South Korean culture

South Korean culture

Danilo Chica

Introduction

• South Korea is a country in East Asia that shares a border with North Korea.
• It has a population of about 51 million people and a land area of about 100,000 square kilometers.
• It has a rich and diverse culture that developed from the ancient Korean civilization and was influenced by China, Japan, and other neighboring countries.
• Some of the aspects of South Korean culture are its cuisine, literature, arts, performance, sports, and society.

Cuisine (Food)

• South Korean cuisine is based on rice, vegetables, meat, seafood, and fermented foods such as kimchi.
• Kimchi is a spicy dish made of cabbage and other vegetables that are salted and fermented with various seasonings. It is considered the national dish of Korea and is eaten with almost every meal.
• Some of the other popular dishes are bibimbap (mixed rice with vegetables and meat), bulgogi (marinated beef), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and samgyetang (chicken soup with ginseng).
• South Korea also has a variety of street foods, such as hotteok (sweet pancakes), kimbap (rice rolls), and odeng (fish cakes).

Literature and arts

• South Korean literature has a long history that dates back to the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC - 668 AD). It includes poetry, prose, novels, essays, and modern genres such as webtoons and web novels.
• Some of the famous writers are Kim Sowol (poet), Yi Munyol (novelist), Shin Kyung-sook (novelist), and Lee Hyoseok (short story writer).
• South Korean arts include painting, pottery, calligraphy, sculpture, architecture, and crafts. Some of the distinctive styles are minhwa (folk painting), buncheong (grayish-blue pottery), hangeul (Korean alphabet), and hanji (Korean paper).
• Some of the notable artists are Kim Hong-do (painter), Yi Sam-pyeong (potter), King Sejong the Great (creator of hangeul), and Jang Yeong-sil (inventor).

Performance Arts

• South Korean performance arts include dance, music, theater, cinema, and television. Some of the traditional forms are talchum (mask dance), pansori (narrative singing), nanta (percussion show), and madangnori (street performance).
• Some of the modern forms are K-pop (Korean pop music), K-drama (Korean television drama), K-movie (Korean cinema), and K-musical (Korean musical theater).
• Some of the famous performers are PSY (singer), BTS (boy band), Bong Joon-ho (director), Song Kang-ho (actor), and Choi Jeong-hwa (artist).

Sports

• South Korea is a sports-loving nation that participates in various international competitions such as the Olympics, the World Cup, and the Asian Games.
• Some of the popular sports are taekwondo (Korean martial art), archery, baseball, soccer, golf, and esports.
• Some of the renowned athletes are Park Ji-sung (soccer player), Kim Yuna (figure skater), Son Heung-min (soccer player), Park In-bee (golfer), and Faker (esports player).

Society

• South Korean society is influenced by Confucianism, which emphasizes respect for elders, hierarchy, loyalty, and harmony.
• It is also characterized by rapid economic development, technological innovation, urbanization, globalization, and multiculturalism.
• It faces some challenges such as aging population, low birth rate, gender inequality, social polarization, and inter-Korean relations.
• It also celebrates some holidays such as Seollal (Lunar New Year), Chuseok (harvest festival), Children’s Day, Buddha’s Birthday, and Hangul Day.

Thank You