About South Korea By HaeWon Choi

Fact About South Korea - In South Korea there are lots of apartments!!!!! - South Korea is surrounded by the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea and is around 38,502sq miles (99,720sq km). - South Korea population as July 1, 2013 is 50,219,669. It's capital, Seoul, is one of the largest cities with population over 10,000, The official language of South Korea is Korean but english is taught widely in the country's school. In addition, Japanese is common in South Korea. - The population of South Korea is composed of 99.9% Korean but 0.1% the population is Chinese. - In 2009, South Korea opened a high speed rail line called Korean Train Express (KTX) which was based on the French TGV. The KTX runs from Seoul to Pusan and Seoul to Mokpo and transports over 100,000 people daily. - The war of South Korea and North Korea started on June 25th 1950 the war ended on July 27th 1953.

Fact About South Korea Continued - South Korea's national symbol is the national flag (Taegeukgi) and the national flower is called Rose of Sharon (Mugunghwa), the Korean way of calling South Korea is Dehanminguk ( 대한민국 ). - South Korea is in Asia and South Korea's main city is Seoul. - In the olden South Korean people believed the Buddha’s but now in new days South Korea believes in God Jesus and Mary. - South Korea has 2 traditional things that is Kim chi it's a Food that has spices in it the second traditional third is the tigers ( 호랑이 ho-rang-yi the y does not have a sound). - South Korea has a island that is called Jeju - Do and there are 3 things that has a lot in Jeju-Do island one is lots of woman, 2 is lots of wind and 3 is lots of rocks. - In the South Korean people wear long sleeved clothes in winter, summer, spring and autumn but in winter and autumn they wear thick clothes and in summer spring they wear very thin clothes.

Ancient Korea Wandering tribes of hunters lived in Korea for thousands of years. The ancestors of today’s Koreans are believed to have come to the area from what is now Siberia and Mongolia. These people raised animals, built villages, and used tools. Around 75 BC, Korean tribes united into three kingdoms that ruled for seven hundred years. This led to a golden age for Korea—a time of improvement in art, science, and trade. The lives of peasants (poor farmers) also improved. The Koryo period (918–1392) brought more growth and the spread of a religion called Buddhism, which emphasizes mental and moral purity in order to overcome challenges and suffering. Hundreds of Buddhist temples were built during this time, and the English word Korea comes from the native Korean word Koryo.

Japanese Rule South Korea Japan controlled Korea as a colony from 1910 to 1945, when World War II came to an end. Japanese rule was strict. Koreans were forced to learn Japanese, adopt Japanese names, and grow rice for Japan. The Japanese wanted to wipe out Korean culture and replace it with their own culture. Korean newspapers were not allowed to print in Korean, and people were expected to worship at Japanese shrines. Despite repeated Korean protests and uprisings, Japan maintained tight control over Korea. Many Koreans went hungry in World War II, and thousands of men had to fight for the Japanese side.

The Korean War