Cultural Scrapbook Alyssa Olsen South Korea Cultural Scrapbook Alyssa Olsen

Population Facts

48,636,068 26th largest populated country in the world Growth rate at 0.258% 8.72 births per 1,000 people 6.15 deaths per 1,000 people Male life expectancy-75.56 years Female life expectancy-82.28 years 1.22 children per woman All as of July 2010 Around 82% live in urban areas Seoul is the largest city Population Facts

Ethnicity

Ethnic Groups Those who are from Korea are considered Korean Basically homogeneous All Korean Except for about 20,000 Chinese There is another small minority of Southeast Asians Ethnic Groups

Language

Language Koreans speak Korean Their language is very much different from ours English is widely taught throughout middle and high school Some in urban areas speak English It is used creating strokes Written in Hangul 24 Letters, 10 Vowels Hi-안녕하세요 Bye-안녕 Where-어디로? Language

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% Buddhist 1.3% Other or unknown None 49.3% All of the 1995 census Religion

Greetings

Greetings & Gestures A bow is traditional Men often shake hands also Friends and relatives nod Children bow when greeting adults Professionals exchange business cards and a handshake A common greeting is Annyong haseyo? (Are you at peace?) Beckoning with the index finger is rude Eye contact is important in conversation When yawning they cover their mouths Greetings & Gestures

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 South Korean Flag

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 easily Guests invited to a home remove their shoes upon entering In many homes they’re seated upon cushions on the floor Men sit cross-legged and women tuck their legs to one side behind them Guests invited for a meal customarily bring a small gift, often something that can be served at the gathering Interpersonal Relationships

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

For New Years they exchange gifts, honor the dead and feast on great meals Games are played and fortunes are told During 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). Holidays (cont.)

Rights of Passage

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 Dating and Marriage

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

Food & Drink (cont.) pibimbap (rice with vegetables) is a common dish Other dishes include seafood, meat or poultry, vegetables, herbs and roots. Food & Drink (cont.)

Traditional Modern Clothing

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 (cont.)

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. Clothing

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.

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 Sports and Rec. (cont.)

http://online. culturegrams. com/multimedia/p opup. php http://online.culturegrams.com/multimedia/p opup.php?nameVid=skorea_janggu_playing& titleVid=Janggu%20Playing&cit_date_get=20 09-05-01 http://online.culturegrams.com/multimedia/p opup.php?nameVid=skorea_fan_dance&titleV id=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

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 Arts

Kay Thanks Byeeee(: