hermit kingdom

{{Short description|Term applied to an isolationist country, especially North Korea}}

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. North Korea is the most commonly cited example of a hermit kingdom-like country due to its Juche state ideology which is heavily focused on isolationist and self-sufficient internal politics. Other less prominent quoted examples are Turkmenistan, Eritrea and Bhutan.

North 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.{{sfn|Seth|2008|p=28}}

{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= Myoung Chung |date= 2000 |title= Korean Government Publications: An Introductory Guide |location= Lantham, MD |publisher= Scarecrow Press |isbn= 978-0810837119 |oclc= 42680559 }}

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.{{sfn|Seth|2008|p=28}}

{{cite news |last= Bonsal |first= Stephen |author-link= Stephen Bonsal |date= July 28, 1907 |title= The Obliteration of the Kingdom of Korea |work= The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1907/07/28/archives/the-obliteration-of-the-kingdom-of-korea-with-complete-disregard-of.html |access-date= October 8, 2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}

Today, historical Korea is split into South Korea and North Korea, two states with starkly contrasting economic ideologies. Whereas South Korea is a major developed economy and trade-dependent economy as well as a major importer of overseas goods, North Korea pursues largely isolationist state ideology known as Juche with a planned economy.

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.

{{Cite web |last= Wilkinson |first= Chris |date= June 28, 2020 |title= Suspicious Minds – Enver Hoxha & Albania: A Cult of Capriciousness |website= linkedin.com |language= en |url= https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/suspicious-minds-enver-hoxha-albania-cult-chris-wilkinson |access-date= October 8, 2024 }}

{{Cite web |last= Sakalis |first= Alex |date= March 23, 2016 |title= Enver Hoxha: The Lunatic Who Took Over the Asylum |website= isnblog.ethz.ch |publisher= CSS Blog Network |language= en-US |url= https://isnblog.ethz.ch/uncategorized/enver-hoxha-the-lunatic-who-took-over-the-asylum |access-date= October 8, 2024 }}

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.

{{cite news |last= Raddatz |first= Martha |date= February 20, 2009 |title= Hillary Clinton's New Approach to Diplomacy |publisher= ABC News |url= https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/International/story?id=6921007&page=1 |accessdate= October 8, 2024 }}

Other current countries considered isolationist "hermit kingdoms" include Turkmenistan,

{{Cite web |title= Turkmenistan: The New Hermit Kingdom |date= Jul 27, 2000 |website= rferl.org |publisher= RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty |url= https://www.rferl.org/a/1347133.html |access-date= October 8, 2024 }}

{{Cite web |date=2019-07-15 |title= Turkmenistan: the central Asian hermit state 'teetering on the edge of catastrophe' |website= scmp.com |publisher= South China Morning Post |language= en |url= https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3018610/turkmenistan-hermit-state-teetering-edge-catastrophe |access-date= October 8, 2024 }}

Belarus,

{{Cite news |last= Landay |first= Jonathan |date= June 9, 2021 |title= Opposition leader says Belarus has become 'North Korea of Europe' |language= en |work= Reuters |url= https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/belarus-leader-barely-has-say-russias-military-action-belarus-us-envoy-2021-06-09/ |access-date= October 8, 2024 }}

{{Cite web |last1= Chu |first1= Lenora |last2= Soguel |first2= Dominique |date= June 18, 2021 |title= Belarus is becoming Europe's 'North Korea.' What can EU do about it? |language= en-GB |website= csmonitor.com |publisher= Christian Science Monitor |url= https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2021/0616/Belarus-is-becoming-Europe-s-North-Korea.-What-can-EU-do-about-it |access-date= October 8, 2024 }}

Eritrea,

{{Cite web |last= Gaffey |first= Conor |date= July 15, 2017 |title= Eritrea: Can You Travel to Africa's Hermit Kingdom? |website= newsweek.com |publisher= Newsweek |language= en |url= https://www.newsweek.com/eritrea-world-heritage-sites-636964 |access-date= October 8, 2024 }}

and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

{{Cite news |last1= Ahmad |first1= Javid |last2= London |first2= Douglas |date= December 28, 2022 |title= The Taliban's dangerous hermit kingdom |language= en |work= The Hill |url= https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/3785319-the-talibans-dangerous-hermit-kingdom |access-date= October 8, 2024 }}

Historically, the term has been applied to Nepal,

{{cite book |last= Ragsdale |first= Tod Anthony |date= 1989 |title= Once a Hermit Kingdom: Ethnicity, Education, and National Integration in Nepal |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLI2AAAAIAAJ |publisher=Manohar |isbn= 9788185054759}}

Ladakh,{{cite book |last= Ahluwalia |first= Hari Pal Singh |author-link= H. P. S. Ahluwalia |date= 1980 |title= Hermit Kingdom, Ladakh |publisher= Vikas |isbn= 9780706910223 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=db4qAAAAMAAJ }}

and Bhutan

{{Cite news |last= Clad |first= James |date=1990-12-20 |title= Nepali Influx Threatens the Hermit Kingdom |language= en |work= Far Eastern Economic Review |volume= 150 |number= 51 |pages= 22–26 }}

{{cite book |last= Thinley |first= Dasho Jigmi |author-link= Jigme Thinley |date= 1996 |chapter= Current Situation in Bhutan |title= Bhutan: Society and Polity |editor= Ramakant, Ramesh Chandra Misra |page= 218 |publisher= Indus Publishing |isbn= 9788173870446 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=m8U94l6xHlYC&pg=PA218 }}

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-19 pandemic.

{{cite news |last= Towie |first= Narelle |date= January 21, 2022 |title= 'He has pulled the rug': Mark McGowan's backflip on Covid reopening splits WA |work= The Guardian |language= en |url= https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/22/he-has-pulled-the-rug-mark-mcgowans-backflip-on-covid-reopening-splits-wa |access-date= October 8, 2024 }}

hermit kingdom

North Korea

Cold War uses

Modern use

Other uses

See also

References

Further reading