South Korea
안냉! That word says “Annyeong,” which means “hello” in Korean. I chose to do South Korea for my country project. I have always had a love for Asia and especially South Korea.
South Korea is an East Asian country which is found on the southern end of the Korean peninsula. Its neighbors include the East Sea to the east, North Korea to the north, the Yellow Sea and China to the west, and is separated from Japan by the Korea Strait to the south. South Korea has seven metropolitan cities. South Korea’s capital is the Seoul metropolitan area. On April 22, 2017, the population of the Seoul metropolitan was 25.6 million. Strictly inside the city limits, the population was 10.29 million. Other important South Korean cities are Busan, Jeju-Do, Pyeongchang, and Incheon.
The Korean War established a demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. It runs 150 miles and is 2.5 miles wide. It follows the 38 degrees’ latitude, which is why it is known as The 38th Parallel.
South Korea is made up of Precambrian rocks like gneiss, granite and other metamorphic rocks that are more than 540 million years old. South Korea is a very mountainous land with small valleys and narrow coastal plains. The two main mountain chains are the Taebaek Mountain system, which forms the country’s drainage, and the Sobaek Mountains. Although very mountainous, none of South Korea’s mountains are very high unlike its neighbor, China. The Taebaek mountains reach a height of 5,604 feet in the east at Mount Sorak. The Sobaek mountains reach a height a bit greater at 6,283 feet at Mount Chiri. Mount Halla is the highest peak in South Korea at 6,398 feet. It is an extinct volcano off of the mainland on the Jeju Island.
The Taebaek Mountains are also the source for South Korea’s three principal rivers: the Han, Kum, and Naktong, which flow between ranges before entering each of their lowland plains. The Naktong is South Korea’s longest river runs southward towards the Korea Strait at 325 miles. Nearly all rivers flow southward or westward into the Yellow or China Sea, and only a few mountains drain eastward. South Korea’s lowlands and coasts are complicated. This complicated system and the shallow Yellow Sea cause for one of the world’s greatest tide variations. The tides can reach at maximum 30 feet at Incheon, Seoul’s entry port.
The closeness to the Asian landmass is the greatest influence of the Korean peninsula’s climate. This causes South Korea’s extremely distinct summer-winter conditions and monsoon seasons that affect precipitation. The temperature is greater in the northern and interior regions than it is in the south and along the coast. The country’s climate has a cold, moderately dry winter and hot, humid summers. The coldest monthly average temperatures can drop below freezing in the mainland winter, except for the southern coast. However, the country’s mainland and islands share about the same summer temperature.
The most rain received in South Korea is during June-August (monsoon season). Rainfall on the mainland ranges from about 35 to 60 while the rainfall on Jeju Island receives more than 70 inches. Late-summer typhoons can also cause heavy rain along the southern coast. The country’s winter precipitation falls as snow, the highest levels being in the Taebaek Mountains.
South Korea’s animal life is similar to that of the northern and northeastern parts of China. Some of South Korea’s animal life, like fish, reptile, and amphibian species are threatened by extreme cultivation and environmental pollution except in the DMZ. The DMZ has lain almost untouched since the end of North and South Korea’s hostilities and has become a nature preserve. It serves a home for endangered species like the white-naped and red-crowned cranes, as well as many fish species and other Asiatic mammals.
Where South Korea sits poses a risk for a variety of natural disasters. Three of the country’s most recent and important natural disasters were a 2007 oil spill, a 2016 earthquake, and a 2016 typhoon. The oil spill occurred in the port town of Yosu and was caused by a steel wire that linked a tugboat to a barge snapped in stormy seas. It costed $101 million in damages to fishermen and took many months to clean up. The 2016 earthquake occurred at the city Gyeongju in the North Gyeongsang Province, was 50 minutes long and had a magnitude of 5.8 22 aftershocks were detected afterwards. Typhoon Chaba of October 2016 hit Jeju Island in the middle of the night and took the lives of 5 people.
Now that you know the physical geography of South Korea, let’s talk about the history. South Korea was founded by a guy named Dangun, thus starting the Gojoseon Empire at about 2333 BC. It then belonged to a three-kingdom era of the state Baekje, Dongye and Okjeo. It later belonged to the Goryeo Dynasty and the Joseon Empire.
In August 1941, South Korea’s First Republic began under the lead of President Syngman Rhee. The time he was elected was also when the Korean War was taking place. The Korean War started on the 38th Parallel in 1950 and ended in 1953. This war took the lives of 5 million people. After four terms in office, Rhee resigned under pressure of tensions and violence and died at age 90. The Second Republic then began, which brought in a parliamentary system and only lasted about five months. A president was elected but power was shifted to Prime Minister Chang Myon. A military coup led by General Park Chung-Hee seized power on May 16, 1961. Park placed the country under martial law and took over the government. In April 1963, under international pressure, Park held elections at the end of the year and became the presidential candidate of the Democratic-Republican Party. He won, thus beginning the Third Republic.
The Fourth Republic when Park suspended the constitution and dissolved the legislature in December of 1971. He was elected to be president again without opposition in 1972. President Park was assassinated after growing political tensions in October of 1979 and the country was placed under the rule of Gen. Chun Doo-Hwan. Chun was elected in August 1980, which started the Fifth Republic. After dissatisfaction with the government, power was peacefully transferred to Roh Tae-Woo and the Fifth Republic was over.
The Sixth Republic began and was very successful. South Korea hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Later, Kim Young-Sam succeeded Roh was elected president in 1993. Many years later in 2012, South Korea’s first female president, Park Geun-Hye was elected. She was under much criticism after a ferry sank in April 2014 that carried 500 passengers, mostly high school students. 172 lives were claimed from this accident. Later in December 2016, Park was impeached after multiple suspicious conflicts with her conservative party. She was taken out of office on March 10, 2017, and a snap election will be held on May 9th.
South Korea has a constitutional structure like that of the United States with legislative, judicial, and executive branches. A president is chosen by popular vote for a single 5-year term and is the head of the government. Registered voters in South Korea must be 19 or older. The State Council is composed of a president, prime minister, heads of executive ministries, and ministers without portfolio. The president appoints the prime minister. The current president, as mentioned before, is Park Geun-Hye and the prime minister is Hwang Kyo-Ahn.
The country has a multiparty system, but two parties dominate, much like the United States. Their two parties are the republican Grand National Party and liberal Democratic Party.
South Korea’s local government is divided into nine provinces with each having a legislative council. They are further divided into counties and cities, and the larger cities into wards and precincts.
The country’s Supreme Court is the head of the judicial branch. The chief justice is appointed by the president. Justices are appointed by the president by recommendation from the chief and serve six-year terms.
South Korea’s main ethnic group is homogenous Koreans (shocker). Over the years, as South Korea has increased as an economic powerhouse, more immigrants have come to South Korea, the largest groups being Chinese and American. The largest religions practiced in South Korea are Protestant Christian/Catholic (31.6%) and Buddhism (24.2%). However, most people don’t practice any religion at all, and these people make up 4.3.3% of the population. The last 1% is made up of other religions like Confucianism and Shamanism. The country’s main language is Korean. Korean is a language made up of an alphabet called “Hangeul.” Hangeul is made up of 14 consonants and 12 vowels. Korean is actually an easy language to learn, and I’ve even learned to write and read some myself!
The population of South Korea on April 19 was 49,264,220. The population in 2004, the year I was born, was 48,039,415, so it changed a little bit. At the turn of the century, 2000, the population was 47,008,111, so the population grew more between 2000 and 2004 than it did 2004 and 2017. The population has more than doubled over in the second half of the 20th century, but has been almost inconsequential in the 21st century. The male-female ratio of people in South Korea is about 50.6% for males and about 46% for women. I found that as South Korean people get older, the female ratio increases.
Confucianism was the ultimate base for Korean daily life and customs and still is, just at a slight lesser degree. Koreans hold a high emphasis on respect for ancestors and seniority. They also are very involved with rituals, holidays, and life-cycle milestones. The biggest milestones that are celebrated in South Korea are a baby’s first 100 days, one’s marriage, and one’s 61st birthday. Ancestral rites are also performed on loved one’s death anniversary. The two most important holidays in Korean culture are Seollal (New Year) and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). Both are determined by the lunar calendar. Traditional foods are eaten and special clothing called hanbok is usually worn. Hanbok is an ancient kimono-style dress worn by Koreans in everyday life thousands of years ago.
Korean food is also a huge part of the country’s culture and has even taken a big role in Western society. The most important Korean foods are rice, soups or stews, and several side dishes like kimchi, a form of pickled cabbage. Kimchi is a staple in Korean homes and although extremely healthy for your gut, it smells so bad, it usually requires its own refrigerator! Other famous dishes include bibimbap, a rice mixed with vegetables and eggs, jajangmyeon, black bean noodles, and bulgogi, marinated meat grilled over charcoal.
South Koreans are huge sport enthusiasts. The most widely practice sports are the martial art taekwondo and belt-wrestling style called sirum similar to Japanese sumo. South Korea also has a world cup soccer team called the Red Devils that are especially known for their enthusiasm and demonstration of support. The country’s participation in the 1998 Seoul Summer Olympics boosted national pride, and the 2018 Winter Olympics are to be held in Pyeongchang.
South Korean television and music is some of the most popular in the world. Korean reality shows and dramas as well as Korean pop music has had a huge impact on the rest of the world, especially the Americas and Southeastern Asia. The word “hallyu” refers to the “Korean Wave” that has swept across the rest of the world. Korean dramas are called K-dramas and their music is called K-pop. Some of the most popular media agencies are SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and KBS (Korean Broadcasting System). EXO, BTS, and Red Velvet are just a few K-pop groups and some popular K-dramas are “Descendants of the Sun”, “Goblin”, and “Scarlet Heart”.
Korean entertainment is a tremendous part of their economy. The other most important jobs in South Korea are manufacturing and agriculture. Trade and tourism also play a large role. According to World Bank in 2013, South Korea’s GNP was 1.679 trillion dollars and GDP was 1.305 trillion. The country’s currency is the Korean won, and the central bank, Bank of Korea, lies in Seoul.
The country’s main exports are machinery and automobiles. This includes electronic devices and different types of transportation vehicles. Other important exports are mineral fuels, manufactured goods, and crude materials like textile fibers, metal oils and scrap.
Less than one-fourth of South Korea’s land is cultivated. The country’s agriculture business took a downfall because of the decreasing farm population and farm-labor shortage. However, there has been a rise is farming because of the greater emphasis on mechanization and commercialization. The largest crop produced is rice, and other fruits and vegetables are also important. Livestock also plays a big role, as pork, beef, and milk are the top three agricultural products after rice. Mineral resources in South Korea are meager, although their deposits of graphite and tungsten are among the largest in the world. Imports make up for the rest of their needs.
South Korea’s manufacturing system is very high-tech and electronically advanced. Shipbuilding, motor vehicles, and electron equipment was given a very large emphasis around the 20th century because of the high-tech industries like bioengineering, aerospace, and service industry grew rapidly.
The country has maintained a positive balance in annual trade. Their main imports are machinery, manufactured goods, mineral goods, and crude materials like textile fibers and metal ores. South Korea’s main trading partners are the United States, Japan, and other Middle Eastern and Asian countries.
Tourism is also a big part of South Korea’s economy, and the main tourists come from China, the United States, and other Asian countries. Tourists are drawn to South Korean historical sites, natural sites, and also pop culture attractions.
Most people associate the Asian race to be freakishly smart, and that is because of their extremely strict and prestigious education system. Six years of elementary school(Kt-6th) and three years of middle school(7th-9th) in South Korea are absolutely necessary, and most all middle school graduates continue on the high school(10th-12th) and college. South Korea is considered to have one of the all-time best K-!2 education systems in the world. However, the United States in the most popular college destination for South Korean students.
South Korea has both private and public education. There are more public than private schools, although both have beneficial education.
Korean students spend around 220 days in school, compared to 180 days in the United States and about 13 hours in both studying and school time. However, South Korea is only ranked 24th out of 30 countries with “study-effectiveness.” Finland is number one, because Finnish students spend more time studying than they do in school.
South Korea has many current events right, the most important being the country’s relations with North Korea. Just this past week, North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan and continues to send threats to South Korea.
The country is also having drama with the president, as mentioned in my history paragraph. Her impeachment and the snap election that will be held has certainly brought tension to the country, as they have never before experienced something like this. President Park has faced a whopping 18 charges including bribery, coercion, and abuse of office. She collected or demanded $52 million dollars in bribery, $38 of it being from the Samsung company. She could face up to 10 years in prison, although her presidential successor has the power to free her with a pardon.
In 2014, there was a tragic sinking of a Sewol ferry that killed 300 people, 250 of them being high school students. The captain of the ferry, Lee Jun-seok, was sentenced to life in prison because of negligence of the ferry. Just recently after a painfully slow process, the ferry was finally brought up from underwater. This accident also but a huge blot on President Park for failure to respond to the emergency.
On brighter news, South Korea is to hold the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018. This is exciting, and this is South Korea’s second time to host an Olympic event, the first being the 1998 Seoul Summer Olympics. However, the National Hockey League (NHL) has decided to not take part in the Winter Olympics. All of the players were very disappointed to not be playing, although the League’s leaders say it is for the best.
Overall, I had an awesome time learning so much more about South Korea and learning what life is like in their beautiful, culturally unique country. I hope I can get to visit there one day, and see everything for myself!
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