South Korean Culture/People

For the 2012 Asia Summer Study TripBy Ashlin Crout

Taekwondo

• Taekwondo has become one of the most popular martial arts, practiced by millions of people all over the world. Many have enjoyed exhibitions of experts flying through the air and breaking boards. But it goes far deeper than just physical attacking or self defense. Taekwondo combines all the elements of ones body, mind, and life with a result that is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

Kimchi

• Kimchi represents Korea's best known food. Koreans serve kimchi at almost every meal, and few Koreans can last more than a few days before cravings get the better of them. During the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, thousands of foreigners were introduced to it for the first time. Despite a reputation for being spicy, most people usually develop a taste for it, and many foreigners also find themselves missing it after returning to their home country.

Tol-First Birthday• In the past, due to a lack of medical information,

Korea's seasonal temperature differences, and many childhood related diseases, the death rate for children was extremely high. Many children died before their first birthday. After the age of one year, the survival rate steeply increased, making this milestone a very happy one for the child's parents. It has also been a custom to celebrate a child's 100th day birthday, but in most areas this birthday is less important than the Tol and any celebrations are smaller in scale.

Traditional Marriage• In Korea, the marriage between a man and woman represents the

joining of two families, rather than the joining of two individuals. As such, the event was often called Taerye (Great Ritual), and people from all over participated. Steeped in traditional Confucian values, the ceremonies and events surrounding the actual marriage were long and elaborate, from the pairing of the couple to the rituals performed after the ceremony.

Professional matchmakers paired up likely candidates for marriage, with the new couple often meeting for the first time at their wedding! The families considered many factors in the decision, consuting with fortune tellers for predictions about the couple's future life together. During the Chosun period, people married in their early teens, with the girl often being several years older than the boy.

Marriage Cont.• The groom usually traveled to the house of the bride for the

ceremony, then stayed there for 3 days before taking his new bride to his family's home. The actual ceremony involved many small rituals, with many bows and symbolic gestures. The participants were expected to control their emotions and remain somber.

Although Koreans have kept several aspects of the traditional ceremony, most modern ceremonies resemble Western marriage ceremonies more than traditional Korean ones. However, many folk villages and museums across the country regularly perform ceremonies to keep the traditions alive.

Traditional Clothing• Traditional Korean clothing has its roots extending back at least

as far as the Three Kingdoms Period (57 B.C. - 668 A.D.), as evidenced by wall paintings in tombs dating from this period. The Korean hanbok represents one of the most visable aspects of Korean culture. The top part called a jeogori is blouse-like with long sleeves with the men's version being longer, stretching down to the waist. Women wear skirts (chima) while men wear baggy pants (paji). Commoners wore white, except during festivals and special occassions such as weddings. Clothes for the upper classes were made of bright colors and indicated the wearer's social status. Various accessories such as foot gear, jewelry, and headdresses or hair pins completed the outfit.

Seol-nal (Lunar New Year)• The Lunar New Year holiday, also known elsewhere as Chinese New year,

is second in importance only to Chuseok (the Harvest Moon Festival). Every year, family members make a grand pilgrimage to their hometowns. During the 3-day period, Seoul is almost deserted a most people leave the city to return to their ancestral roots.

Although many of the younger generation take advantage of the time off to go skiing or travel abroad, Korea's roads, railways, and skies are full of homeward bound travelers. People line up for hours when the bus and train tickets go on sale, about 3 months prior to the holidays. For those masochistic enough to try driving, taking over 24 hours to drive from Seoul to Busan is not unheard of! (Normally, it takes 5-6 hours. However, the family bond runs deep in Korea culture, and it seems that people gladly make the journey.

Samulnori

• Samulnori basically means "four instruments" and refers to the four different instruments (kwaengwari, jing, janggu, and buk) played by the musicians. With roots in Buddhist and farmers music, the style has changed through the years and evolved in different ways. One of the major influences of the style has been Kim Duk Soo SamulNori ensemble.

Confucianism

• The teachings of Confucius describe the position of the individual in Korean society. It is a system of behaviors and ethics that stress the obligations of people towards one another based upon their relationship. The basic tenets are based upon five different relationships: 1) ruler and subject, 2) husband and wife, 3) parents and children, 4) brothers and sisters and 5) friend and friend. Confucianism stresses duty, loyalty, honor, filial piety, respect for age and seniority, and sincerity.

The People of South Korea• Koreans call themselves in Korean: Hangukin or Hanguk saram. Korean

people are an East Asian ethnic group and are believed to be part of the Altaic populations, just like Mongolians, Tungusics and Turkics. Archaeological evidence suggests that Koreans are descendant of Altaic groups coming from South Central Siberia. Koreans are the world’s most homogenous population ethnically and linguistically. There are few minorities in Korea: some Chinese, Japanese and westerners but in low numbers. So homogenous is the population in Korea that if you are a westerner in Korea you still feel conspicuous and, in smaller towns and villages Koreans will stare at westerners because they are not used to seeing people of different ethnicity.

• Korean language is a distinct language, which derives from Altaic languages, thus it is completely different from Japanese and Chinese (although throughout its history Korean was influenced by those two languages) and it has some similarities with Mongolian.

People of South Korea Cont.• Korean people are very proud of their nationality and of their identity. Koreans

are quite friendly and would do anything to help their friends, as interpersonal relationships are very important in Korean culture. Family as well is of outmost importance for Koreans and so is obedience and respect to elderly people. Age is so important in Korea that even one year difference between two people means that the younger one will have to address the older person with respect. This is why, one of the first things Koreans ask when they meet somebody is their age and asking people’s age in Korea is not disrespectful at all as it is in the west. So, if a Korean person asks you your age, do not feel offended.

• This respect for the elderly and value placed on interpersonal relationships comes from Confucianism, a philosophy that arrived in Korea from China. Confucianism permeates Korean culture and mentality in every aspect and if you know Confucianism you will be able to understand a big part of Korean culture.

K-Pop (Hallyu)• K-pop (an abbreviation of Korean pop or Korean popular music) is a musical

genre consisting of pop, dance, electro-pop, hip hop, rock, R&B and electronic music originating in South Korea. In addition to music, K-pop has grown into a popular subculture among teenagers and young adults around the world, resulting in widespread interest in the fashion and style of Korean idol groups and singers.

• Through the presence of Facebook fan pages, availability on iTunes, Twitter profiles, and music videos on YouTube, the ability of K-pop to reach a previously inaccessible audience via the Internet is driving a paradigm shift in the exposure and popularity of the genre. South Korean popular culture is today serving as a major driver of youth culture all across the Pacific Rim, with special reference to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The genre is currently moving towards a position in the region, similar to that of American music in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s.

Video Links • Ugly: 2NE1 (To Anyone or 21)• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGe0hHv

AGkc&ob=av2e• Shock: Beast• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXxGo1Mv

Nls• Yayaya: T-ara (Tiara)• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PChUEyZT

QuM&ob=av2n

Popular Korean T.V.

• Korean drama refers to televised dramas, in a miniseries format, produced in the Korean language. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave, known as Hallyu, and also "drama fever" in some countries.

Popular Korean T.V. Cont.• Generally speaking, there are two main genres of Korean dramas. The first

genre resembles western soap operas with shorter, terminating plots, and without the obvious sexual references often found in Western dramas. These dramas typically involve conflicts associated with relationships, money bargaining, relationships between in-laws (usually between the mother and son/daughter in law). As well, they often include complicated love triangles where the female hero usually falls in love with a "bad boy" main character who mistreats her. These dramas last anywhere from 16 episodes to over 100 (most often not exceeding 200).

• The other main genre is Korean historical dramas, which are fictionalized dramatizations of Korean history. Korean historical dramas typically involve very complex story lines with elaborate costumes, sets, and special effects. Martial arts, sword fighting, and horsemanship are frequently a big component of Korean historical dramas as well. Typically, Korean dramas, whether the historical dramas or modern dramas, are characterized by excellent production quality, characters with depth, and intelligent scriptwriting but largely relies on the use of archetypal characters.