Hermit kingdom is a term applied to any country or society which willfully walls itself off, either metaphorically or physically, from the rest of the world. The Joseon Dynasty of Korea was frequently described as a hermit kingdom during the latter part of the dynasty. The term is still commonplace throughout Korea and is often used by Koreans themselves to describe pre-modern Korea.
Today, the term is often applied to North Korea in news media, and in 2009 was used by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Other countries like Bhutan and the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen have also been described as hermit kingdoms due to their government's reluctance to engage in dialogue with the outside world. The early African civilization of Axum, modernly known as Ethiopia, was identified by the Europeans as the "hermit kingdom".
Famous quotes containing the words hermit and/or kingdom:
“There are hermit souls that live withdrawn
In the place of their self-content;
There are souls like stars, that dwell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths
Where highways never ran—”
—Sam Walter Foss (1858–1911)
“The masses of the sea
The masses of the sea under
The masses of the infant-bearing sea
Erupt, fountain, and enter to utter for ever
Glory glory glory
The sundering ultimate kingdom of genesis’ thunder.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)