PORTFOLIO OF

AFRO-ASIAN
COUNTRIES
Submitted to: Mrs. Sisalie R. Gaton

Submitted by: Group 1 of Grade 8 – Mendel

EJ Kharl Alcovilla
Geon Ronier Alojado
Tom Bathan
Jarelin Arbado
Cristina Baliguat
Sophia Alexandra Calacat
Kheziah Nicole Cusay
 Table of Contents
South Korea 3–7

North Korea 8 – 18

China 19 – 25

Indonesia 26 – 39

Philippines 40 – 55

Japan 56 – 65

Malaysia 66 – 77

Vietnam 78 – 88

Thailand 89 – 95

India 96 – 108
South Korea
History________________________
The establishment of the US military government in Incheon
on September 8, 1945 after the defeat of the Japanese to the
Allied Powers signals the beginning of South Korea's history.
... Consequently, the First Republic of South Korea was
officially founded on August 15 with Syngman Rhee as the
first president.

Syngman Rhee, 1st President of South Korea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngman_Rhee

Cultural Life____________________
The contemporary culture of South Korea developed from the traditional culture of
Korea which was prevalent in the early Korean nomadic tribes. By maintaining
thousands of years of ancient Korean with influence from ancient Chinese culture
South Korea split on its own path of cultural development away from North
Korean culture since the division of Korea in 1948. The industrialization,
urbanization and westernization of South Korea, especially Seoul, have brought
many changes to the way Korean people live. Changing economics and lifestyles
have led to a concentration of population in major cities (and depopulation of the
rural countryside), with multi-generational households separating into nuclear
family living arrangements. Today, many Korean cultural elements, especially
popular culture, have spread across the globe and became one of the most
prominent cultural forces in the world.
Values and Religions____________
• South Korea supports religious freedom
• Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity are the main
formal religions
• Many Koreans believe in the ancestral spirit and
observe Confucian rituals
• Confucianism is a political and social philosophy that
pervades Korean culture
Korean Confucianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kor
ean_Confucianism

Language______________________
Koreans share one language, with approximately seventy million people around the
globe speaking Korean. The language structure, grammar and vocabulary are
similar to Japanese. Dialects are regional; differing mainly in accent, but are so
similar that comprehension for speakers, or listeners, is not an issue. Key
difference in dialect are also attributed to social status. Korea has one of the
highest literacy rates in the world due to the phonetic nature of the written
language which was invented in the mid-fifteenth century to give one language to
Koreans.

Food__________________________
• Korean cuisine is based on rice, vegetables and
meat
• ‘Kimchi’ is the national dish and is eaten with
most meal
• Kimchi is made from a variety of vegetables
which are then fermented and can be stored for
long periods of time
• Banchan are side dishes – these are often
made in large numbers and are served along Kimchi
https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/basic-
with the main dish napa-cabbage-kimchi-kimchee-29505
• Food is used in ceremonies, especially at
weddings, birthdays and to honour ancestors
Beauty Spots___________________
Seongsan Sunrise Peak
Hydrovolcanic eruptions formed this majestic volcanic
crater 5,000 years ago on Jeju Island.
A UNESCO world heritage site, the peak is famous
for many things, including numerous rare plant
species, but is best known for the magnificent sight of
the sun rising over it (hence the name). Courtesy Korea Tourism Organization

The climb up the peak's northwest side ridge (its other sides are steep cliffs) to the
180-meter highest point takes 30 minutes.

Chunwang Peak, Jiri Mountain

At 1,915 meters, Chunwang Peak on Jiri Mountain is
the second highest peak in South Korea and the
beloved conquest of many a Korean mountain
climber.
Courtesy Minsoo Ahn/Creative
The national park on Jiri Mountain stretches over five Commons/Flickr
cities and three provinces, and is home to quietly
dazzling flora and fauna as well as seven national treasures and 26 treasures.
Many tread the trail to Chunwang Peak to watch the sun rise, some simply to enjoy
the view from the top, and others for the pleasure of breathing in the crisp, clean
mountain air and drinking the brain freeze-inducing spring water of Chunwang
Spring, which is located just 300 meters below Chunwang Peak.

Boseong Green Tea Field

Approximately 40% of Korea's tea is produced in
the rolling fields of Boseong, which has also provided
the backdrop of many Korean dramas and films.
Yes, green tea-related specialties (fresh green tea
ice cream and green tea pork belly) are tasty Almost half of Korea's green tea is produced
here.
treats, but the spectacular view of the seemingly Korea Tourism Organization
endless tea fields is the real reason so many visitors
stop by Boseong. A green tea festival is held every May while in the winter, the
fields are decorated with tiny light bulbs.
Poems________________________
Hope Light by Bic Gi-Sa Someday by Andrew Park
I'm still here, a child, like I was long ago I was blinded- no,
Yet there are fears, I feel you need to know We were blinded
If I could fly far above our skies I would I was deaf- no,
You are my hope light and I know more than I should We were deaf.
Fly past twilight to my home, you are my hope light But when the warmth shines and
if I could be yours too, I believe I might cuddles,
This old cabin by the lake Gently on the boundaries of my
let us meet there one more time for my sake fragile heart,
There are no shadows of regret Then I shall rise,
only memories of how we meant to turn out yet As I valiantly stand,
As I use my force in my legs and
When you feel as if you can not go on
momentum,
I'll be here and hoping wishing for the dawn
I shall rise from perpetual darkness of
Spirit-like I'd fly to you my hope light
dusk.
Reason to go on, days left to ignite
I will be then the next sunshine,
I will try to get there, home, home
Kissing on the panes of your windows,
swift be there, on the dock where sun once shone
Hoping the sun shines one day after
Is there chance of just a memory
another.
I will run there hope light free
Someday,
Softly tread among the road
I will be noticed- no,
hope light guide me through night until home
We will be noticed
Let the thunder frighten and lightning scare
I will be the voice- no,
Hope light just whisper and I'll be there
We will be the voice.

Friend, I by Andrew Park

Friend, I am crying beside you wiping off my tears,
yet you seem to not notice nor care.
Friend, you make me suspicious of all of our cheers.
as you steal a glance of my tragic tears.
Friend, I guided you when you wiped off your tears
And I never looked away from you for all these years
Yet all I receive is a stare of white and nothingness,
waiting for me to fall even more to the abyss of darkness.
Prose_________________________
Heungboo and Nolbu
Once upon a time there were two brothers, Nolbu
and Heungbu. Nolbu was rich but greedy. Heungbu
was poor but generous. One day, Heungbu found a
sparrow with a broken leg. He helped the bird and
took it to his house. The bird got better and flew
away. Later the sparrow brought three gourd seeds http://dinolingo.com/blog/2011/08/1
to Heungbu. The gourd became so big. When 3/popular-korean-folktales-short-
stories-for-kids-in-korea-with-video/
Heungbo cut it open a lot go gold coins came out.
Nolbu heard the story and he also wanted the gold coins. He found a sparrow and
broke its leg.The poor bird ran away and later brought 3 gourd seeds. The seeds
grew and Nolbu cut them open. Suddenly the devils came out and started beating
Nolbu. Nolbu learned a lesson that he shouldn’t be greedy.

Three years hill

Once upon a time, there was a hill called 3 years hill in a
small village. If someone fall down on this hill he could only
live 3 years. One day, an old man was climbing up the hill
and he saw a rabbit.He ran after the rabbit and he fell
down.He got sick because he thought he could only live 3
years. One day a little boy told him ” don’t worry too much,
because if you fall down the hill, you can live 3 years but if http://dinolingo.com/blog
you fall down 2 times, you can live 6 years. “The old man /2011/08/13/popular-
korean-folktales-short-
went to the hill and just enjoyed climbing the hill. He fell many stories-for-kids-in-korea-
times but he was not worried.Since then, he got cured and lived happily after. We
with-video/
should not worry about making small mistakes.

Small nose and huge mouth

Once upon a time, there was an old couple who have problems with their
appearance. The man has got a small nose, woman has got a huge mouth.
Someday, their neighbor invited them to have dinner. They really wanted to go and
have a good time with neighbors but they were nervous what they show their face.
they got good idea. He made fake nose by candle, she sewed her mouth. in the
party, they talked near the stove. Then his nose began to melt. His wife laughed to
see him and her mouth became huge. they were nervous and put they heads down.
The neighbor said appearance is not important, we like you because you are so
kind. Since then they didn’t care so much about their face and lived happily after.
North Korea
History________________________
When World War II ended in 1945, Japan lost control
of Korea to Allied forces. In much the same way that
Germany was split after the war, Korea was divided at
the 38th parallel, with the Soviet Union administering
the northern half and the United States administering the
southern half.

©iStockphoto.com/Ufuk Zivana 2006

Culture________________________
The contemporary culture of North Korea is based on
traditional Korean culture, but developed since the
establishment of Democratic People's Republic in
1948. Juche ideology asserts Korea's cultural
distinctiveness and creativity as well as the productive
powers of the working masses.
At the Pyongyang Embroidery
Institute
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultu
re_of_North_Korea

Tradition and Language__________

Technically, North Korea uses the same Korean language as the one spoken in South
Korea. The cultural and sociopolitical division of more than half a century, however,
pushed the languages in the peninsula far apart, if not in syntax, at least in
semantics. When North Korea faced the task of building a new national culture, it
faced a serious problem of illiteracy. For example, over 90 percent of women in
northern Korea in 1945 were illiterate; they in turn made up 65 percent of the total
illiterate population. In order to overcome illiteracy, North Korea adopted the all-
Korean script, eliminating the use of Chinese characters.
Cuisine________________________
Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and
political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and
nomadic traditions in the Korean peninsula and southern
Manchuria, Korean cuisine has evolved through a complex
interaction of the natural environment and different cultural
trends.
Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, vegetables, and
meats. Traditional Korean meals are noted for the number
of side dishes (banchan) that accompany steam-cooked short- Banchan
banchan_koreatown.jpg
grain rice. Kimchi is served at nearly every meal. Commonly
used ingredients include sesame oil, doenjang (fermented bean paste), soy sauce,
salt, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, gochujang (fermented red chili paste) and napa
cabbage.

Beauty Spots___________________
North Korea Peace Museum,
Panmunjeom
The North Korea Peace Museum is located near the Joint
Security Area in the demilitarized zone. Weapons used
to murder US soldiers are kept here on display.
https://www.wefindyougo.com/best
-tourist-places-in-north-korea/

Tomb of king Tongmyong, Pyongyang

The Tomb of King Tongmyŏng is another of North
Korea’s well known mausoleum’s situated near
Pyongyang. In total there are more than sixty tombs in
the area.

https://www.wefindyougo.com/best
-tourist-places-in-north-korea/
Juche Tower, Pyongyang
The Juche Tower is another one of Pyongyang’s
monuments. From the top of the Juche Tower you can
have a panoramic view of the entire city. Or you can
simply sit at the steps of the tower in a laid back
manner and watch the residents of the capital
getting along with daily lives.
https://www.wefindyougo.com/best
-tourist-places-in-north-korea/

Poems________________________
The Flower by Kim Chun-soo (1922-2004)
Before I called her name,
she was nothing The New Year’s Prayer by Kim Hyun-
more than a gesture. seung (1913-1975)
When I called her name, While living in these bodies,
she came to me no one can live against time.
and became a flower. Even in the flow of this new day,
let us cherish
Like I called her name,
the love and hope
will someone please call my name
you have given us, Your Grace.
that suits my light and fragrance?
I, too, long to come to her Though our bodies age, our hearts are fresh;
and become her flower. Though time flows, we are renewed with
purpose.
We all long to be something.
Let us flow stream by stream, this year too,
You, to me, and I, to you,
till we arrive in your wide bosom, the sea of
long to become a gaze that won’t be
life,
forgotten. to be embraced.
Let the sound of the big drum
resound in the mountains and streams,
resplendent in the melody of this flow.

Snow by Kim Jong-hae (1941)

Snowflakes are light,
for they carry each other on their backs.
The falling snow is comforting.
Watching the snowflakes rub their cheeks
upon one another’s backs is pleasing.
As the snow falls, I wish I could carry someone with me.
Prose_________________________
The Sun and the Moon
Once upon a time, there lived a poor woman with her son and daughter. She did
chores for other families for a living. One day, she went to work for a rich man’s
party and got some rice cakes there.
“My children must be hungry,” said the woman hurrying home.
On the way home, she met a big tiger. “Give me a piece of rice cake. Then I will
not eat you,” said the tiger. The woman gave a piece of rice cake to the tiger. But
the tiger kept following the woman.
“Give me a piece of rice cake. Then I will not eat you,” repeated the tiger. The
woman gave another piece of rice cake to the tiger. The tiger kept asking her for
more rice cakes. She gave away all the rice cakes to the tiger. Now she had no
more rice cake. So the tiger ate her.
Now the tiger put on her clothes and went to her house. He pretended to be the
children’s mom. “Open the door, dear,” said the tiger.
“You are not my mom. Your voice is too hoarse. Her voice is soft,” said the brother.
“Oh, is it? Hmm, I have a cold.”
“Then, show me your hands,” said the sister.
The tiger showed his hands to them.
“Your hands are too hairy and dark. Her hands are white,” said the brother.
The tiger covered his hands with flour. And he showed his white hands to the
children. Then the children opened the door. The tiger entered the house saying “I
will make dinner. Wait here.”
Then, the brother saw the tiger’s tail.
“It’s not Mom. It’s a tiger,” said the brother.
“What should we do?” said the sister.
“We have to run away from here,” said the brother.
The children ran out of the house and climbed up a tree near the well. The tiger
looked for them here and there. Then, he saw the children’s face reflected on the
water inside the well.
“Oh, you are in the well. I will scoop you up with this bowl,” said the tiger.
The sister in the tree laughed at the tiger. “Oh, you are in the tree.”
The tiger tried to climb up the tree. But he could not do it.
“How did you climb up the tree?” said the tiger.
“We used oil,” lied the brother.
The tiger rubbed some oil on his hands. And he tried to climb up the tree. But he
only slid down. Laughing at the tiger, the sister told the secret of how to climb up.
“You could use an ax,” said the sister. Then the tiger made small cuts on the tree
with an ax. Then, he could climb up the tree.
The children were frightened so they prayed to God. “If you want us to live, please
hand down a rope,” pleaded the children as they looked up towards God.
Then a rope came down from the sky. The children held onto it and went up to the
sky.
The tiger could not catch the children. The tiger prayed to God, too.
“If you want me to catch them, please hand down a rope.”
Then another rope came down from the sky. The tiger held onto it and went up to
the sky. But the rope was rotten. The tiger fell down.
The children went up to the sky. The brother became the sun. And the sister became
the moon.
“I am scared of the night,” said the sister.
“I will be the moon for you instead,” said the brother.
So the brother became the moon. And the sister became the sun.
Shim Cheong, the Devoted Daughter

Once upon a time, there was a girl, Shim Cheong. Her mother died when she was
born. Her father did not have a job because he was blind. So from her childhood,
Shim Cheong had to work to make money.
One day, Shim Cheong was late coming home from work. So her father went out for
her.
While he was crossing the bridge, he fell into the river. “Help me, I’m drowning,” he
shouted in panic.
A monk passing by saw him and jumped into the river to save him. “Are you okay?”
asked the monk. He was surprised that he was blind.
The monk advised him, “If you offer Buddha three hundred seoks of rice, you will
regain your eyesight.”
Shim Cheong’s father was very glad to hear the news, so he promised to give
Buddha three hundred seoks of rice. Soon he realized that he could not afford to
buy all the rice.
When Shim Cheong came home, she saw her father looking very sad. “What’s
wrong, father?” she asked.
He told her everything that happened and what the monk had said.
“Don’t worry, father,” Shim Cheong reassured him, “I’ll try to get all the rice.”
One day, a woman said to Shim Cheong, “Did you hear the news? Some sailors
want to buy a girl for an offering to the Sea-God. They will pay as much as she
wants.” When Shim Cheong heard that, she knew where she could get the money to
buy 300 seoks of rice.
Shim Cheong went to see the sailors who wanted to buy a girl and asked them to
buy her. “I need 300 seoks of rice for my father to regain his eyesight,” Shim
Cheong explained.
The sailors bought Shim Cheong and were amazed at her and said, “She is the most
filial daughter in the world.”
Finally the day came when she had to leave. “Father, today I’m going to be the
Kang family’s step-daughter,” she lied to her father. “To adopt me, they will give
three hundred seoks of rice to the temple. Then, you will be able to see again.”
“That’s great! I won’t be a blind man anymore!” her father said happily.
Now, Shim Cheong was on the boat with the sailors. After sailing for several days,
the ship reached a deep part of the sea. Suddenly, a strong wind rose and the sea
roared. So the sailors wanted Shim Cheong to jump into the roaring sea to be the
sacrifice. When she woke up under the sea, she heard beautiful music. She had no
idea where she was. “Am I dead or alive?” Shim Cheong said to herself.
At that moment, she heard a voice saying, “Wake up, now. This is the sea palace.
The Sea King was touched by your story. He sent me to save you.”
Shim Cheong stayed at the Sea King’s palace for a few days. One day, a maid
came to Shim Cheong. “The Sea King has ordered that you return to land,” she said.
Shim Cheong was put into a big lotus blossom. Finally, the lotus blossom floated to
the surface.
The sailors who bought Shim Cheong found the lotus blossom. It was spotted at the
same place where Shim Cheong had jumped into the sea. The sailors were surprised
and lifted it out of the sea to bring it to their king. When the king touched the
blossom, suddenly it opened and a beautiful girl walked out. The king loved her
very much and made her his queen.
As the king’s wife, Shim Cheong’s life was very happy, but she could not forget her
father. One day, the king found Shim Cheong looking very sad.
“Why are you so sad?” he asked. “Please tell me.”
Shim Cheong told him the whole story. After the king heard her story, he wanted to
help her to find her father. So he threw a party for all blind people in the country.
Meanwhile, Shim Cheong’s father was still blind despite the offering of 300 seoks
of rice. He heard from other people in the village what Shim Cheong did for him to
regain his eyesight. He regretted the loss of his daughter.
One day, a neighbor informed Shim Cheong’s father that the king prepared a
party for blind people.
When the party began, Shim Cheong was looking for her father. But she could not
find him. On the last day of the party, Shim Cheong was just about to give up hope.
Then, she saw a tired and shabby old man enter the palace. She was overjoyed
when she found her father. She ran to him.
“Father, I’m Shim Cheong, your daughter!” she cried.
“My daughter?” said the surprised old man.
“Is it a dream? Let me look at your face!” At that moment a miracle happened. The
old man opened his eyes!
The king was so pleased to see his wife and her father reunited. He ordered the
party to be continued for another week. And all the people cheered.
Shim Cheong and her father lived happily ever after.

The Ungrateful Tiger

There was once a small Korean village that was being plagued by a fearsome
tiger. The attacks became so bad that the villagers were too scared to leave their
houses, even in the daytime. The village elders got together to work out what to do,
because something had to be done.
After a night of discussion, argument and disagreement, they finally came to a
decision. They would set traps for the tiger by digging deep holes around the
perimeter of the village, fill each hole with a bit of red meat, and cover them up
with branches and leaves.
The whole village set to work, each family providing whatever red meat they could
spare. Then they waited in their houses. Waited for the tiger to come lurking.
The next morning, the nephew of the village chief, who had come from the city,
arrived on foot. As he approached the village he heard an almighty roar.
Cautiously, he approached and at the bottom of a pit was a miserable tiger.
“Oh, please please help me get out of here. I’m trapped and I’ll die if you don’t
help me. If you help me, I would be eternally in your debt. Forever…”
The young man was confused. “ You promise you wont eat me?”
“Promise, cross my heart!”
The young man looked around and found a long branch sturdy enough for the tiger
to grip onto. He lowered it into the pit and the tiger hauled himself up.
The tiger breathed a sigh of relief, then licked his lips, “Why thank you little snack,
you’re just in time for tea.”
“But, but, but, you said you’d be eternally grateful! Forever! You promised not to
eat me!”

“Everyone knows that you can’t trust the promise of a hungry tiger. And tigers are
ALWAYS hungry.”
Just as he was about to pounce, the young man yelled, “WAIT! Lets ask that cow
over there if you should keep your promise and NOT eat me.”
The tiger liked games, it made his kill so much more interesting, so he agreed to ask
the cow.
The glum looking cow yawned. “Man makes me work hard in the field, then, when
I’m too old to work, they make food and shoes out of me. Tiger, go ahead and eat
him.”
The tiger prepared to attack, “STOOOOP!” yelled the young man. “I think we need
a second opinion, lets ask that little rabbit over there.”
“This is your last chance juicy young man…”
The young man anxiously explained the situation to the little brown rabbit.
The rabbit had a little think then said. “Before I make my decision, I need to see
exactly what happened.”
When they arrived at the deep pit, the rabbit said, “Now, show me exactly where
you were when this young man passed by.”
The hungry tiger, impatient for his meal, leapt into the pit. “Well, I was in this deep
pit, and I started roaring because I was stuck. I was stuck….in this deep, deep pit.
I’m stuck! Again!” The tiger began roaring with rage.
The little brown rabbit quickly told the young man to go on his way, and to think
next time before he decided to rescue another hungry tiger.