Hermit kingdom explained

The term hermit kingdom is an epithet used to refer to any country, organization or society that willfully isolate itself off, either metaphorically or physically, from the rest of the world. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is commonly cited as a prominent example of a hermit kingdom in the present day.

Historic use: Korea

The first country to be described as a "hermit kingdom" was Korea during the Joseon dynasty, in William Elliot Griffis's 1882 book Korea: The Hermit Nation.^[1] Korea, which had become increasingly isolationist since the 17th century, was frequently described as a hermit kingdom until 1905, when it became a protectorate of Japan.^[2]

Cold War uses

During the Cold War, Enver Hoxha's Albania was widely considered a "hermit kingdom" as it was a Stalinist regime, did not allow ordinary citizens out of the country, and pursued autarky to become entirely self-sufficient. Unlike North Korea, Hoxha's regime, after the Sino-Albanian split, refused to ally with anyone and was hostile towards the entire world, which made it more isolationist than North Korea, which was then Stalinist but was allied with other Eastern Bloc states and did not become isolationist until after the end of the Cold War.^{[3] [4]}

Modern use

Today, the term is often applied to North Korea in news and social media, and in 2009, it was used by Hillary Clinton, then the United States Secretary of State.^[5] Other current countries considered isolationist "hermit kingdoms" include Turkmenistan,^{[6] [7]} Belarus,^{[8] [9]} Eritrea,^[10] and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.^[11] Historically, the term has been applied to Nepal,^[12] Ladakh,^[13] and Bhutan^{[14] [15]} in the Himalayas.

Other uses

The term "hermit kingdom" has also been used to describe Western Australia when it closed its borders during the COVID pandemic.^[16]

Further reading

• Book: Fischer, David Hackett . 1970 . Historians' Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought . Harper Perennial . 0-06-131545-1 .
• Seth . Michael J. . Fall 2008 . Korea: From Hermit Kingdom to Colony . Association for Asian Studies . 13 . 2: Asia in World History: 1750-1914 . 28–33 . October 8, 2024 .

Notes and References

1. Book: Wilson, Myoung Chung . 2000 . Korean Government Publications: An Introductory Guide . Lantham, MD . Scarecrow Press . 978-0810837119 . 42680559 .
2. News: Bonsal . Stephen . Stephen Bonsal . July 28, 1907 . The Obliteration of the Kingdom of Korea . The New York Times . October 8, 2024 .
3. Web site: Wilkinson . Chris . June 28, 2020 . Suspicious Minds – Enver Hoxha & Albania: A Cult of Capriciousness . linkedin.com . en . October 8, 2024 .
4. Web site: Sakalis . Alex . March 23, 2016 . Enver Hoxha: The Lunatic Who Took Over the Asylum . isnblog.ethz.ch . CSS Blog Network . en-US . October 8, 2024 .
5. News: Raddatz . Martha . February 20, 2009 . Hillary Clinton's New Approach to Diplomacy . . October 8, 2024 .
6. Web site: Turkmenistan: The New Hermit Kingdom . Jul 27, 2000 . rferl.org . RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty . October 8, 2024 .
7. Web site: 2019-07-15 . Turkmenistan: the central Asian hermit state 'teetering on the edge of catastrophe' . scmp.com . South China Morning Post . en . October 8, 2024 .
8. News: Landay . Jonathan . June 9, 2021 . Opposition leader says Belarus has become 'North Korea of Europe' . en . Reuters . October 8, 2024 .
9. Web site: Chu . Lenora . Soguel . Dominique . June 18, 2021 . Belarus is becoming Europe's 'North Korea.' What can EU do about it? . en-GB . csmonitor.com . Christian Science Monitor . October 8, 2024 .
10. Web site: Gaffey . Conor . July 15, 2017 . Eritrea: Can You Travel to Africa's Hermit Kingdom? . newsweek.com . Newsweek . en . October 8, 2024 .
11. News: Ahmad . Javid . London . Douglas . December 28, 2022 . The Taliban's dangerous hermit kingdom . en . The Hill . October 8, 2024 .
12. Book: Ragsdale, Tod Anthony . 1989 . Once a Hermit Kingdom: Ethnicity, Education, and National Integration in Nepal . Manohar . 9788185054759.
13. Book: Ahluwalia, Hari Pal Singh . H. P. S. Ahluwalia . 1980 . Hermit Kingdom, Ladakh . Vikas . 9780706910223 .
14. News: Clad . James . 1990-12-20 . Nepali Influx Threatens the Hermit Kingdom . en . Far Eastern Economic Review . 150 . 51 . 22–26 .
15. Book: Thinley, Dasho Jigmi . Jigme Thinley . 1996 . Current Situation in Bhutan . Bhutan: Society and Polity . Ramakant, Ramesh Chandra Misra . 218 . Indus Publishing . 9788173870446 . https://books.google.com/books?id=m8U94l6xHlYC&pg=PA218 .
16. News: Towie . Narelle . January 21, 2022 . 'He has pulled the rug': Mark McGowan's backflip on Covid reopening splits WA . The Guardian . en . October 8, 2024 .