Welcome to Korea.pdf

Welcome to Korea

Official Name

The Republic of Korea (ROK)

Area

Korean Peninsula : 222,154 km 2

South Korea : 99,460 km 2

Population 48.3 million (2003)

Capital Seoul

Other Major Cities

Busan, Daegu, Daejeon,

Gwangju, Incheon and Ulsan

Monetary Unit won

Facts and Figures

Holidays

New Year’s Day (Jan. 1)

Seollal (Lunar New Year’s Day,

Jan. or Feb.)

Independence Movement Day

(Mar. 1)

Arbor Day (Apr. 5)

Buddha’s Birthday (Apr. or May)

Children’s Day (May 5)

Memorial Day (June 6)

Constitution Day (July 17)

Liberation Day (Aug. 15)

Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day)

(Sept. or Oct.)

National Foundation Day (Oct. 3)

Christmas (Dec. 25)

History

he first legendary kingdom, Gojoseon (ancient Joseon), was formed

in 2333 B.C. Three ancient kingdoms of Goguryeo (37 B.C.-A.D.

668), Baekje (18 B.C.-A.D. 660), and Silla (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) ruled the

entire Korean peninsula and part of Manchuria by the first century B.C.

Baekje and Goguryeo were ultimately vanquished by Silla in A.D. 660

and 668, respectively. The Unified Silla (668-935) period was a golden

age of Korean culture especially in Buddhist art. In the succeeding

Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), an aristocratic government was instituted.

Buddhism was the state religion. “Korea” is a derivative of “Goryeo.”

Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) moved its capital to Hanyang (now Seoul)

from Gaegyeong (Gaeseong) in 1394 and made political and economic

reforms, adopting Confucianism as the state ideology. The surge of

creative literary endeavors and invention of hangeul, the Korean alphabet,

invest this period with special cultural significance. Japan forcibly

annexed Korea in 1910, ending the Dynasty. Korea was under Japanese

colonial rule for 35 years until the end of World War II.

On August 15, 1945, Korea was liberated from Japan, only

to be divided into South Korea and North Korea. The

Republic of Korea in the south established an independent

government in 1948. The Korean War began on June 25,

1950, when North Korea invaded the South. An armistice

agreement was signed in 1953. South Korea’s tireless post-

war reconstruction efforts were highly successful in her

economic development and securing sociopolitical

stability. In June 2000, the two Koreas held a historic

summit meeting, opening an era of reconciliation and

cooperation on the Korean Peninsula.

National Flag

heaven (

)

The Korean flag is called Taegeukgi. Its

design symbolizes the principles of the yin

and yang in Oriental philosophy. The circle

in the center of the flag is divided into two

equal parts. The upper red section

represents the proactive cosmic forces of the

yang. Conversely, the lower blue section

represents the responsive cosmic forces of

the yin. The two forces embody the

concepts of continual movement, balance,

and harmony that characterize the sphere of

infinity. The circle is surrounded by four

trigrams, one in each corner. Each trigram

symbolizes one of the four universal

elements: heaven, earth, fire, and water.

earth (

)

fire (

)

water (

)

The national flower of Korea is the

Mugunghwa or rose of Sharon.

Spring Summer

Fall Winter

Land and Climate

he Korean peninsula is situated at the eastern end of the Asian

continent extending about 1,020 km long. China lies across the

Yellow Sea to the west, while Japan is across the East Sea to the east.

Mountains cover 70 percent of the land area and over 3,000 islands are

scattered along the coasts. The peninsula is currently divided into the

Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south and the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north, separated by the demilitarized

zone (DMZ).

Korea belongs to the temperate zone with four distinct seasons.

Spring is rather short, but very pleasant and sunny. Summer is hot and

humid with monsoon rainfalls in July. Autumn is most beautiful as

vivid golds and vibrant reds create a colorful panorama. Winter is cold

and dry with occasional snow. Jeju Island in the southwest of the

peninsula has a mild subtropical climate.

People and Language

oreans belong to one ethnic

family, speaking one language.

They are believed to be the

descendants of Mongol tribes who

migrated to the Peninsula during the

Neolithic through Bronze Ages.

The Korean language, like Hungarian,

Turkish, Mongolian, and Finnish, belongs to the Ural-Altaic language

group. Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, is composed of 10 vowels and 14

consonants. King Sejong the Great and his scholars created this writing

system in 1443 because Koreans spoke a different language

from Chinese or Japanese, and yet they were relying on

Chinese characters to study, teach and communicate.

Today, the Hangeul writing system is used by 70 million

South and North Koreans, as well as five million

overseas Koreans.

It is widely acclaimed by linguists

as an ingenious invention.

In July 2000, the Korean

government adopted new rules on

Romanization of Korean on which this

brochure is based.

¨‡˙ˇ……¿.

Welcome to Korea.

Constitution and

Government

he Constitution of the Republic of Korea was first promulgated on July 17,

1948. The Constitution guarantees the basic rights and freedoms of the

people, including equality before the law, freedom from arbitrary arrest, freedom

of residence, the right to vote and hold public office, the right to privacy, freedom

of religion, speech, the press and assembly, as well as the right to a clean

environment and pursuit of happiness.

Under a presidential system, the government consists of three branches: the

legislature, in the form of a unicameral National Assembly; the judiciary,

consisting of district and appellate or high courts and the Supreme Court; and the

executive, headed by the President who is the head of state and commander-in-

chief of the Armed Forces. The President is assisted by the Prime Minister and

the State Council, including the cabinet.

- Suffrage: All citizens age 20 or older are eligible to vote.

- Elections

Presidential: Every five years

National Assembly: Every four years

Local Councils: Every four years

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