Soojin, Ariel, and Grant

1. ABC’s of CULTURE B y A r I e l Z h o u, G r a n t H y u n, a n d S o o j I n O h

2. Art Modern South Korean art has an amazingly wide range of styles, genres, and compositions. Detailed paper statues of round-cheeked Koreans and traditional lifestyles, as seen in the first picture, are scattered generously throughout South Korea. Korean contemporary art, as in the second picture, often has a modern style, but include symbols or aspects of traditional Korea.

3. Buildings South Korea has many beautiful buildings. One of these, shown in the top photo, is the Gyeongbok Palace. It used to be the kings’ official quarters and residence during the Joseon dynasty. The second picture shows a plaque hanging in the Bongwonsa temple. Bongwonsa is famous for it’s long tradition of Buddhist ceremonial rituals.

4. Communication Most of Korea communicates through telephones, radios, Internet, and television. Korean people communicate with each other through instant messaging and speaking on the phone while news about the country is mainly found through television, radios, and on the Internet. (Korea, South).

5. Dress Most Koreans wear western style clothing today. Korea has a traditional clothing, called Hanbok. It is often worn in holidays or special occations. The Hanbok has a top with long sleeves called a jeogori, and under, women have a long skirt called chima. Men wear baggy pants called paji.(Traditional) (Fashion)

6. Economy Since the early 1960s, South Korea's economy has developed dramatically and has achieved a high-technology, modern world economy. Last year, its GDP was about 1,356,000,000,000 USD, and it is the thirteenth in the world. South Korea's main industries are electronics and cars. It also is known for it’s exorbitant amount of cafes and coffeeshops. It has a market economy.(South Korea Economy)

7. Family Family relationships in Korea are mainly based on Confucian sayings. The father/husband of the family mostly is out most of the day working as well as the kids that are at school most of the day too. However, the mother mostly stays home doing chores, cooking, etc . Nowadays, the women are becoming more independent, with jobs and businesses of their own. (Family Life).

8. Government The government type of South Korea is a republic, and the main government workers such as the president and the prime minister work in this government building. South Korea's legal system combines Europe's civil law system, Chinese classical thoughts, and Anglo-American law. Now, the president is Lee Myung-bak, and the prime minister is Han Seung-Soo.(South Korea Government)

9. history Korea’s history is based upon a lot of Confucian ideas. However, Buddhism was the official state religion. Many Korean people made their living through hunting and picking plants (Hidden Korea).

10. icon The TripitakaKoreana is a large collection of Buddhist scriptures, as shown in the first picture, made in the Goryeo dynasty. It is famous for being the largest collection of Buddhist literature, reflecting the long history of Buddhist ideas in Korea. In the second picture, Park Ji-Sung, a popular Korean soccer player, is shown. A more modern icon of Korean culture, Park ‘s face can be seen all over Korea.

11. jobs The average Korean income is about 11,463 - 13,076 USD per year. One of their most common things to do to make a living is doing business. Only few Korean people are farmers because most people live in urban areas.(List)

12. Knowledge Shown in the first picture is a sports event at a Korean public school. Korean public schools mainly teach basic classes such as math, science, and humanities like in the U.S, greater stress is put upon education, resulting in one of the highest literacy rates in the world, with 98% among ages 15 and up. (Facts) The second photo shows an alternative school in Korea. Alternative schools place less stress on the basic courses mentioned above, and instead emphasize creative activities, such as nature comprehension, music, art, and environmental awareness..

13. language The Korean alphabet, called han'gul, was invented by King Sejongabout 560 years ago. Before that, Koreans used Chinese characters for writing. It is easy to read and write Korean alphabet because each letter only has one sound and no letters are silent. Now, Koreans use han'gul usually, and sometimes use Chinese characters on special occasions.(The Best)

14. movement Lots of people in Korea use the subway, public bus, and cars to get around. Korea has one of the worlds largest subway systems. However, driving can be difficult. There are many tough drivers and is very busy. (Korea Transport)

15. National pride An Jung-Geun is one the most famous independence fighters of Korea. In 1910, he was executed for assassinating the former Japanese ptime minister, Ito Hirobumi, in Manchuria. After he shot Ito, An pulled out a Korean national flag and yelled “Hooray for Korea’s independence!” in Russian so everyone could understand his motive. His death caused a more-than-average stir, for he was a celebrated and well-know doctor. (Kim)

16. organizations Korea has many famous organizations. For example, Hyundai is one of the most famous Korean organizations. Hyundai is a group of companies in South Korea. Its main industries are cars and electronics. It has many divisions. One of the most well-known divisions is the Hyundai motor company. (Hyundai)

17. population South Korea, with a population of 48,754,657 people, mostly speaks “hangul.” Its most dominant religion is Christianity with roughly 26 percent followed by Buddhism with round 23 percent. Korea has mostly a homogeneous society meaning most people share the same culture.(Korea, South).

18. Quality of life Korea’s world ranking in terms of “quality of life” is currently at number 12 among 169 countries. Judging by this, Korea’s average happiness and quality of everyday life must be quite good. (Korea Joongang Daily)

19. religion In the first picture, a Japanese Buddhist temple proudly stands, while in the second, a Christian church bears it's cross. In Korea, the two major religions are Buddhism and Christianity. 29.2 of the population practices Christianity, while 22.8 percent practice Buddhism. 46.5 have no religion, while a small minority practice religions such as Islam, Chondogyo, or heavenly worship, Confucianism, and Shamanism. (South)

20. status Korea has lots of different social classes. Doctors and business people are wealthy and delivery mans are low. Most Koreans are business owners or market owners (CIA).

21. taboos There are lots of taboos in Korea. Some are taking of your shoes when you’re in someone’s home, never address someone by their first name, and to elders you are supposed to lower your eyes. If you don’t do them, you are considered a very rude person (Family).

22. Urban or rural Most Koreans live in cities. In 2005, about 80% of Koreans live in urban areas. Only about 20% people live in rural areas. Because there are many people live in cities, the cities are often busy, noisy, and crowded, especially the capital city of South Korea, Seoul. (South Korea: Urban)

23. Vacation and recreation Koreans enjoy shopping during their vacations. They also like doing sports. They have traditional sports such like Taekwondo. Taekwondo is a famous sport that is invented during the fourth century. Soccer is the most popular sport in Korea, and baseball is also a very common sport. (Sport in South Korea)

24. Ways of everyday life One way of life worth remarking in Korean culture is the traditional way of washing clothes. The women and their children would go down to the riverside, wash their clothes, place the clothes on a flat rock, and beat the clothes with wooden mallets.

25. X marks the spot The South Korean peninsula’s physical features have affected the people a lot. To the west is the yellow sea and on the east is the east sea. Most of Korea’s land is hilly so it causes the people to be crammed into a small space. It also has a very mountainous landscape (Salter).

26. yum Korean food is very different from foods that are from other places in the world. Koreans combine dishes from both peasant diets and royal palace food. Royal palace food is a type of traditional cooking during Joseon dynasty, and it often combines 12 dishes, rice, and soup. The features of Korean food are spiciness, less oil, and sometimes sweet. One of the staple foods of Koreans is rice, and seafood is also a type of staple food in Korea. (Korean cooking)(Korean Food)

27. Ztuff Kimchi, which is one of the most popular and healthiest foods in the world, is scientifically proven that it is rich in minerals and vitamins. A lot of Koreans that live in other countries such as China and Japan have kimchi in their homes. Kimchi has become a major export for Korea in the past years. Korea exports kimchito China, Russia, Hawaii, and Japan. (History)

28. "Korea 'Quality of Life' rises sharply." Korea JoongangDaily (2010): n. pag. Web. 21 May 2011. <http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2928040 >. Kim, Heesung. "An Jung Geun: a patriot who lives forever." Gateway to Korea. N.p., 26,03,2010. Web. 21 May 2011. <http://www.korea.net/detail.do?guid=45163>. Diem, Richard. "South Korean Education." Asia Society (2008): n. pag. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://asiasociety.org/education-learning/learning-world/south-korean-education>. U.S.A. Background Note: South Korea. , Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2800.htm>. WORKS CITED (Soojin)

29. WORKS CITED (Grant) "Family Life." South Korea- Family Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011. http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/southkorea/family.html. "Hidden Korea." PBS Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2011. http://www.pbs.org/hiddenkorea/history.htm. "History Of Kimchi." Kimchi. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2011. http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FO/FO_EN_6_1_2_1.jsp. "Korea, South." CIA- The World Factbook. CIA, n.d. Web. 14 May 2011. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html. "Korea,South." Fact Monster. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2011. http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107690.html. "Korea Transport." Public Transportation. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011. http://www.hoteltravel.com/south_korea/guides/transport.htm. Salter, Christopher. South Korea. Philadelphia : Chelsea House Publishers, 2003. Print.

30. WORKS CITED (Ariel) "The Best Alphabet in the World." Ebsco - MAS Ultra School Edition. Secondary Media Center. Web. 13 May 2011. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,url,cookie,uid&direct=true&db=ulh&bquery=(AN 50314727)&site=ehost>. Fashion in South Korea. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://www.countryreports.org/country/KoreaSouth/fashion.htm>. Hyundai. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai>. Korean cooking. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2011. < http://www.cuisinenet.com/glossary/korea.html>.Korean Food Part I. n.d. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.zkorean.com/food.shtml>. List of countries by per capita personal income. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_per_capita_personal_income>. South Korea Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2011. <http://www.countryreports.org/country/KoreaSouth/economy/overview.htm>. South Korea Government. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2011. <http://www.countryreports.org/country/KoreaSouth/government.htm>. South Korea: Urban Population. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator_detail.cfm?IndicatorID=30&Country=KR>. Sport in South Korea. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_South_Korea.> "Traditional costumes of Asia and the Pacific Islands." World Book - Student. Secondary Media Center. Web. 11 May 2011. < http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/media?id=lr001432&st=hanbok>.