The Republic of South Korea

A short introduction to

Dae-han-min-guk

What we’re going to quickly cover

1. Orientation2. Key Facts3. A brief history4. Around the World5. People 6. Places to go7. Education8. Foreign Populations9. Media10. Future

Introduction

Deeply emotional country, with strong traditions The 20th Century: Japanese occupation, the Korean War in 1950 and

the division of the peninsula. In the 1960’s created miraculous economic growth to become a

global economic power. Rapid change has had an impact, It's people are driven, patriotic and

industrious.

Embraced the modern age and technology, yet they retain a strong sense of national collectivism, family and nurturing their traditional roots.

Modernity and globalization have created a new youth culture The potential threat of invasion from the North continues to be a key

driver Korea was known as the ‘Hermit Kingdom’

1. Orientation

Where is South Korea?

• South East of Beijing, across the Yellow Sea• Neighbouring countries, China, Russia, Japan and North Korea• Time zone GMT+9 hours• South of the 38th parallel

1.1 Orientation

South Korea’s Major Cities

• Seoul (Capital)– Population: 10.4 million– Main seat of Government

and commerce– Produces 21% of GDP

• Incheon– Population: 2.6 million– Heavy industry, major

shipping port and international airport

• Daegu– Population: 2.5 million– Textiles industry, arts

hub, government administrative centre.

• Pusan– Population: 3.8 million– Heavy industry, major

shipping port

1.2 Orientation

Urban Density & Land

Important factors in Korea’s make-up.

• 70% of the Korean peninsula is mountainous. Mountain range stretches down the entire east coast.

• 81.5% of the national population live in urban areas (2005) following migration from country areas since 1970’s. Cities have high density populations.

• 52.5% of all housing were apartments in 2005

• Most of national population live around the Seoul to Pusan corridor.

• Land is very expensive• 16.5% of land is arable

2. Key Facts

• South Korea has been a democracy since 1987• 17th President, Lee Myung-bak, elected on December 2007• Currency: ‘Won’• GDP: $969.9 billion

– Per capita: $20,045 • Total national population: 48 Million people (2007)• Annual Tourism figures, visitors to South Korea:

– 1961: 11,109 – 2006: 6,155,000 (worth US $14 million) (KTO)

• (In comparison Japan had 8,300,000 visitors in 2007)• Korea has a strong cyber culture as one of the most ‘wired’

countries in the world.

2.1 Key Facts

Climate

• Koreans pride themselves in having ‘Four Seasons’• Summer is extremely humid (80-90%) with monsoon-type rains, 22 – 30

degrees• Winter is cold and dry with temperatures dropping to minus 10 degrees

centigrade• Best times of year for outdoor activities are Spring and Autumn.

3. Brief History

• Korea founded in 2333 BC• 7th Century until the 20th Century, Korea was a single

independent country.• Birth of Korean language during reign of King Sejong (1418-

1450) • Korea became a protectorate of imperial Japan in 1905• In 1910 Japan annexed Korea • Korea regained independence following Japan’s surrender.

Division of peninsula.• The Korean War broke out between 1950-53. • An armistice was signed in 1953.• 1960’s General Park Chung-hee restores some political freedom

and proclaims Third Republic. Major programme of industrial development begins.

• 1993, first civilian president following 32 years of military rule. • In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place

between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il.

4. Around the World

A. Recognisable Global Brands

• The ‘chaebol’ represent Korea’s main family-controlled firms and powerhouse of the nation. E.g. Samsung, LG, Kia, Daewoo, Hyundai.

• Korea’s major exports include automobiles, petrochemicals, electronics, shipbuilding, textiles and steel products.

4.1 Around the World

B: Major World Class Events

• Asian Games 1986• Seoul Olympics 1988• Korea/Japan World Cup 2002• Pusan International Film Festival

(annual event)• World Taekwondo Championships

run by the World Taekwondo Federation’s HQ in Seoul

4.2 Around the World

C: Celebrity

Sports • Golf: Grace Park• Soccer: Park Ji-Sung (Manchester United)

TV/Movies• ‘Korean Wave’, boom in filmmaking since

2000• More investment in movies and cinemas• International recognition and awards

– E.g. Park Chan Wook, directed films such as lady Vengeance, JSA and Old Boy

– Actress, Kim Yun-jin from LOST

For detailed site on Korean Film History visitwww.koreanfilm.org

5. People

• Language: Korean - Hangul-mal. – Phonetic language and designed by King Sejong. Easier to

read and write than other Asian languages because it has an alphabet.

• Cuisine: – Poverty in the past has meant that Korean cuisine includes

a lot of vegetables and fish. Meat was often only available for nobility but now regularly served in restaurants.

– Typical Dishes:• Kimchi: Spicy cabbage served with most meals• Kalbi: Marinated beef, barbecued, eaten with side dishes and

lettuce• Kimchi-jiggae: A beef/kimchi casserole with rice• Kim-bap: Similar to sushi rolls minus the fish

– Drink:• Soju: Local lethal concoction similar to vodka.• Rice wines: milky and very potent• Beers

• Eating out is a very social activity which requires certain etiquettes.

5.1 People & Culture

• Family life– Families are very ‘close’ in Korea (can be suffocating)

and underpin everything.– Children live at home until married, unless move to a

major city.– Parents invest a lot of money in education for children.– Respect for elders (Confucianism)– When married couples take traditional of homemaker and

breadwinner.– Conservative society (youth culture changing)

– Most families live in urban apartments. • Work ethic

– All men must do national service for 2 years. – Corporate life is a mixture of militant style business

and obeying elders in a Confucian-like way.– Very long work hours.– Heavy social drinking is expected with work colleagues

5.2 People & Culture

• Convenience– High density of population means that shops are close

by– Excellent and cheap public transport systems– Supermarkets and other shopping centres provide plenty

of goods from Korea and abroad.

• Leisure– Koreans love to eat out, be it having picnics on

mountains or at one of many restaurants.– Hiking is a very common activity– Walking, cycling or skating in parks– Joining clubs (academies, sports etc.)– Shopping– Drinking with classmates or work colleagues *NB: Friends

are only those the ‘same’ age as you.– Cinema’s, concerts etc.

5.3 People & Culture

• Religion – Both Christianity and Buddhism are influenced by the

ideologies of Korean Confucianism and Korean Shamanism– Buddhism 22.8%– Christianity 29.3%– None 46.5%

• Festivals and Holidays– Chuseok: Families return home, often to their country

homes and pay respect to their ancestors.

6. Places to go

• Temples– Usually in national parks or on mountains

• Palaces– In downtown Seoul

• Mountains– Lots of mountains in national parks all over the country to climb,

• Islands• Historical cities

– Namely Kyong-ju and Suwon• Art Galleries, Concerts, Theatres, Cinema

– Insa-dong, lively arts scene• Designer Restaurants (in Seoul)• Clubbing Areas:

– Seoul: Hongdae, Shincheon, Gangnam, Itaewon, Chung-Dahm, He Hwa

• Technology Markets– Yongsan in Seoul is particularly famous

• Shopping Centres• DMZ

– Tours are available to the demilitarized zone

6.1 Places to go

Key Tourism Organizations

• Korea.net – Gateway to Korea, with directory of services– http://www.korea.net

• Korea Tourism Organization– Guide to all key areas of Korean life– http://english.visitkorea.or.kr

• Local Government sites– Seoul Metropolitan Government– http://english.seoul.go.kr

7. Education

• School children are often sent to ‘out of school’ academies. Students spend most weeknights attending these and doing large amounts of homework.

• Koreans spend $15.3bn a year on private English lessons SERI 2006

• English (ESL) education market represents 1.9% GDP• To get a good job, it is expected that students study English abroad.• Qualifications are seen to be more important than ‘experience’.

– Elementary– Middle School– High School– University (Require a reasonable level of English to be accepted)– Study Abroad (500,000 students go abroad each year to study)

Famous Korean Universities

• Seoul National University • Yonsei University • Ewha Women's University • Hongik University • Inha University • Sogang University • Korea University

7.1 Education

Teaching English• New graduates from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,

South Africa, Ireland and United Kingdom come to teach ESL in Korea to pay off loans as part of a gap year, or part of a world trip.

• Qualified and experienced ESL teachers are employed by Universities and organizations supporting the ESL market.

Main employment can be found at:• Elementary and Middle Schools (Government run)• Franchised Academies, CDI, Jung Chul, Wonderland, Pa• Independent Academies• Colleges/ Universities (2-3 months paid holiday a year)• English Villages

Conditions• Employment conditions vary widely.• Many recruiters are ‘cowboys’. www.daveseslcafe.com • Salary: Usually between 1.8 to 2.3 Million Won £1100• Accommodation: Provided (single furnished apartment)• Flights: Return ticket• Insurance: Health• Holidays: 10 days a year (rarely negotiable)

8. Foreign Populations

Foreigners in Korea• The foreign community is diverse and growing • Represents 190 different nations• 1 million foreigners in 2007, this is 18 times more than 1990 which was

only 49,500• Approximately 200,000 illegal migrant workers• Foreign communities are fragmented and activities reported mostly in

local newspapers in English. • Online media mostly serves to connect foreigners and more clubs have

begun as a result in recent times.• Ministry of Justice say the number of expatriates will go up by an

average of 10 percent annually - 9.1 million by 2050 • Most of the resident foreigners are of Asian origin• Majority of ‘Western’ foreigners are either ‘teachers’ or US military. A

minority are in international business.

Koreans Abroad• Emigration from Korea started in 1904• By 1988 there were 2 million Koreans living abroad, mostly in North

America and Japan.

9. Media

Newspapers

• The Chosun Ilbo• Hankook Ilbo

Magazines

• Seoul Selection A monthly leisure & culture magazine.

• The Groove Foreign published local magazine

• JoongAng Daily.

Television• Korean Broadcasting System• MBC

English language newspapers

• Korea Herald • Korea Times

Search EnginesNaver www.naver.com Daum www.daum.net

Organizations AbroadThe Korea Society

Social MediaCyworld

http://www.cyworld.com/main2/index.asp

10. Future

South Korea is likely to follow a similar path to Japan, with cost of living becoming

more expensive and becoming more open to international business.

Korea isn’t ‘that’ foreign friendly now, but it is aiming to create the next international

city of the future

New Songdo Cityhttp://www.songdo.com