponsored construction of two cool-water reactors. What happened to
the agreement?
a. It was
scrupulously followed by both sides until recently.
b. Construction of
the reactors did not take place; the Bush administration rejected
the Clinton policy and South Korean president Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine policy"
towards the North; and at some point North Korea resumed its nuclear weapons program.
c. Bush explicitly
repudiated the agreement in his 2002 "State of the Union" speech.
22. In 1997 Kim
Dae-jung was elected South Korean president and initiated the "sunshine policy"
of rapprochement with North Korea. This led to his meeting in Pyongyang in June 2000 with
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, in which both leaders agreed to seek reunification
without foreign interference. When Kim met with President Bush the following year in
Washington, Bush
a. declined to
support the "sunshine policy" and demanded that North Korea provide more
verification of the suspension of its missile program, and withdraw conventional artillery
and armor from the border with South Korea
b. enthusiastically
supported Kim's policy and the 1994 Agreed Framework
c. offered proof to
journalists that North Korea was not complying with the 1994 agreement
23. South Korea has
been counted among the "Four Tigers" because of its strong economic growth since
the 1970s. But in 1997 the won lost half its value and the economy collapsed. Unemployment
rose from 2 to 7 percent. Thereafter, the economy has rebounded due to:
a. an IMF agreement
raising the percentage of a Korean company's stock that could be owned by foreigners from
26 to 50 percent, insuring greater foreign control over the economy
b. a $ 55 billion
loan package
c. both of the
above
24. In his State of
the Union address (January 29, 2002) President Bush referred to North Korea as
a. a "rogue
state"
b. part of an
"axis of evil"
c. an "evil
empire"
25. What percentage
of South Koreans polled after Bush's speech disagreed with his characterization of North
Korea?
a. 60%
b. 50%
c. 35%
26. Which, among the
following, has most benefited from the acquisition of North Korean missile technology?
a. Iraq
b. Iran
c. Pakistan
27. Currently
deployed North Korean missiles night possibly reach what part of U.S. territory?
a. California
b. Texas
c. The Aleutian
Islands
28. How many U.S.
troops are currently stationed in South Korea?
a. about 16,000
b. about 22,000
c. about 37,000
29. How many foreign
troops are stationed in North Korea?
a. none
b. 5-10,000
c. 10-20,000
30. According to
official South Korean government figures, how many U.S. soldiers in South Korea between
1967 and 1998 committed "overt criminal offenses"?
a. over 40,000
b. over 20,000
c. over 10,000
31. How many
"registered" prostitutes service U.S. GIs in South Korea?
a. about 12,000
b. about 18,000
c. none; there is
no registration process
32. U.S. arms sales
to South Korea during the Clinton administration were in excess of
a. $ 10 billion
b. $ 6 billion
c. $ 2 billion
33. There is some
evidence that North Korea may possess one or two nuclear weapons. What nation is known to
have deployed about 100 tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula between 1958 and
1991?
a. South Korea
b. Russia
c. U.S.
(BONUS
QUESTION)
Current South Korean
public opinion polls indicate that the foreign country people most fear is
a. the U.S.
b. North Korea
c. China
Gary Leupp
is an an associate professor, Department of History, Tufts University and coordinator,
Asian Studies Program.
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