South Korean Culture

Known as Republic of Korea; Corean, Han'guk, Taehan,

Taehanmin'guk
 The two final Korean dynasties were Choson (1392–1910) and Koryo
Orientation (918–1392). The names of those dynasties are used as a reference for
the ethnicity of Korean immigrants and their descendants in Russia,
China, and Japan. Despite the fact that Choson is still used as a self-
name in North Korea, South Koreans may find the Japanese custom of
Identification calling Korea by that name—which is called Chosen in Japanese—
offensive because it recalls Japanese colonialism of the country (1910–
Location and geography 1945).
Demography
Despite the fact that all Koreans share a shared culture, there is a sense
Linguistic affiliation of regionalism between the northern and southern regions as well as
symbolism between the southeast and southwest regions in terms of customs and
perceived personality traits. Some claim that the Three Kingdoms of
Koguryo (37 BCE – 668 CE), Silla (57 CE – 935 CE), and Paekche (18 CE –
660 CE) are the originators of this regionalism. Since the late 1960s, a
politicized regionalism between the southwest (Cholla Province) and
southeast (Kyongsang Province) of South Korea has developed due to
an unequal pattern of growth that advantages the southeast.
Orientation
Identification
Located in East Asia, on the southern portion of
Location and geography
the Korean Peninsula located out from the far
Demography east of the Asian landmass and largely
mountainous, with small valleys and narrow
Linguistic affiliation coastal plains. The peninsula is surrounded on
three sides by the sea and by russia, china, and
symbolism
japan.
Orientation
Identification In 1997 , the population was
45.9 million , with 1,200 person
Location and geography Per square mile ( 463 persons
Demography Per square kilometer.)

Linguistic affiliation In June 2012, South Korea’s

Population reached 50 million,
symbolism [2] and by the end of 2016,
South Korea’s population peaked
At about 51 million people
 About seventy million people speak Korean. Most live on the
Orientation peninsula, but more than five million live across the globe. Korean is
considered part of the Tungusic branch of the Altaic group of the
Ural-Altaic language family. It also has a close relationship to
Japanese in general structure, grammar, and vocabulary. The form
Identification of Korean spoken around Seoul is regarded as standard. Major
dialects differ mainly in accent and intonation. Except for old Cheju
Location and geography dialect, all are mutually intelligible.
Demography Koreans value their native tongue and their alphabet, han’gul ,
which was invented in the mid-fifteenth century. Until then, Korea’s
Linguistic affiliation aristocratic society used Chinese characters, while the government
symbolism and people used the writing system known as idu (a transcription
system of Korean words invented in the eighth century by Silla
scholars using Chinese characters). The Chinese writing system
requires a basic knowledge of several thousand characters.
Commoners who did not have the time or means to master Chinese
could not read or write. Moreover, it is difficult to express spoken
Korean in Chinese characters.
Orientation
Identification The national flag, T’aegukki , is a unique symbol. The flag
of T’aeguk (“Supreme Ultimate”), symbolizes the basic ideas of
Location and geography east Asian cosmology shared by the peoples in the Chinese
culture area. In the center of a white background is a circle
Demography
divided horizontally in two by an S-shaped line. The upper
Linguistic affiliation portion in red represents the yang , and the lower portion in blue
symbolizes the um ( yin in Chinese), depicting
symbolism the yinyang principle of a universe in perfect balance and
harmony.
Food and Kimch’I is the national dish, a spicy mixture of fermented and
pickled vegetables, typically Chinese cabbage and daikon radishes.
economy Variations vary depending on region, season, occasion, and
personal taste. South Koreans consume an average of forty pounds
of kimch’I annually, with many companies producing it for
Food in daily-life Rapidand
domestic lifestyle changes
export since the 1960s have
consumption.
altered the traditional rice-based meal pattern.
Food customs at ceremonial Some urbanites eat toast, eggs, and milk for
occasions breakfast, while others enjoy steamed white rice,
soybean-paste vegetable soup, and kimch’I as
Basic economy Pulgogi and kalbi are popular meat dishes in Korea, marinated in
their basic everyday meal. Side dishes may be
soy sauce and spices. Restaurants offer a variety of cuisines,
Land tenure and property added.
including Western, ethnic, and fast foods. No food taboos exist,
Major industries but Buddhist monks may practice vegetarianism.

Trade
Division of labor
Food and
economy
Food in daily-life Ceremonial occasions include ttok, rice
cake, and fresh fruits for birthdays,
Food customs at ceremonial marriages, and hwan’gap. At ch’arye,
occasions offerings include rice wine, soup,
barbecued meats, and fruits. Family
Basic economy
members consume these offerings,
Land tenure and property symbolizing blessings from ancestral
spirits
Major industries
Trade
Kwang –mok-chong-wang,
Division of labor The guardian of the west
Food and South Korea transformed its traditional agrarian subsistence
economy to a primarily industrialized one in little more than a
economy generation. In 1962, when the First Five-Year Economic
Development Plan was launched, per capita gross national
product was $87 (U.S.), in contrast with $10,543 (U.S.) in
Food in daily-life 1996. However, rapid increases in short-term debt
Food customs at ceremonial precipitated by overinvestments by chaebols (family-owned
occasions and –managed conglomerates) and insufficient foreign
exchange reserves caused the financial crisis of 1997, which
Basic economy necessitated emergency financial aid from the International
Land tenure and property Monetary Fund (IMF) in December 1997. After a year of rising
unemployment, negative economic growth, and reforms of
Major industries the financial sector in 1998, the economy began to recover.
For gross domestic product (GDP) of $406.7 billion (U.S.), the
Trade
country ranked thirteenth and for per capita GDP it ranked
Division of labor thirtieth among the world’s nations in 1999.
Food and Were traditionally the main form of wealth in Korea,

economy with tenants having customary rights. However,

colonial rule altered land tenure, forcing many
owner-farmers to sell their land to the Japanese. This
Food in daily-life led to
in the
1975majority
to limit of
thethe
useagricultural
of arable land
population
for
becoming
other purposes.
impoverished,
Government
landlessland
tenants. After the
Food customs at ceremonial liberation,
development
redistributions
projects, ofsuch
land
aswere
the 1963
effected
Lawin
occasions 1948,
on and
Integrated
the government
National under
Land Development,
the Land Reform
Act 1964
acquired
Export
tenanted
Industrial
landEstates
and properties
Assistance
larger
Basic economy
thanLaw,
7.4 acres.
and 1967
ThisNational
led to theParks
elimination
Law, haveof large-
been
Land tenure and property scale
implemented
landlords andto improve
reduced farm
land use
size.and
Since
resource
the
1960s,
utilization.
efforts have been made to increase farmland
Major industries by reclaiming mountain slopes and seashores as
Trade arable land. The Arable Land Preservation Law was
modified
Division of labor
Food and
economy
Food in daily-life The primary industry share in Korea’s economic
structure decreased from 26.6% in 1970 to 5.7% in
Food customs at ceremonial
1997. However, structural reforms have built a strong
occasions
industrial foundation, particularly in electronics,
Basic economy automobiles, shipbuilding, and petrochemicals. Korea
ranks third in the semiconductor industry and supplies
Land tenure and property over 40% of global demand for computer memory
Major industries chips.

Trade
Division of labor
Food and
economy Trade. Korea’s economy is export-oriented and
heavily dependent on overseas raw materials. In
Food in daily-life 1999, exports were $143.7 billion (U.S.) and
imports were $119.8 billion (U.S.). Major trading
Food customs at ceremonial
partners are the U.S. And Japan. Exports include
occasions
computers, semiconductors, automobiles, steel,
Basic economy shipbuilding, electronic goods, machinery,
textiles, and fishery products. Imports include
Land tenure and property
steel, chemicals, timber, pulp, cereals,
Major industries petroleum products, and electronics.

Trade
Division of labor
Food and Leading chaebol companies such as Hyundai,
Samsung, and the LG Group recruit white-collar
economy workers from among college graduates through
Recruitment from outside is allowed only at certain
the kongch’ae system (an open competitive written
grade levels through the civil service examination
examination and interviews). Smaller companies
Food in daily-life system, with age limitations that favor the young.
often rely on social connections to hire employees.
Vacant positions, except at the lowest grade level,
Food customs at ceremonial For executive and upper-level management jobs,
are filled mostly by promotions based on seniority.
occasions companies may scout the desired personnel by using
The tradition of seniority, however, is being
a variety of means, including professional
Basic economy challenged as part of the wide-ranging restructuring
headhunting services. Employment in the civil
taking place in the public sector as well as in the
Land tenure and property service, which is based on a grade system, reflects a
financial and corporate sectors as a result of the 1997
strong tradition of seniority. Positions are assigned
Major industries economic crisis.
strictly according to grade, and remuneration is
based on grade and length of service.
Trade
Division of labor
 Etiquette

Koreans are highly status-conscious and use

titles like “professor,” “manager,” “director,” and
Etiquette
“president” to address social superiors. They are
generally courteous but can be outgoing and
friendly among equal social status friends. In
urban public situations, they may be
indifferenced and self-centered. Confucian
teaching emphasizes propriety in human
relationships, and Confucianism remains the
standard of moral and social conduct for many
people.
 Constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion

Religion have led to a diverse range of religious beliefs,

including shamanism, Confucianism, Buddhism,
Christianity, Islam, and other faiths. Indigenous folk
beliefs and shamanism share a fundamental belief in
gods and spirits, which influence fortunes. Korean
Buddhism has both doctrinal and meditative
 Religious beliefs traditions, with some seeking enlightenment
 Religious practitioner through detachment or prayers to Kwanum.
Confucianism emphasizes virtues and filial piety,
 Rituals and holy places while early Korean Catholics faced persecution
 Death and the after-life during the Choson Dynasty. Christianity, including
both Catholicism and Protestantism, has become a
major religion, with lay Christians seeking material
and spiritual wealth through prayers. Ch’ondogyo, a
syncretistic religion, emphasizes human dignity and
gender equality.
 Religion
Shamans derive their powerfrom their ability
to serve as a medium between the spiritworld
and their clients during kut (shaman rituals).
 Religious beliefs TheBuddhist and Christian clergy derive their
 Religious practitioner power from theirknowledge of scripture.

 Rituals and holy places Christian clergy duties include not only
sermons but also routine personal visits to
 Death and the after-life their parishioners’ homes. In exchange for
monetary donations, Buddhist monks may
offer personalised prayer services.
 Religion A shaman keeps a shrinewhere her
guardian deity and the instruments for
ritualservices are kept. Kut , which include
songs, dances, andincantations, are
 Religious beliefs performedtemples
Buddhist at various
usedplaces
to be to securegood
built
fortune,from
distant curecities,
illnesses,
nearormountains,
guide the spirit
but of
 Religious practitioner adeceased
more templesperson to heaven. being
are increasingly
Christian
built churches are ubiquitous in urban
in cities.
 Rituals and holy places
andrural areas. Some offer services not
 Death and the after-life only on Sundays butalso at predawn hours
on weekdays. Leading Christianchurches
have huge new buildings that can
accommodateseveral thousand
worshipers.
 Religion Many Koreans believe in ancestral spirits and
follow Confucian rites for funerals, grieving,
and memorial services. Folk ideas regarding
the afterlife are impacted by Buddhism, yet
they are diverse.
 Religious beliefs
 Religious practitioner Selecting goodgrave sites according to
geomantic principles is regardedas important
 Rituals and holy places for both the ancestral spirit and
 Death and the after-life thedescendants’ fortune. At domestic rites
performed on theeve of the death day and on
major holidays, the ancestralimage is that of
living, dependent, and inactive parents
towhom food and wine are offered.
THANK
YOU!!