Culture Walls

Geography

South Korea is located in the east of Asia in the southern half of Korea. It borders the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. It is bordered by North Korea. South Korea has 98,190 sq. kilometers of land and 290 sq. kilometers of water. There are mostly hills and mountains in South Korea. It has many natural resources such as: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, and hydropower potential.     

Population

The population of South Korea is approximately 45 million people. Almost all the people in South Korea can read because there are many schools there..

Climate

South Korea has wet weather in the summer, though it is still hot in the summer like most countries. In the winter there is dry weather. It is cold in the winter in South Korea. Occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods.

Economy

Won is used in South Korea.

 Government

South Koreans vote for president and he is then head of the government. The members of the law making group are also elected by the people. The president chooses the prime minister.

Holidays

Three major Holidays in South Korea are the Lunar New Year, Thanksgiving Day, and First Full Moon Day. The traditional food for Lunar New year is rice cake soup. It is said that one can't become a year older if they don't eat rice cake soup on New Years Day. Other popular foods for New Years are noodles with meat and vegetables, sweet rice, mung bean pancakes, rice punch, and cinnamon flavored  persimmon punch. On Thanksgiving rice cakes are a very popular food. So is just picked fruits, and nuts. South Koreans often visit their ancestors' graves on this holiday. On First Full Moon Day there are festivals. In these festivals many foods are served such as: ogak -bap , yakshik mug un-namul, and nuts. 

Cultural Arts

The National Folk Museum  in the grounds of the palace is dedicated to showing how ordinary Koreans have lived through the ages.

Food

Many crops are grown in South Korea. South Koreans eat many vegetables, rice, fish, soups, and meats. They eat rice as an everyday meal. In almost every food they eat, has spices in it such as pulgogi (strips of beef in soy sauce, garlic, onions, sugar, and black pepper. 

South Koreans eat certain kinds of foods on holidays. On Lunar New  Year they eat ttok kuk which is  rice cake soup. 

On First Full Moon Day they have festivals and have many foods that they serve there. They serve ogok-bap a mixture of steamed rice, Indian millet, red beans, millet and black beans. 

On the 105th day of Winter Solstice, Ssuk T' ang or mugwort soup is the traditional dish  on this holiday. 

There are many other foods that they eat on holidays but these are just 4 out of many other holidays. 

Any food with rice is an everyday meal for the South Koreans. In South Korea chopsticks are used.

Useful Expressions:

Korean is spoken in South Korea.

English

Translation

careful 

Chosim haseyo

good

Joseup nida

good-bye

Anyoughi gaseyo

hello

Annung haseyo

how are you?

Oduke jinaeseyo?