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Korea: Land of the Morning Calm 대대대대

Korea: Land of the Morning Calm 대한민국. Korea is about the size of Minnesota Asia

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Korea: Land of the Morning Calm

대한민국

Korea is about the size of Minnesota

Asia

Some basics…• Age is different– When you are born you are one and every January

1st you turn another year older (So, if you were born on December 31st, the next day you would be 2!)

• Koreans are family oriented. • Korea is small and there are a lot of people so

it is very competitive there and busy.

A BRIEF timeline• 3000 B.C.E.

Early Korean civilization grows with waves of settlers from central Asia.

• 668: The Silla Dynasty brings together three existing kingdoms, and the arts flourish.

• The Koryo Dynasty, which lasted from 918 to 1392 AD had a strong Buddhist influence which shaped many of it's cultural achievements.

• 1392:The Yi Dynasty begins and the country is renamed Choson. The Yi Dynasty lasts more than 500 years.

• 1592-1598:The Japanese military ruler Hideyoshi Toyotomi leads invasions of Korea.

A Pillow

• 1905:Japan gains control of Korea from Russia.

• 1945:After Japan's surrender at the end of World War II, Korea is divided into north and south zones at the 38th parallel.

• 1948:The Republic of Korea is established in the south, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is established in the north.

• 1950-1953:North Korea invades South Korea. The United Nations sends a multinational force to aid the South. After heavy fighting, a truce is declared.

Chuseok 추석 -Chuseok is similar to our Thanksgiving. -The date changes depending on the lunar calendar-Families get together-Songpyeon is rice cake filled with nuts, sugar, and other sweet things and then steamed over pine needles.

“Hanbok” are traditional clothes that Koreans wear on holidays and for very special occasions

The five colors of “osaek” songpyeon represents the harmony of nature.Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Solnal (Lunar New Year)• Focus on the

family• People wear

hanbok• They kneel and

bow to their ancestors and elders

• They exchange gifts (usually money)

• Children receive lucky money, candy and fruit from the elders

Be Polite! • Eye contact is rude• Never say anything directly, skirt around your

main point• You should hand things to people with both

hands, especially if they are older• Don’t point with your finger or use your finger

to call someone over• Don’t EVER blow your nose at the table• It isn’t rude to spit in the streets (if you’re male)

Culture• Taekwondo 태권도 – National sport in South Korea.– Loosely translated means:

"the way of the foot and fist" or "the way of kicking and punching."

– South Korean military uses it for training.

What do they do for fun?Noraebangs

(singing rooms)• Karaoke in a room with

your friends!• You can see a

noraebang on almost every corner

• Common activity for work parties

• Karaoke common on tour busses too

Korean Pop (K Pop)• Koreans love pop groups- you’ll find people of

all ages singing and dancing to the latest hit. Popular Groups:

Big Bang Wonder Girls “Tell Me” a huge hit that swept the

nation

Education• Most elementary-high school students attend private

schools (hogwans) after they finish their regular school (they go to school every other Saturday too)Some common hogwans:– English– math– science– homework help– various sports – musical instruments

• It is normal to see students just coming home from school between 8 and 11 PM

• They take a test in their senior year that will determine if they get into college or not and it’s very competitive. Police will escort late students to class, flight schedules will change at the airports so that there isn’t too much noise and teachers are scolded if they make too much noise with their shoes.

Technology Rules!• Koreans buy a new phone about every 11

months (on average)• PC Bangs (rooms)– Young people (mostly boys) spend hours at PC

Bangs playing video games– StarCraft is televised live

Remember, I said it was busy?

• Population of Korea: 48,670,000 (Seoul: Over 10 Million)

• Population of Utah: 2,736,424

Feed Me!

KIMCHI!

Lotus Flower• The lotus flower symbolizes

purity and divine birth.• The lotus flower grows in

mud at the bottom of a pool, but rises above the surface to become a beautiful flower.

• Buddhists say this is how people should rise above everything.

• A flower may be very beautiful and have a wonderful scent, but it soon withers and dies. This shows that nothing in life is perfect.