1. Cultural Scrapbook Alyssa Olsen
South Korea
Cultural Scrapbook
Alyssa Olsen

2. Population Facts

3. 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 years
Female life expectancy years
1.22 children per woman
All as of July 2010
Around 82% live in urban areas
Seoul is the largest city
Population Facts

4. Ethnicity

5. 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

6. Language

7. 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

8. Religion

9. 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

10. Greetings

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Holidays

15. 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

16. 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.)

17. Rights of Passage

18. 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

19. Food & Drink

20. 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

21. 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.)

22. Traditional
Modern
Clothing

23. 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.)

24. 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

25. 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.

26. 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.)

27. http://online. culturegrams. com/multimedia/p opup. php
opup.php?nameVid=skorea_janggu_playing& titleVid=Janggu%20Playing&cit_date_get=
opup.php?nameVid=skorea_fan_dance&titleV id=Dancing%20with%20Fans&cit_date_get=
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

28. 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

29. Kay Thanks Byeeee(: