About South Korea
South Korea, an East Asian nation on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, shares one of the world’s most heavily militarized borders with North Korea. It’s equally known for its green, hilly countryside dotted with cherry trees and centuries-old Buddhist temples, plus its coastal fishing villages, sub-tropical islands and high-tech cities such as Seoul, the capital.Then , South Korea is famous for its economy booming, with Sumsung, LG, Hyundai, and Olympic games in 1988. In 2000s, except the great brands, South Korea is also famous for her entertainment industry . Gangnam style is a miracle.
Seoul is the country’s capital, and it is also the most populous city in the country. Over half of South Koreans do not have a particular religion, and over one-quarter are Christian. The official currency is the South Korean Won. The country’s flag is red, white, blue, and black.
Trade. South Korea’s main exports include electronic products, machinery, motor vehicles (particularly automobiles), steel, ships, and textiles and clothing. With no petroleum reserves, South Korea must import substantial amounts of crude oil.
History
The Lower Paleolithic era in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BCE, and the Neolithic period began after 6000 BCE, followed by the Bronze Age by 2000 BCE, and the Iron Age around 700 BCE.
According to the mythic account recounted in the Samguk yusa, the Gojoseon (Old Joseon) kingdom was founded in northern Korea and southern Manchuria in 2333 BCE.
The Gija Joseon state was purportedly founded in 12th century BCE. Its existence and role has been controversial in the modern era, and seen as likely mythology. The first written historical record on Gojoseon can be found from the early 7th century BCE. The Jin state was formed in southern Korea by the 3rd century BCE. In the 2nd century BCE, Gija Joseon was replaced by Wiman Joseon, which fell to the Han dynasty of China near the end of the century. This resulted in the fall of Gojoseon and led to succeeding warring states, the Proto–Three Kingdoms period that spanned the later Iron Age.
Culture
South Korea shares its traditional culture with North Korea, but the two Koreas have developed distinct contemporary forms of culture since the peninsula was divided in 1945. Historically, while the culture of Korea has been heavily influenced by that of neighboring China, it has nevertheless managed to develop a unique cultural identity that is distinct from its larger neighbor. Its rich and vibrant culture left 19 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, the third largest in the world, along with 12 World Heritage Sites. The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism actively encourages the traditional arts, as well as modern forms, through funding and education programs.
The industrialization and urbanization of South Korea have brought many changes to the way modern Koreans live. Changing economics and lifestyles have led to a concentration of population in major cities, especially the capital Seoul, with multi-generational households separating into nuclear family living arrangements. A 2014 Euromonitor study found that South Koreans drink the most alcohol on a weekly basis compared to the rest of the world. South Koreans drink 13.7 shots of liquor per week on average and, of the 44 other countries analyzed, Russia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Education
South Korea: Learning Systems. Children between the ages of six and 15 are required to attend school in South Korea. There are six years of primary school, three years of lower secondary school and three years of upper secondary school, which is either academic or vocational.
Influenced by the U.S. occupation of South Korea, the country adopted a school system patterned after the U.S. system: It comprises six years of elementary education and six years of secondary education, divided into three years of middle school and threeyears of high school.
Japan’s education system ranked in the top five in four levels – Primary, Secondary, High School and College, but only reached number 17 in Early Childhood education enrollment. Number 1: South Korea is declared the best-educated country in 2017.
Climate
South Korea has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Winters are usually long, cold and dry.
The best time to visit South Korea. South Korea has four distinct seasons. The summer period from June to August sees hot and humid weather whereas winter, from December to February, is icy cold and dry. Autumn and spring are thought to be the best times to visit as they offer warm, sunny days with clear blue skies.
Language
Korean is the official language of South Korea, and is classified by most linguists as a language isolate.
The Korean language in South Korea has a standard dialect known as Seoul (after the capital city), with an additional 4 Korean language dialect groups in use around the country.
Almost all South Korean students today learn English throughout their education, with some optionally choosing Japanese or Mandarin as well.
Safety
South Korea is a very safe country to visit. Its crime rates are much lower than in the US and on par with most European countries, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. This mostly means that, for tourists and anyone else, it is perfectly safe to walk around at night, even in the larger cities. Violent crime is also rare. Only foreigners and tourists looking for trouble could end up in one, and this usually applies to drunker or intoxicated visitors, provoking fights in bars. However, if you do find yourself in a situation concerning anything police can help you with, they are mostly at every corner, and even though they don’t speak English, they have interpreters on-call that can help you.
Another issue in Korea is the problems that Korean motorists cause to its traffic. They sometimes speed through pedestrian crossings, go through red lights and have no problem passing within a hair-width distance from pedestrians and other cars. Traffic lights do not mean much to these drivers, so be careful when crossing the street as you never know where they can jump out from. Generally, the streets of South Korea and their traffic culture is not too safe, and it is safer to use underground passageways.
Famous Places
South Korea is famous for its economy booming, with Sumsung, LG, Hyundai, and Olympic games in 1988. In 2000s, except the great brands, South Korea is also famous for her entertainment industry . Gangnam style is a miracle.
Gyeongbokgung Palace, N Seoul Tower, Myeong-dong
Bukchon Hanok Village, Insa-dong
Changdeokgung, Nami Island
Lotte World
Cheonggyecheon, Everland
Haeundae Beach, Namdaemun Market, Namsan
Industries
South Korean industries include: the textile and steel sectors; shipbuilding; car manufacturing and electronics (especially semiconductors, of which South Korea is the world’s largest producer). Lastly, agriculture contributes only to a small part of South Korean GDP (about 4%).
Universities
1) Ajou University
2) Asia United Theological University
3) Asia LIFE University
4) Andong National University
5) Baekseok Arts University
6) Baekseok Culture University
7) Baewha Women’s University
8) Bucheon University
9) Busan Jangsin University
Colleges
1) Agricultural Cooperative College
2) Ajou Motor College
3) Andong Science College
4) Ansung Polytechnic College
5) Busan Kyungsang College
6) Busan Polytechnic College
7) Byuksung College
8) Catholic Sangji College
9) Changwon Polytechnic College
10) Cheju Tourism College
11) Cheonan National Technical College