South KoreaCultural Scrapbook

Alyssa Olsen

Population Facts

Population Facts

48,636,06826th largest populated country in the worldGrowth rate at 0.258%8.72 births per 1,000 people6.15 deaths per 1,000 peopleMale life expectancy-75.56 yearsFemale life expectancy-82.28 years1.22 children per womanAll as of July 2010Around 82% live in urban areasSeoul is the largest city

Ethnicity

Ethnic Groups

Those who are from Korea are considered Korean

Basically homogeneousAll KoreanExcept for about 20,000 ChineseThere is another small minority of

Southeast Asians

Language

Language

Koreans speak KoreanTheir language is very much different from oursEnglish is widely taught throughout middle and

high schoolSome in urban areas speak EnglishIt is used creating strokesWritten in Hangul24 Letters, 10 VowelsHi-안녕하세요Bye-안녕Where-어디로 ?

Religion

Religion

Confucianism is a big part in their lives though it’s more of a philosophy

26.3% Christians (Protestant 19.7%, Roman Catholic 6.6%)

23.2% Buddhist1.3% Other or unknownNone 49.3%All of the 1995 census

Greetings

Greetings & Gestures

A bow is traditionalMen often shake hands alsoFriends and relatives nodChildren bow when greeting adultsProfessionals exchange business cards

and a handshakeA common greeting is Annyong haseyo?

(Are you at peace?)Beckoning with the index finger is rudeEye contact is important in conversationWhen yawning they cover their mouths

South Korean Flag

Most recently adopted on 25 January 1950

It’s called Taegukki Its white background

symbolizes peace and purity

The yin-yang symbol, signifies the concepts of creation and movement through balance and duality

The surrounding symbols represent the four universal elements: heaven, earth, fire, and water

Interpersonal Relationships

One's status is determined by age, gender, education, family background, wealth, occupation, and/or political ideology

They’re modest and make friends easilyGuests invited to a home remove their shoes

upon enteringIn many homes they’re seated upon cushions

on the floorMen sit cross-legged and women tuck their legs

to one side behind themGuests invited for a meal customarily bring a

small gift, often something that can be served at the gathering

Holidays

Holidays

New Years (Jan 1-3)Independence Movement Day (1 Mar.)Children's Day (5 May)Buddha's Birthday (Like Easter)Arbor Day (5 Apr.)Memorial Day (6 June)Independence Day (15 Aug.)Armed Forces Day (1 Oct.)National Foundation Day (3 Oct.)Korean Language Day (9 Oct.)

Holidays (cont.)

For New Years they exchange gifts, honor the dead and feast on great meals

Games are played and fortunes are toldDuring Chuseok (Harvest Moon Festival) in September

or October family members visit tombs to clean the grave site and leave food offerings in honor of the dead

Larger family reunions are common during this festival

On the Lunar New Year many people eat ttok-mandu kuk (rice cake soup cooked with dumplings), chapch'ae (noodles with meat and vegetables), yakshik (sweet rice), pindaettok (mung bean pancakes), shik'e (rice punch), and sujonggwa (cinnamon flavored persimmon punch).

Rights of Passage

Dating and Marriage

Young South Koreans enjoy going to movies, shopping, and meeting friends at coffee shops, fast-food restaurants, arcades, etc.

Couples might hold hands, but kissing in public is not appropriate

Most don’t have a serious relationship until after they get out of college

In some cases, rural families still arrange marriages for couples who have met but not dated

Food & Drink

Food & Drink

Chopsticks and spoons are the most commonly used utensils

At a dinner party, the meal usually is served before socialization

Eating while walking on the street is not considered appropriate for adults

Pekpan consists of rice, soup and many side dishes

Kimch’i-traditional fermented vegetable dish. There are also over 100 types of Kimch’i

Food & Drink (cont.)

pibimbap (rice with vegetables) is a common dish

Other dishes include seafood, meat or poultry, vegetables, herbs and roots.

Clothing

Traditional Modern

Clothing (cont.)

Today, they wear modern, western-style clothing

Business people wear western suits and dresses

A famous designer is Andre Kim who does mostly wedding collections (pictured at right)

Clothing

On special occasions or holidays, people often wear a hanbok (pictured at right)

For women, a hanbok is a long two-piece dress that is often very colorful. For men, it includes trousers and a loose-fitting jacket or robe.

Sports and Rec.

The most popular spectator sports are baseball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball

Others may swim, play tennis, badminton, table tennis, billiards , bowl, or golf

Hiking is an activity for weekends and vacations

Children and teens listen to music, watch TV and play computer games

Sports and Rec. (cont.)

A unique one is ssrŏm (a form of wrestling)-contestants hold on to pieces of cloth tied around their opponent's legs during their match

Children enjoy training in taekwŏndo (a martial art), and most men have some experience with it from their compulsory two years of military service

Arts

http://online.culturegrams.com/multimedia/popup.php?nameVid=skorea_janggu_playing&titleVid=Janggu%20Playing&cit_date_get=2009-05-01

http://online.culturegrams.com/multimedia/popup.php?nameVid=skorea_fan_dance&titleVid=Dancing%20with%20Fans&cit_date_get=2009-05-01

These are 2 videos. The first is a little girl playing a janggu (a type of drum). The second shows traditional dancing with fans

Arts

Prose, poetry, legends, folktales, and plays were passed down

sijo (an ancient poetic form) Themes included Confucian principles, love, and nature,

while current renditions also include political topics Folk music and dance continue to be popular P'ansori is sung by a soloist accompanied by drums Mask dances, drum dances, masked theater (sandae), and

puppet theater (kkoktukaksi) are performed at festivals Movies, art exhibits, and theaters also provide

entertainment Calligraphy is an important art and has influenced

traditional painting Art forms are distinctly Korean but have been influenced by

China as well as Buddhism and Shamanism

Kay Thanks Byeeee(: