Korea - A distinctive Far-East

From the Middle Ages on, Korea holds an unobstrusive but obvious place in the Western narratives related to North-Eastern Asia, although these writings are usually centered on China and Japan. The country is located in the geopolitical center of so-called "Far East", but for a long time, it remained on the fringe and was associated with (sometimes controversial) images of wisdom and savageness. Ever eremitic and calm, Korea was both spatially and chronologically disconnected and therefore symbolized a different Far East. The article examines the history of these representations in order to contribute to a deeper knowledge of a peninsula which is widely involved in contemporary discussions of Asian "otherness".