SOUTH KOREA
GEOGRAPHY
The Korean Peninsula lies in the middle of Northeast Asia, flanked by China to its west and Japan to its east. The peninsula is 950km long and 540km wide. The total area of South Korea is 100,364 km2. Excluding the northern end, which is joined to the Asian continent, the peninsula is surrounded by oceans on three sides, with flat land and mountains accounting for 30% and 70% of the entire territory, respectively. Mountains over 1,000m above sea level make up only 15% of the mountainous areas, while mountains lower than 500m account for 65%. The Taebaeksan Mountain Range forms the backbone of the peninsula, forming plains suitable for grain cultivation.
The easterly wind’s passage across the mountainous areas is subject to the Fohn effect, creating a warm and dry wind in the western downwind side of the mountain range, while in the east of the high mountains experience considerable inconveniences with regard to transportation. Thus they undergone very little development, but thank to it the natural sceneries have remained unspoilt. The East Sea has a relatively straight, featureless coastline. The sea along the coast is generally deeper than 1,000m, the deepest part of the East Sea lies in the area north of Ulleungdo Island (2,985m deep). In contrast, the sea along the West Sea is shallow.
HISTORY
The history of South Korea formally begins with its establishment on 15 August 1948. Noting that, South Korea and North Korea are entirely different countries, despite still being on the same peninsula.
Korea was administratively partitioned in 1945, at the end of World War II. As Korea was under Japanese rule during World War II, Korea was officially a belligerent against the Allies by virtue of being Japanese territory. The unconditional surrender of Japan led to the division of Korea into two occupation zones (similar to the four zones in Germany), with the United States administering the southern half of the peninsula and the Soviet Union administering the area north of the 38th parallel. This division was meant to be temporary (as was in Germany) and was first intended to return a unified Korea back to its people after the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Republic of China could arrange a single government for the peninsula.
The two parties were unable to agree on the implementation of Joint Trusteeship over Korea. This led in 1948 to the establishment of two separate governments – the Communist-aligned Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the West-aligned First Republic of Korea – each claiming to be the legitimate government of all of Korea. On June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke out. After much destruction, the war ended on July 27, 1953, with the 1948 status quo being restored, as neither the DPRK nor the First Republic had succeeded in conquering the other’s portion of the divided Korea. The peninsula was divided by the Korean Demilitarized Zone and the two separate governments stabilised into the existing political entities of North and South Korea.
South Korea’s subsequent history is marked by alternating periods of democratic and autocratic rule. Civilian governments are conventionally numbered from the First Republic of Syngman Rhee to the contemporary Sixth Republic. The First Republic, arguably democratic at its inception, became increasingly autocratic until its collapse in 1960. The Second Republic was strongly democratic, but was overthrown in less than a year and replaced by an autocratic military regime. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Republics were nominally democratic, but are widely regarded as the continuation of military rule. With the Sixth Republic, the country has gradually stabilized into a liberal democracy.
Since its inception, South Korea has seen substantial development in education, economy, and culture. Since the 1960s, the country has developed from one of Asia’s poorest to one of the world’s wealthiest nations. Education, particularly at the tertiary level, has expanded dramatically. It is said to be one of the “Four Tigers” of rising Asian states along with Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
SOCIAL CULTURE AND RELIGION
Since the earliest settlements on the Korean Peninsula and in southeastern Manchuria during prehistoric times, the people of Korea have developed a distinctive culture based on their unique artistic sensibility. The geographical conditions of the peninsula provided Koreans with opportunities to receive both continental and maritime cultures and ample resources, which in turn enabled them to form unique cultures of interest to and value for the rest of humanity, both then and now. Korea’s vibrant cultural legacy, comprising music, art, literature, dance, architecture, clothing and cuisine, offers a delightful combination of tradition and modernity, and is now appreciated in many parts of the world.
Language and Letters
Most linguists place Korean in the Altaic language family, though some consider it to be a language isolate, meaning that it cannot be simply related with any other language. The written form of Korean uses Hangeul, a writing system commissioned by King Sejong (1397- 1450) during the Joseon Dynasty. Koreans are very proud of this remarkable achievement, and Hangeul is a very efficient and easy script to learn and use. The alphabet has fourteen consonants and ten vowels.
National flag
The national flag of Republic of Korea is composed of a red and blue taegeuk pattern in the center and four black trigrams at each corner, against a white background.
The white background symbolizes brightness, purity, and peace loving characteristics. The taegeuk pattern symbolizes yin and yang (i.e. the idea that all things in the universe are created and evolve through the interaction of yin and yang). The four trigrams indicate the changes in and development of yin and yang by means of their combination (heaven; earth; water; and fire.). The four trigrams surrounding the taegeuk represent unity.
National Flower (Mugunghwa)
The Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) symbolizes a sincere heart, inwardness, and tenacity. It’s also known as “never-withering flower”. It’s mentioned in the national anthem: “Three thousand ri of splendid rivers and mountains covered with mugunghwa blossoms.” Plus, the emblem of the government and the National Assembly contains the shape of a mugunghwa.
Education System
The strict and competitive Korean education system give well-educated people, which have helped the country achieve rapid economic growth. The basic school system is composed of kindergarten (1 to 3 years), elementary school (6 years), middle school (3 years), high school (3 years), and university. There are also junior colleges (2 or 3 years) and graduate schools (for masters and PhD degrees).
Social Security System
South Korea operates a labor and welfare system that meets international norms; in 1988, the country adopted the minimum wage system, which was designed to protect workers’ rights and interests. The country has also enacted the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, which prohibits employers’ gender discrimination in hiring, and the obligatory employment system for the disabled, which requires companies to hire workers with disabilities above a certain rate. The country operates the social insurance system against contingencies relating to disaster, disease, unemployment, and death. It’s mandatory for all people to subscribe to the Health Insurance, to have a medical service for reasonable service fees. Workers subscribe to Employment Insurance and will have the guarantee, once dismissed, to be entitled to half of his/her wage for a given period of time and to job transfer training. Also take childcare leave with a year’s partial pay, 90 days’ maternity leave before and after giving birth, also for male employees could request parental and childcare leave. Nowadays, the country adopted long-term care insurance for the elderly and the basic old age pension system.
UNESCO heritage in Korea
- Changdeokgung Palace
- Jongmyo Shrine
- Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon
- Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple • Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty • Janggyeongpanjeon Depositories of Haeinsa Temple, Hapcheon
- Stone Warrior, Guardian of the Royal Tombs
- Namhansanseong Fortress
- Baekje Historic Areas
- Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies • Hunminjeongeum (The Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People)
- Joseon Wangjo Sillok: Annals of the Joseon Dynasty
- Seungjeongwon Ilgi: Diaries of the Royal Secretariat
- Ilseongnok: Daily Records of the Royal Court and Important Officials
- Uigwe: Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty
- Printing Woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana and Miscellaneous Buddhist Scriptures
- Human Rights Documentary Heritage 1980: Archives of the May 18th Democratic Uprising in Gwangju
- Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
- Royal Ancestral Rite and Ritual Music • Pansori
- Gangneung Danoje Festival
- Ganggangsullae
- Namsadang Nori
- Yeongsanjae
- Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut • Taekkyeon
- Jultagi
- Falconry
- Arirang
- Kimjang: Making and Sharing Kimchi in Korea
- Traditional Korean Wrestling, Ssirum/ Ssireum
Traditional arts
- Gugak
- Folk Dance
- Painting and Calligraphy
- Pottery
- Handicrafts
Hallyu (Korean Wave)
A term now widely used to refer to the popularity of Korean entertainment and culture across Asia and other parts of the world, Hallyu or the “Korean Wave” first appeared during the mid-1990s after Korea entered into diplomatic relations with China in 1992 and Korean TV dramas and pop music gained great popularity in Chinese-speaking communities. When one of the first successful TV dramas “What Is Love?”, was aired by CCTV in 1997, it had an audience rating of 4.2%, meaning that over 150 million Chinese viewers watched it. Korean pop music, especially dance music, began to gain popularity among Chinese teenagers after it was introduced in earnest in 1997 by a radio program called Seoul Music Room broadcast from Beijing. The decisive moment in igniting Korean pop culture fever in China was the concert of Korean boy band H.O.T., held at the Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium in February 2000. Korean news reports used the term Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, in describing this concert. The Korean Wave, acknowledged in an article published by Beijing Youth Daily as early as November 1999, began to finally be recognized by Koreans themselves from this point.
The Korean Wave landed in Japan in 2003 when the KBS TV drama series Winter Sonata was aired via NHK. The drama became an instant mega hit, making its male hero, Yon Sama, a household name, compelling his enthusiastic Japanese fans to visit various film locations, including Namiseom Island, in Korea. The ‘Korean Wave’ craze has expanded to Korean traditional culture, food, literature and language, creating more and more enthusiasts. A great majority of Hallyu-related organizations are K-Pop fan clubs, but there are also various communities of people who are interested in Korean dramas, food, tourism, and more. As of December 2017, a total of 73.12 million people in 92 countries joined these organizations across Asia, Oceania, the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
- K-Pop
- TV Dramas
- Movies
- Music
- Musical Theater
- Modern Dance and Ballet
- Modern Art
- Modern Literature
- Korean Cuisine and Culinary Customs
Korea is a country where all the world’s major religions, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, peacefully coexist with shamanism. According to the 2015 statistics, 44% of the Korean population has a religion. Among them Buddhism and Confucianism have been more influential than any others upon the life of the Korean people and over half of the country’s listed cultural heritage are related with the two religions. Buddhism arrived in Korea in 372, and since then, tens of thousands of temples have been built across the country. Adopted as the state ideology of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Confucianism was more of a code of ethical conduct that stressed the importance of loyalty, filial piety, and ancestor worship. Confucian followers also valued ancestral worship in the belief that the ancestral spirits can affect the life of their descendants,and tried to find auspicious sites for the graves of their ancestors. Today, however, more and more people are turning from the traditional practice of burial to cremation. “Others” include Confucianism, Won Buddhism, Jeungsangyo, Cheondogyo, Daejonggyo and Islam.
Catholicism was introduced to Korea from China through the envoys of late Joseon who visited Beijing and the Western priests who followed them. The early Roman Catholics in Korea were subjected to severe persecution, but the religion continued to spread among the common people across the country. The persecution of Christian believers by Joseon’s rulers led Korea to yield the world’s fourth largest number of Christian saints. Protestantism was brought to Korea during the late 19th century by North American missionaries, and quickly won people’s hearts through school education and medical services. Even today, Protestants in Korea operate a great number of educational institutions, middle and high schools, colleges and universities, and medical centers. Daejonggyo, established in the early 20th century to worship Dangun, the founder of the first Korean state, also affected the life of ordinary Korean people, boosting Korean nationalism. In 1955, there appeared the Islamic Society of Korea and the first Korean imam (Islamic leader), followed by the foundation of the Korean Muslim Federation in 1967. In addition to the major religions, shamanism has also played an important part in the daily life of the Korean people, trying to help them connect with the spiritual world and making predictions about their future.
POLITICS
Constitution
The government of the Republic of Korea was launched on August 15 1948 while the country’s Constitution was promulgated on July 17 1948, after a month and half of work for its enactment
The country’s Constitution adopts liberal democracy as the basic principle of governance.
The National Assembly is an institution that represents the people’s opinions and all the laws of the country are made by it. The first National Assembly was launched in May 31, 1948.
It’s formed by 300 fixed members, each of whom is elected for a term of four years. 246 of which are elected in local constituencies and 54 members elected by political parties. Currently the Saenuri Party has the largest number of seats at the National Assembly. The executive right of the government is exercised by the Executive Branch headed by the President. The president is elected through direct election for a term of five years and cannot be reelected for a second term. The Cabinet Meeting, in which the President and the Prime Minister serve as the Chair and the Vice Chair, respectively, deliberates on important policies under the rights accorded to the Executive Branch of the government. The Supreme Court Chief Justice is appointed by the President with the consent of the National Assembly; the term for the Chief Justice and justices is six years.
Independent organizations
The Constitutional Court has the right to review whether a specific law is unconstitutional, to judge an appeal for the impeachment of a high-ranking official, and decide on the disbandment of a political party under the Constitution.
The National Election Commission handles matters associated with elections, fair management of referendums, political parties, and political funds. A member of the commission is not allowed to join a specific political party or engage in political activities. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) performs the role of respecting and realizing the dignity and values of human beings as sovereign individuals by protecting and promoting their basic rights. The NHRCK was launched in November 2001.
Local government
The country adopted the local autonomous system in June 1995. Local governments are divided into high-level and low-level local governments, their term for local government heads is four years, also they can be reelected for up to three terms. There is no limit on how many terms a local councilor may serve.
- Central government
- Higher-level local government
- 8 municipality government
- 9 do (province) government
- Lower-level local government
ECONOMY
The Miracle On the Hangang River
The Constitution of South Korea stipulates that “the right of property shall be guaranteed for every citizen.”, however the Constitution does not guarantee the limitless, unfettered pursuit of capitalistic free economy, even if said that an unjust situation should be rectified if the abuse of capital is found to cause damage to people. Korea’s transformation from one of the poorest countries in the world in the 1950s to a major industrial power and member of the OECD was exceptionally rapid, reflecting good policies, notably sound fiscal and monetary policy, high levels of investment in human and physical capital and an outward orientation that increased its share of world trade. This economic growth was achieved with an unprecedented speed, thus the name “Miracle of the Hangang River”. In the early 1960s, the country pushed ahead with export-oriented economic development plans. At first, the industry was focus on light industrial products manufactured in small factories, or raw materials. Then in 1970s, on heavy chemical facilities and heavy industrial products. At present, on shipbuilding, iron/ steel, and chemical industries. The country is right now leading the semiconductor and display sectors.
In 1988 with Seoul Olympic Games, South Korea conquer its rank as one country of the four Asian tigers, along with Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In December 1996, the country became the 29th country to join the OECD, which is largely composed of advanced countries South Korea gradually established an export oriented economic structure centered on large businesses in the process of pursuing growth as a country with insufficient capital and resources. In fact, during the period 2008-10, when most of the world was experiencing a devastating financial crisis, the country recorded an amazing 6.3% economic growth rate.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Korea & Japan
South Korea and Japan are embroiled in a bitter trade war that could have consequences for a global economy that is already suffering from another trade war between the US and China. In July, Japan announced it would tighten control over three chemicals — fluorinated polyamides, photoresists, and hydrogen fluoride — that are crucial to producing semiconductors in Korea. One of those chemicals, photoresist, is critical for top-of-the-line products produced by Samsung Electronics, the giant South Korean maker of chips and gadgets, among others. Under new regulations, Japanese companies would need a license for each chemical to import them to South Korea, and the process could take up to 90 days. Companies from South Korea selling “strategic” goods to Japan and other countries not on the trading white list have to complete a greater amount of paperwork, filling out five forms rather than the previous three. They will also have to wait 15 days for approval, where they previously waited five, Semiconductors, a key material installed in most electronic devices, have long been Korea’s top export item, and a delay in their productions could pose a significant threat to its economy. Japan claimed it was setting such restrictions because it believed South Korea was leaking sensitive information to North Korea, although they did not provide details. After South Korea vehemently denied the accusations, Japan slapped down another trade restriction: removing South Korea from its “white list,” an index of trusted trade partners and put it in a new category of downgraded countries. This would lead to even more delays in exports of items like auto parts and household electronics to South Korea. Needless to say, South Koreans are furious at Japan. And they’re displaying their anger by boycotting Japanese beer and clothing brands, as well as travel to the country. The South Korean government is looking into removing Japan’s preferred trade partner status and potentially creating a new low-tier category just to isolate the country from future benefits. A downturn in a relationship that is already tainted by a painful history of Japanese colonialism and after last year, when South Korea’s Supreme Court ordered Japanese companies to compensate World War II-era forced Korean laborers. Japan colonized the then-united Korean Peninsula in 1910 and ruled it harshly until 1945. During those 35 years, Japan forced hundreds of thousands of Koreans to fight and work and forced many Korean women to have sex with Japanese men. Japan and South Korea normalized diplomatic relations in a 1965 pact that saw Tokyo give Seoul grants worth $300 million and loans of $200 million over 10 years. The Japanese government maintains that the 1965 treaty settled all colonial-era debts. Recent South Korean governments have said Japan’s repayments cover only some debts. Many Japanese companies refused to comply with the court order, further increasing tensions. That bitterness was reflected in South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s speech during an emergency cabinet meeting August 2 when addressing the trade restrictions: “We will never again lose to Japan. As we have already warned, if Japan intentionally strikes at our economy, Japan itself will also have to bear significant damage”. The Korea-Japan trade war could harm the already-slowing global economy, but its effects could run much deeper. That’s especially because South Korean companies Samsung and SK Hynix provide 60 percent of the world’s DRAM memory chips, which are used in many electronics we use every day. A shortage could affect everything from Apple iPhones to Dell laptops and potentially slow down an already cooling global economy.
Recently Japan and South Korea seems to seek to mend relations.
Increasing costs are pushing the two countries to try ending their trade dispute and disagreements over historical treaties. Despite the dawn of a new imperial era, damaged mutual trust could prove a hindrance to an agreement. Bilateral relations between Japan and South Korea have sunk to a long-term low, and the two countries recently signaled that they were seeking a solution. The willingness to achieve a compromise is probably related to the growing cost of the bilateral disputes. Both countries have crossed each other off the list of preferred trading partners. Hundreds of companies on both sides now need export licenses, which slows down trade in goods and economic exchange. Both economies are currently struggling. Japan’s government has just lowered its own economic evaluation, and economic growth in South Korea is weaker than it has been for years. South Korean President Moon also appears politically weaker than ever before after the resignation of his Minister of Justice and renewed hostile rhetoric from North Korea.