In the ancient past, Koreans had a deep fondness for the country's picturesque landscape of mountains and rivers. In addition to this attachment to the land, they developed a love for their fellow tribal members who shared the same territory and long history.

Indeed, one of the most outstanding aspects of the Korean character is the deeply rooted sense of homogeneity. From ancient times, Koreans have proudly referred to themselves as a distinct people, a concept which implies several specific ideas. First, Koreans think of themselves as a consanguineous community of descendants from a single common ancestor. Second, they see themselves as a linguistic community united by a single language. Third, they consider themselves to be a community embodying a unique culture. Fourth, they are united geographically as a group that has lived on the Korean Peninsula since ancient times. Fifth, they are united by the common experiences of a community which has survived millenniums of invasions and external pressure. Koreans have maintained this multifaceted identity as a people throughout their extensive history. As a result, they have never felt the need to distinguish between people and nation. This notion of people and nation as an inseparable unity does not exist in neighboring nations such as China and Japan, and of course is rarely seen in the West. To this extent, Korean's traditional character is truly unique.

From ancient to modern times, the Korean people have been subject to countless invasions from the mighty peoples and nations that have surrounded them.

In the areas adjacent to Korea, there have been many powerful nations that have risen to power within similar conditions, only to fade into history. Unlike these nations, Koreans have somehow managed to maintain a unique culture and identity, and this identity as a distinct people has served as a protective force against invaders throughout Korea's tumultuous history.

As a people at the eastern end of the Eurasian continent, Koreans have, since ancient times, formed their culture through active contacts and positive adaptations of the diverse cultures of the continent. For example, Korea's exuberant bronze culture was introduced not only from nearby China, but also from far away Scythia. In this way, Korea was exposed to cultural elements from the migration of peoples on the Eurasian continent and the consequent exchanges between East and West. Hence from the remote past, the Korean people attempted to harmonize and combine two conflicting perspectives: the exclusive ideal of a unique people and openness toward the world's diverse cultures.

The Korean mind thus embraces certain ambivalence. On the one hand, it is affected by the sense of exclusiveness inherent in the concept of a unique people. On the other hand, it is characterized by a positive and open attitude towards new cultural elements. This complex attitude stems from Korea's long historic experience and was already clearly evident during the Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla). As each of these three monarchies was established, they adopted Chinese writing in order to administer their respective domains. In spite of this positive introduction of Chinese culture, each kingdom was politically independent of China. At times, the kingdoms even cooperated in order to drive Chinese forces away from the Korean Peninsula. This ambivalent attitude towards outside cultures remained during the Goryeo and Joseon periods, and is commonly seen in modern-day Korean culture as well.

Hence from ancient times, exclusiveness and inclusiveness as well as conservatism and liberality have coexisted and it is this unique ability to negotiate these contradictory extremes that has defined the Korean character. Within the Korean mind-set, these seemingly contrary elements are considered to be complementary, and their harmonization is thus looked at as life's ideal. It is within this context that Korea's classical thinkers have put forth their philosophy, and Korea's religious thinkers have carried out their faith.