South Korea. Land of K-pop (Gangnam Style), plastic surgery and make-up, kimchi, Samsung, Korean drama's, blazing fast Internet, Seoul, but also, the Korean War.
Geological facts
Name: Republic of Korea
Capital: Seoul
Government: Unitary presidential republic
Language: Korean
Area: 100,363 km2 (38,750 sq mi)
Population: 51,709,098
Currency: Korean Republic won (₩) (KRW)
The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century BCE. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century, Korea was ruled by the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). The succeeding Korean Empire was annexed in 1910 into the Empire of Japan. Japanese rule in Korea ended following the former's surrender in World War II, after which Korea was divided into two zones; a northern zone occupied by the Soviet Union and a southern zone occupied by the United States. After negotiations on reunification failed, the latter became the Republic of Korea in August 1948 while the former became North Korea.
In 1950, a North Korean invasion began the Korean War, which saw extensive United States-led U.N. intervention in support of the South, while China intervened to support the North with Soviet assistance. After the war's end in 1953, the country's economy began to soar, recording the fastest rise in average GDP per capita in the world between 1980 and 1990. The June Struggle led to the end of authoritarian rule in 1987 and the country is now considered among the most advanced democracies in Asia, with the highest level of press freedom. However, corruption and political scandals have become growing problems in recent years; both living former South Korean presidents have been sentenced to prison for various crimes ranging from abuse of authority to bribery and embezzlement and are still serving their sentences.
Source: Wikipedia
Worth mentioning too is the Starfield Library, a multi story library in the Starfield COEX Mall in Seoul, the biggest underground shopping centre in Asia. The 2.500 sm building holds over 50 thousand books and international magazines. It's a selfie heaven in the Gangnam area. Check out these stunning pictures!
Fun facts about South Korea
South Koreans think there is some significance to their blood type. They are thought to contribute to a person’s personality and characteristics. Blood types can be used to help choose a spouse since your partner’s blood type may not be a good match for yours.
South Koreans are one year old when born.
Apart from Valentines Day, South Korea also has “White Day.” This is essentially another Valentine’s Day, held a month later, on March 14th. On Valentine’s Day, the males receive chocolate from females, while girls receive sweets on White Day.
Culture in South Korea is very hierarchical, much of it based on age. Only in specific situations are you allowed to call someone by their first name. Otherwise, you need to refer to them by title. 5. In South Korea, 4 is an unlucky number, because the word for 4 in Korean is similar to the word for death.
People often give toilet paper and laundry detergent as housewarming gifts.
Raw octopus isn’t good if it’s not squirming around in your mouth, so South Koreans skip out on the cooking part. Some will cut up the octopus and put it in a bowl. Others cut off the legs while it’s still alive, eat the legs, and toss the rest of the octopus body into a stew.
Seoul is with 25 million people living within the city limits, the third-largest city in the world.
South Korea has the best food delivery service in the world. One of the unique facts about it is that once you’ve finished your meal, you can put the dishes outside of your front door, and the person who delivered your food will swing back later to pick them up.
Samsung -based in Seoul- is responsible for a fifth of the country’s booming economy. Apart from its cutting-edge cell phone technology, they’re also responsible for creating modern and reliable armored cars for military use and medical equipment, among other technologies.
Source: 90 Day Korean
The book I read
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Synopsis: Korea, 1911. In a small fishing village on the banks of the East Sea, a club-footed, cleft-lipped man marries a fifteen-year-old girl. The couple have one child, their beloved daughter Sunja. When Sunja falls pregnant by a married yakuza, the family face ruin. But then Isak, a Christian minister, offers her a chance of salvation: a new life in Japan as his wife. Following a man she barely knows to a hostile country in which she has no friends, no home, and whose language she cannot speak, Sunjas salvation is just the beginning of her story. Through eight decades and four generations, Pachinko is an epic tale of family, identity, love, death and survival.
Although I really enjoyed this book, I gave it only three stars. The book thought me a lot about the hardships Korean people had to endure in Japan and the writing was very good. But every time I became attached to a character, the angle switched to a relative or another person, sometimes even without mentioning the previous characters anymore. But, overall I thought it was a very good and informative read!
About the author
Min Jin Lee (born 1968) is a Korean American author and journalist based in Manhattan. Her work frequently deals with Korean and Korean American topics. Her debut novel Free Food for Millionaires was published in 2007. Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea. Her family came to the United States in 1976, when she was seven years old, and she grew up in New York City. In 2018, Lee said that the works that most influence her as a writer are Middlemarch by George Eliot, Cousin Bette by Honoré de Balzac, and the Bible.
Other book recommendations for South Korea
On this website, we add new books from countries all over the world every week. Check out which other books are featured for South Korea here.
Souvenir
Even though I'm not a fan of K-pop or BTS myself, I felt I could not ignore they are all the rage these days :-) so I selected this Funko doll of 'RM'. Is that his name...? Oh, and for the hardcore fans, there is also a 7-pack where you get the whole band. Just sayin'.
Comments