South Korea

Background Official name: Republic of Korea (Daehan-min'guk) South Koreans generally use the term Han'guk to refer to their country Capital: Seoul Population: 48, !4,""" (#uly !""! est$) %ationality: noun: Korean(s), a&'ecti(e: Korean )thnic groups: *omogeneous Korean (e+cept for about !",""" Chinese) ,anguages: Korean$ )nglish is -i&ely taught in elementary, 'unior high, an& high school$ Religions: Christian 4./, 0u&&hist 41/, Confucianist /, Shamanist, Chon&ogyo (Religion of the *ea(enly 2ay), an& other 3/ Communication General Communication 2hen as4ing a Korean a 5yes6 or 5no6 7uestion, a(oi& as4ing negati(e 7uestions, such as 58re you not in pain96 )nglish language spea4ers an& Korean language spea4ers respon& to negati(e 7uestions &ifferently$ Confusion an& miscommunication can be a(oi&e& by framing all 7uestions positi(ely, such as 58re you in pain96 Koreans may ans-er 5yes6 to a 7uestion out of politeness$ :hey usually agree -ith your 7uestion first before ans-ering it$ ;t is important for Koreans to &etermine an in&i(i&ual<s age, as there are &ifferent -ays of a&&ressing an& tal4ing to people of &ifferent age groups$ Koreans are reser(e& an& formal -ith strangers$ Koreans may be offen&e& by or suspicious of someone -ho assumes familiarity too soon$ ;t is consi&ere& inappropriate to a&&ress others by their first (gi(en) names unless the person is a family member of the same age or a goo& frien&$ 8&&ress Koreans -ith a title such as =r$, >r$, or >rs$, follo-e& by last name (e+$ =r$ Chang)$ Smiling an& 'o4ing are not consi&ere& appropriate in certain situations, an& such e+pressions may be un&erstoo& as a lac4 of intelligence or respect$ Etiquette Koreans remo(e their shoes before entering a home$ Some Koreans also may be offen&e& by bare feet, so it is best to -ear soc4s -hen (isiting a Korean home$ 2hen offere& refreshments by the host, more tra&itional Korean (isitors may refuse se(eral times before accepting$ Korean hosts accompany their guests to the &oor or outsi&e$ Koreans may &eny compliments to a(oi& appearing arrogant$ Greetings ;t is consi&ere& polite to greet el&ers first an& spen& a fe- minutes tal4ing -ith them$ One may also comment on the el&er<s goo& health$

:he bo- is a tra&itional Korean greeting an& may be accompanie& by a han&sha4e among men$ %on?Koreans are not e+pecte& to bo- in return@ &oing so may e(en be interprete& as moc4ery$ 8 no& of the hea& -ill suffice$ Korean -omen may no& slightly, but -ill usually not sha4e han&s -ith men$ 2estern -omen, ho-e(er, may initiate a han&sha4e -ith a Korean man$ Koreans tra&itionally bo- -hen &eparting$ Aoung people usually -a(e, mo(ing their arm from si&e to si&e$

Gestures/Body Language/Physical Touch =irect eye contact is less fre7uent among Koreans an& Korean 8mericans, especially bet-een members of &ifferent se+es, social statuses, an& ages$ =irect an& prolonge& eye contact is uncomfortable an& consi&ere& impolite$ >ore tra&itional Koreans a(oi& facial e+pressions an& han&Barm gestures &uring con(ersation$ Koreans may feel uncomfortable or e(en offen&e& -hen touche& by someone -ho is not a family member or close frien&$ ;n family situations, hugging an& 4issing are infre7uent$ Koreans accept touching in public areas, as o(ercro-&ing may ma4e it una(oi&able$ 2hile many types of physical contact are consi&ere& inappropriate, touch bet-een females is acceptable$ Ceet are consi&ere& &irty an& shoul& not touch people or ob'ects$ 0lo-ing one<s nose in public is consi&ere& ru&e$ :o bec4on someone of lesser status or age, Koreans e+ten& their arm -ith the palm of the han& facing &o-n-ar& an& mo(e the fingers up an& &o-n$ >otioning or pointing -ith an in&e+ finger is consi&ere& insulting$ Dying and Death Practices :ra&itional Koreans prefer &ying at home o(er &ying in a hospital$ ;f a person &ies at home, the bo&y is 4ept for se(eral more &ays for (ie-ing an& sho-ing respect$ Korean?8mericans ha(e mo&ifie& this tra&ition an& instea& reser(e a place in the home -here pictures of the &ecease& can be (ie-e&$ Cor &ecease& in&i(i&uals -ho ha(e no relati(es, the bo&y is usually cremate& an& the ashes &isperse& o(er a bo&y of -ater$ Respect is sho-n to the &ea& by an out-ar& &isplay of grief, -hich is e+presse& through moaning an& crying$ :he ol&est son is obligate& to remain near the &ecease& an& to moan as a &isplay of his emotion$ *e may also hol& a cane to symboliDe his nee& for emotional support at this time$ Educational Attainment and Literacy ates Koreans ha(e tra&itionally place& great importance on learning$ 0oth males an& females are encourage& to e+cel in their stu&ies$ 8t .8 percent, South Korea has one of the highest literacy rates in the -orl&$ Koreans -ill ma4e great sacrifices to ensure that their chil&ren recei(e the best e&ucation an& a&mission to the most prestigious schools$ %early e(ery Korean chil& completes primary school an& most continue to secon&ary schools that &eman& long hours an& high performance$ 8&mission to prestigious uni(ersities is highly competiti(e an& stu&ents must pass e+tremely rigorous entrance e+ams for -hich they spen& years in intense preparation$

!amily :ra&itionally, e+ten&e& families li(e& together, but to&ay many Koreans ha(e small families an& li(e in their o-n apartments$ Koreans ha(e a strong sense of &uty to-ar&s their family E treating their parents -ith respect, obeying them, caring from them -hen they are ol&, an& gi(ing them a proper burial$ One of the important aspects of Confucianism is a patriarchal i&eology that assigns a lo-er status to -omen an& emphasiDes a clear role &ifferentiation bet-een husban& an& -ife$ Korean men are the financial pro(i&ers an& &ecision ma4ers of the family an& tra&itionally e+ercise complete control o(er their -i(es an& chil&ren$ :he el&est son inherits the family lea&ership as -ell as responsibility for his parents$ !ood and Eating "a#its 0rea4fast is tra&itionally (ie-e& as the largest an& most important meal of the &ay, but in more recent years, &inner has become the main meal of the &ay for many Koreans$ Koreans &o not usually &esignate certain foo&s as brea4fast, lunch, an& &inner &ishes$ Korean meals consist of rice, (egetables, small amounts of meat, an& soup$ 8 popular an& common staple of Korean meals is kim chi E a spicy, fermente& &ish ma&e from Chinese cabbage or ra&ishes$ Koreans eat large amounts of fish an& seafoo&$ 0arley tea is ser(e& -ith many meals$ >ore tra&itional Koreans usually a(oi& &rin4ing col& be(erages$ Cruit is often ser(e& as a &essert$ >ost Koreans &o not consume &airy pro&ucts, but they are becoming more popular among the younger generation$ ;t is consi&ere& goo& table manners to -ait until ol&er people at the table ha(e pic4e& up their spoons or chopstic4s before beginning to eat$ >ost Koreans &o not use 4ni(es an& for4s$ Spoons an& chopstic4s are the most fre7uently use& utensils$ 2hen eating from a communal &ish, foo& is ne(er eaten &irectly from the &ish, but is first transferre& to one<s plate$ General Attitudes among $ore Traditional/%lder Koreans Sa(ing face: Koreans may not a&mit to not 4no-ing an ans-er -hen 7uestione&$ :hey may gi(e a -rong ans-er or an ans-er they thin4 the 7uestioner -ants to hear$ Open criticism an& public &isagreement are a(oi&e& as they may &amage one<s reputation$ Koreans< social an& cultural beha(ior has been strongly influence& by Confucianism$ Confucianism teaches a rigi& (ertical hierarchy of social relationships$ 8n in&i(i&ual<s place in the hierarchy is &etermine& by herBhis age, gen&er, e&ucation, family bac4groun&, -ealth, an& occupation$ ;n&i(i&uals are treate& in accor&ance -ith their social status$ #apan has in(a&e& Korea se(eral times$ :he most recent in(asion occurre& recently in 3.3", -hen Korea fell un&er #apanese &omination for F years$ :o&ay some Koreans still hol& anti?#apanese sentiments$ "ealth and $edical Belie&s Koreans recogniDe the (alue of both mo&ern an& tra&itional me&icines$ 8cupuncture, herbs, cupping, an& mo+ibustion are common treatments in South Korea$ Ginseng is ta4en to increase energy, stamina, an& strength$

:ra&itional &octors may recommen& massages, &ieting, therapeutic baths, an& stretching an& breathing e+ercises to maintain goo& health$ ;llness is sometimes seen as &isharmony in natural forces$ ;llnesses are classifie& as either hot or col&, an& are treate& through the opposite force to achie(e balance$ Cor e+ample, a col& is treate& -ith hot soup ma&e from bean sprouts$ Physicians are (ie-e& as po-erful an& (ery trust-orthy$ =iscussing a patient<s terminal status, artificially sustaining a patient<s life, organ &onation an& transplantation are resiste&$ >uch of a patient<s care is pro(i&e& by family an& family can pro(i&e information regar&ing ho- the patient copes -ith illness or pain$

"olidays Koreans celebrate holi&ays accor&ing to both the lunar an& solar calen&ars$ Sol-nal (lunar %e- Aear<s =ay) is the biggest holi&ay of the year$ On Sol-nal, people -ear their best clothing, (isit frien&s an& relati(es, play tra&itional games, an& perform family rituals to honor ancestors$ 8nother popular holi&ay, Chu Sok, ta4es place on the 3Fth &ay of the 8th lunar month$ Chu Sok is a time of than4sgi(ing for har(ests an& a time to be together -ith family$ Koreans also (isit family gra(esites to pay respect to their ancestors$ Korean 0u&&hists celebrate the 0u&&ha<s birth&ay on the 8th &ay of the 4th lunar month by (isiting temples, praying, an& by ma4ing colorful lanterna$ :he holi&ay culminates in a lantern para&e hel& in the e(ening$ >any Koreans celebrate Christmas -ith Christmas lights an& &ecorate& trees$ Christians (ieChristmas as a religious holi&ay, an& non?Christians see Christmas as an opportunity to celebrate -ith family an& frien&s$ Koreans hol& large celebrations to mar4 the 3""th &ay after a chil&<s birth, a chil&<s first birth&ay, an& the H"th or 1"th birth&ay$ "istory Korea<s ancient history began o(er 1,""" years ago -ith the emergence of clan communities that e(entually forme& city?states$ 0y the first century 0$C$, three 4ing&oms ha& emerge& in the Korean peninsula$ :hese 4ing&oms rule& for many centuries$ One 4ing&om E the Choson =ynasty, rule& from 3 .! to 3.3"$ ;n the late 3.th century, Korea became the focus of competing -orl& po-ers inclu&ing China, Russia, an& #apan$ #apan occupie& Korea in 3.3", but Korea gaine& its in&epen&ence in 3.4F -hen #apan surren&ere& to 8llie& forces$ Collo-ing 2orl& 2ar ;;, Korea -as &i(i&e& into t-o separate Russian an& I$S$ Dones E %orth Korea an& South Korea$ :he Republic of Korea -as proclaime& in 3.48$ ;n 3.F", %orth Korea in(a&e& South Korea, triggering the three?year Korean 2ar$ :he 2ar &e(astate& Korea an& en&e& in a stalemate$ :o&ay the bor&er continues to &emarcate %orth Korea from South Korea$ Since the Korean 2ar, South Korea has emerge& as one of the -orl&<s ma'or economies$ Sym#olic Elements Koreans ne(er use the color re& to -rite, as re& is use& to -rite the names of the &ecease&$ 2hen gi(ing gifts, Koreans a(oi& gi(ing 4ni(es or scissors, -hich signify cutting off a relationship$ :he number 5four6 is generally &isli4e& because the Chinese character for 5&eath6 is pronounce& the same as the number 5four6 in Korean$ Korean'Americans

Korean 8mericans are the fourth largest 8sian group in the Inite& States, -ith a population of o(er one million$ :he state -ith the largest Korean?8merican population is California -ith percent, follo-e& %e- Aor4 -ith 3! percent$ >ost Korean immigrants to the Inite& States settle in large cities -here 'obs are a(ailable an& Korean communities ha(e been establishe&$ 2hile only !F percent of South Korea<s population belongs to Protestant &enominations, more than 1F percent of Korean immigrants are Protestant$ Churches often ser(e as a po-erful support group an& may offer ser(ices such as ta+ preparation, )nglish language classes, health e&ucation, an& employment information$ Korean immigrants in ma'or cities ha(e foun& economic niches in se(eral business specialties such as grocery an& li7uor retail, pro&uce retail, &ry cleaning ser(ice, an& retail sales of 8sian?importe& manufacture& goo&s$ >any Koreans are self?employe& or employe& by co?ethnic businesses$ :hus, many Koreans are highly segregate& economically, -ith about 8" percent -or4ing in Korean businesses either as o-ners or employees$ :he 3..! ,os 8ngeles riots ha& a profoun& effect on the Korean?8merican community$ Korean 8merican store4eepers suffere& nearly half of the one billion &ollars in &amages$ Collo-ing the riots, Korean 8mericans e+perience& a political a-a4ening that resulte& in an increase in organiDations promoting Korean?8merican interests$ :o&ay Korean 8mericans ha(e more ethnic organiDations than any other 8sian immigrant community$ )thnic churches, alumni associations, an& ethnic me&ia play central roles in uniting Korean 8mericans$ Korean?8merican -omen enter the -or4force in much higher numbers than -omen in South Korea$ :he -ife<s contribution to the family economy usually increases her marital po-er an& status$ 8lthough Korean?8merican -omen -or4 long hours outsi&e the home, they are still responsible for almost all of the house-or4 in more tra&itional families$

Korean'American elations :he Inite& States has strong economic, security, an& political interests in South Korea an& both countries maintain a strong, multifacete& alliance$ :he Inite& States maintains a siDable military presence in South Korea, -hich South Koreans ha(e increasingly proteste&$

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