Korean Culture

Korean culture is very interesting and full of wonderful traditions. It is a magical place where you find
both perfect peace and harmony, but unfortunately wars and tragedies as well. Korean culture rarely
falls short of amazing. Use the table below to quickly jump to the section you are interested in.

Geography
Korea is a small penninsula on the far East side of Asia. It is between China and Japan. It is
connected to mainland Asia in the North. It is separated from China and Russia by the Yalu River
and the Tuman River. Between Korea and Japan is the East Sea. To the West between Korea and
China is the Yellow Sea. The size of Korea is roughly 1,000 kilometers in length.
Korea is a divided country. At the End of World War II in 1948, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel.
This resulted in North Korea and South Korea. North Korea became communist, while South Korea
did not. (This was based on the deal at the end of the War, dividing the country in two just as
Germany had been). North Korea is also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and
South Korea is also known as the Republic of Korea. South Korea, or the Republic of North Korea is
slightly larger in physical size, while South Korea's population size is about twice as large as North
Korea's population size. The fact that this division occurred has left both North and South Korea on
the bridge of war.

Traditional Korean Society

Although South Korea is modernizing extremely fast, it still holds on to many traditional values and
the old way of life. Where there are not highly populated cities, there are rural area's which are still
relatively poor, and still follow traditional ways of life. In cities, millions of people live in apartments,
but in the rural area's you will find traditional housing. Also, even though the cities are headed toward
very modern times, people still hold onto some traditional values. One thing that guarantee's this is
the language. The language has traditional values of social status and respect built directly into it.
Words change depending on who you are speaking with. This will keep traditional values always
present.

Korea, called Hanguk in South Korea and Chosn in North Korea, is anEast Asian territory
that is divided into two distinct sovereign states, North Korea (a.k.a. Democratic People's
Republic of Korea, or DPRK) and South Korea (a.k.a. Republic of Korea, or ROK). Located on
the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by China to the northwest and Russia to the northeast.
It is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait and the East Sea.
Korea emerged as a singular political entity after centuries of conflict among the Three
Kingdoms of Korea, which were unified asSilla (57 BC AD 935) under King Munmu. The
united Silla was eventually succeeded by Goryeo in 935 at the end of the Later Three
Kingdoms period. Goryeo, which gave name to the modern exonym "Korea", was a highly
cultured state and created the Jikjiin the 14th century. The invasions by the Mongolians in the
13th century, however, greatly weakened the nation, which forced it intovassalage. After
the Mongol Empire's collapse, severe political strife followed. Goryeo eventually fell to an
uprising led by General Yi Seong-gye, who established Joseon in 1388.
The traditional culture of Korea refers to the shared cultural heritage of the Korean Peninsula.
Since the mid-20th century, the peninsula has been split politically between North and South
Korea, resulting in a number of cultural differences.[1][2][3][4] BeforeJoseon Dynasty, the practice
of Korean shamanism was deeply rooted in the Korean culture.

: Korean dance

Jinju geommu

As with music, there is a distinction between court dance and folk dance. Common court dances
are jeongjaemu () performed at banquets, and ilmu (), performed at Korean
Confucian rituals. Jeongjaemu is divided into native dances (, hyangak jeongjae) and
forms imported from Central Asia and China (, dangak jeongjae). Ilmu are divided into
civil dance (, munmu) and military dance (, mumu). Many mask dramas and mask
dances are performed in many regional areas of Korea.[7] The traditional clothing is the genja, it
is a special kind of dress that women wear on festivals. It is pink with multiple symbols around
the neck area.
Traditional choreography of court dances is reflected in many contemporary productions.
Taekkyeon, a traditional Korean martial art, is central to the classic Korean dance. Taekkyeon,
being a complete system of integrated movement, found its core techniques adaptable to mask,
dance and other traditional artforms of Korea.
Korean painting

A scenery on Dano day

The earliest paintings found on the Korean peninsula are petroglyphs of prehistoric times. With
the arrival of Buddhism from India via China, different techniques were introduced. These

techniques quickly established themselves as the mainstream techniques, but indigenous

techniques still survived.
There is a tendency towards naturalism with subjects such as realistic landscapes, flowers and
birds being particularly popular. Ink is the most common material used, and it is painted on
mulberry paper or silk.
In the 18th century indigenous techniques were advanced, particularly in calligraphy and seal
engraving.
Arts are both influenced by tradition and realism. For example, Hans near-photographic "Break
Time at the Ironworks" shows muscular men dripping with sweat and drinking water from tin
cups at a sweltering foundry. Jeong Sons "Peak Chonnyo of Mount Kumgang" is a classical
Korean landscape of towering cliffs shrouded by mists.

Crafts
Blue and White Porcelain Peach-Shaped Water Dropper from the Joseon Dynasty 18th century

Lacquer drawer with mother-of-pearl inlay, at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul

There is a unique set of handicrafts produced in Korea. Most of the handicrafts are created for a
particular everyday use, often giving priority to the practical use rather than aesthetics.
Traditionally, metal, wood, fabric, lacquerware, and earthenware were the main materials used,
but later glass, leather or paper have sporadically been used.
Ancient handicrafts, such as red and black pottery, share similarities with pottery
of Chinese cultures along the Yellow River. The relics found of the Bronze Age, however, are
distinctive and more elaborate.
Many sophisticated and elaborate handicrafts have been excavated, including gilt crowns,
patterned pottery, pots or ornaments. During the Goryeo period the use of bronze was
advanced. Brass, that is copper with one third zinc, has been a particularly popular material.
The dynasty, however, is renowned for its use ofceladon ware.

During the Joseon period, popular handicrafts were made of porcelain and decorated with blue
painting. Woodcraft was also advanced during that period. This led to more sophisticated pieces
of furniture, including wardrobes, chests, tables or drawers.
Music of Korea

Korean Music-Parade

There is a genre distinction between folk music and court music. Korean folk music is varied
and complex, but all forms maintain a set of rhythms (called ; Jangdan) and a loosely
defined set of melodic modes. Korean folk musics are Pansori () performed by one singer
and one drummer. Occasionally, there might be dancers and narraters. They have been
designated an intangible cultural property inUNESCO's Memory of the world,[15] and Pungmul (
) performed by drumming, dancing and singing. Samul Nori is a type of Korean traditional
music based on Pungmul, and Sanjo () that is played without a pause in faster
tempos. Nongak () means "farmers' music".
Korean court music can be traced to the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty in 1392. Korean court
musics include A-ak, Dang-ak and Hyang-ak. Korean music is still played and sang a lot.
Korean architecture

Traditional house, hanok ()

Traditional farmer's house; Folk Village, Seoul

Korean traditional houses are called Hanok (Hangul:) .Sites of residence are traditionally
selected using traditional geomancy. Although geomancy had been a vital part of Korean culture
and Korean Shamanism since prehistoric times, geomancy was later re-introduced by China
during the Three Kingdoms period of Korea's history.
A house should be built against a hill and face south to receive as much sunlight as possible.
This orientation is still preferred in modern Korea. Geomancy also influences the shape of the
building, the direction it faces and the material it is built of.
Traditional Korean houses can be structured into an inner wing (, anchae) and an outer
wing (, sarangchae). The individual layout largely depends on the region and the wealth
of the family. Whereas aristocrats used the outer wing for receptions, poorer people kept cattle
in the sarangchae. The wealthier a family, the larger the house. However, it was forbidden to
any family except for the king to have a residence of more than 99 kan. A kan is the distance
between two pillars used in traditional houses.
The inner wing normally consisted of a living room, a kitchen and a wooden-floored central hall.
More rooms may be attached to this. Poorer farmers would not have any outer wing. Floor
heating (, ondol) has been used in Korea since prehistoric times. The main building
materials are wood, clay, tile, stone, and thatch. Because wood and clay were the most
common materials used in the past not many old buildings have survived into present times.
Today, however, people live in apartments and more modernized houses.

Cultural Values
Traditionally the principles of Confucian ideology served as the primary influence on
the behavior and customs of the Korean family. The male-oriented teachings of
Confucianism stress the patriarchal role of men, the importance of family lineage, and
the significance of paying homage to ancestors. As such, men predominate over
women and sons are preferred over daughters.
Today the importance of sons has diminished, largely due to increasing numbers of

people who are educated, experienced in cultural exchanges, and aware of different
values. However, Koreans still generally prefer sons over daughters. When a mother
gives birth to a son, she feels relief, pride, and joy because she believes that she has
fulfilled one of her fundamental duties to her parents-in-law. When a daughter is born,
the mother usually feels disappointed and consoles herself with the thought that her
daughter can be helpful to her. Nevertheless, many mothers hope for sons the next
time, or continue to give birth until they bear sons.