The document provides information about Korea, including its location on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia between China and Japan. It notes that Korea is divided into North Korea and South Korea, with Seoul as the capital of South Korea. It gives an overview of Korean culture, noting the Korean language of Hangul, popular cities like Seoul and Busan, traditions such as Hanbok dresses and side dishes called banchan served with meals. It also discusses the global influence of Korean pop culture through K-pop music and television dramas, known as the Korean Wave or Hallyu.
2. FACTS AND
STATISTICS
• LOCATION: EASTERN ASIA, SOUTHERN HALF OF THE
KOREAN PENINSULA BORDERING THE EAST SEA AND THE
YELLOW SEA
• CAPITAL: SEOUL
• NATIONALITY: KOREAN
• POPULATION: 50,924,172 (JULY 2016 EST.)
• CLIMATE: TEMPERATE, WITH RAINFALL HEAVIER IN SUMMER
THAN WINTER
• CURRENCY: SOUTH KOREAN ‘WON’
• GOVERNMENT: REPUBLIC
3. GEOGRAPHY
• KOREA IS A SMALL PENINSULA ON
THE FAR EAST SIDE OF ASIA. IT IS
BETWEEN CHINA AND JAPAN.
• KOREA IS A DIVIDED COUNTRY. AT
THE END OF WORLD WAR II IN 1948,
KOREA WAS DIVIDED AT THE 38TH
PARALLEL. THIS RESULTED IN NORTH
KOREA AND SOUTH KOREA.
• NORTH KOREA IS ALSO KNOWN AS
THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC
OF KOREA, AND SOUTH KOREA IS
ALSO KNOWN AS THE REPUBLIC OF
KOREA.
4. HANGUL
• HANGUL IS THE KOREAN NAME OF
THE LANGUAGE.
• THE KOREAN LANGUAGE IS SHARED
BETWEEN BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH
KOREA.
• THE ALPHABET IS EXTREMELY EASY
TO LEARN, WHICH GIVES KOREA
ONE OF THE HIGHEST LITERACY
RATES IN THE WORLD.
• MANY KOREANS ALSO STUDY
ENGLISH. IT IS TAUGHT FROM VERY
EARLY ON IN SCHOOL. MANY SIGNS
WILL BE IN BOTH KOREAN AND
5. MAJOR CITIES
• SEOUL IS THE CAPITAL
AND MOST IMPORTANT
CITY OF SOUTH KOREA. IT
IS THE MOST POPULATED
CITY WITH MORE THAN
11 MILLION PEOPLE
LIVING.
• SEOUL IS THE CAPITAL
AND MOST IMPORTANT
CITY OF SOUTH KOREA.
THE CITY OF BUSAN IS
THE SECOND MOST
POPULATED CITY IN THE
COUNTRY.
6. SEOUL: PLASTIC SURGERY
CAPITAL
With the highest
rate of cosmetic
surgeries in the
world and nearly 1
million procedures a
year, South Korea is
often called the
world's plastic
surgery capital.
Some estimates
have suggested that
around one in three
South Korean
women between 19
and 29 have had
plastic surgery.
7. A Hanbok is a
traditional Korean
dress for semi-
formal or formal
attire during
traditional
occasions such as
festivals,
celebrations, and
ceremonies.
It is
characterize
d by vibrant
colors and
simple lines
without
pockets.
8. national dish and
is eaten with most
meals. Kimchi is
made from a
variety of
vegetables which
are then
fermented and
can be stored for
long periods of
time
Banchan are
side dishes –
these are often
made in large
numbers and
are served
along with the
main dish
10. KOREAN NEW YEARThere are actually two
Korean New Years.
This is because
Koreans go by two
calendars; one being
the same people use
in the West, and the
other being the lunar
calendar.
On January 1st people will pay
respect to ancestors by
offering food and wine. This
ceremony is called Jesa. At the
beginning of the ceremony,
the names of the ancestors are
pinned to a board. The oldest
family members bows and
offers the wine to the
ancestors who have passed
away. Then, the names are
burned.
11. KOREAN INDEPENDENCE
DAYhe Korean Independence
Day represents when
Koreans declared
themselves independent
from Japanese rule. It is on
March 1st every year, and
began in 1919 when the
declared themselves
independent from
Japanese rule. Japan had taken over
Korea in 1910. For the
next 9 years, Koreans
would live a hard life under
Japanese control. Since
they declared
independence, every year
they proudly stand for
their independence from
13. The Korean Wave
(Hallyu) refers to the
global popularity of
South Korea’s
cultural economy
exporting pop
culture,
entertainment,
music, TV dramas
and movies.
14. Hallyu is a Chinese
term which, when
translated, literally
means “Korean
Wave”. South Korea
is one of the only
countries in the world,
if not the only one,
that has a dedicated
goal to become the
world’s leading
exporter of popular
culture.
16. In 1990s, Kdrama
were produced in
South Korea and
became popular all
throughout Asia.
Kdramas have
contributed to the
general
phenomenon of the
Korean wave known
as Hallyu and
Drama Fever in
some countries.
17. The year 1997
marked the
beginning of
Korean Wave in
television especially
when the
government began
providing low cost
or free dramas to
the TV networks in
many African and
Asian countries.
18. In 2002, Winter
Sonata was aired in
Japan was very
popular. In the
Philippines, Korean
teleseryes became
popular in the
2000s. A number of
Philippine television
networks have been
airing a score of
dramas.
19. Because of the popularity of Korean dramas in the Philippines, several hit
Kdrama were remade in the Philippines
