3. Geography
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-korean-peninsula-1435252
Korea - Located in EAST ASIA
- Called the “Land of the morning calm”
- Korea is the modern spelling of “COREA”, a name
attested in English as early as 1614.
- “KOREA” 19th century.
Amnok River – The river that separates Korea from
China and to the north east
Duman River – The river that separates Korea from
China and Russia
Peninsula - surrounded by the Yellow Sea to the west,
the East China Sea and Korea Strait to the south, and
the Sea of Japan.
4. Religion
• Confucian tradition has dominated Korean
though, along with contributions of Buddhism,
Taoism and Korean Shamanism.
• Confucianism has competed with Buddhism in
South Korea, while religious practice has been
suppressed in North Korea.
• The influence of traditional beliefs of Korean
Shamanism, Mahayana Buddhism,
Confucianism and Taoism have remained an
underlying religion of the Korean people as well
as a vital aspect of their culture.
https://www.90daykorean.com/reli
gion-in-korea/
5. • South Korea
• North Korea
Divided into two distinct sovereign
states
https://www.freepik.com/premium-
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background-vector-illu_16295700.htm
6. Language
• Korean is the official language of both
North and South Korea.
• Worldwide, there are up to 80 million
speakers of the Korean language.
• Korean has borrowed much vocabulary
from the Chinese or created vocabulary
on Chinese models.
• Korean alphabet is known as Hangul in
South Korea and Chosungul in China
and North Korea.
https://www.britannica.com/top
ic/Hangul-Korean-alphabet
7. Sports
• Football remains one of the most popular sports in
South Korea.
• Baseball is popular in Seoul, and they have three
teams.
• Taekwondo is one of Korea's most famous sports.
• Hapkido is a modern Korean martial art.
• Ssireum is a traditional form of wrestling that has
been practiced in Korea for thousands of years,
with evidence discovered from Goguryeo of Korea's
Three Kingdoms Period.
8. Music
• Traditional Korean music includes combinations of the folk,
vocal, religious and ritual music styles of the Korean people.
• Korean music falls into two broad categories.
1. which literally means The local music or Music native to Korea.
Example:
Sujecheon, a piece of instrumental music as old as 1,300 years.
2. Yangak which represents a more Western style.
• Traditional Korean Dance
• Jinju Geommu (Sword Dance of Jinju)** Also known
as Geomgimu or Kalchum
9. • Traditional Dress for Women
Hanbok
short jacket called a jeogori - long
skirt called a chima
• Traditional Clothes for Men
Men also wore a jeogori, but much
longer.
• Traditional House
A hanok is a traditional Korean house.
https://bestofkorea.com/all-about-korean-
hanbok/
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/south-
korea/articles/hanok-the-forerunner-to-eco-
architecture/?amp=1
10. Goryeo or Koryo Dynasty
• Founded in 918 founded by Emperor Taejo
• It replaced Silla as the ruling Dynasty of Korea
• Goryeo land was at first what is now South Korea and about 1/3 of North Korea.
• Goryeo is a short form of “Goguryeo” and first used during the time of “King Jangsu”.
• The name “Korea” is derived from the name of Goryeo, also spelled Koryo.
Joseon Dynasty
• Yi-seong-gye founded the “Joseon Dynasty” and moved the capital from “kaesong to
Hanseong” formerly HANYANG, Modern day SEOUL and built “Gyeongbokgung Palace”
• It was founded aftermath of the overthrew of the Goryeo Dynasty.
• Most notable among them was “Sejong the Great” who promoted (Hangul) – Korean Alphabet
Korean Dynasties
11. • In 1945, with the surrender of Japan, the United Nations developed
plans for a trusteeship administration, the Soviet Union
administering the peninsula north of the 38th parallel and the United
States administering the south.
• Politics of the Cold War resulted in the 1948 establishment of two
separate governments North Korea and South Korea.
• The Korean War led to the development of literature centered on
the wounds and chaos of war.
• The collapse of the traditional Korean value system is another
common theme of the time.
Korean War
12. • Korean literature written before the end of the Joseon Dynasty is called
“Classical” or “Traditional”
• Literature written in Chinese character (hanja).
• Until the 1980s Korean literature was largely unknown outside of the
peninsula.
• Early Korean Literature - Classical Korean literature has its roots in
traditional folk beliefs and folk tales of the peninsula, strongly influenced
by Confucianism,
• Buddhism and Shamanism – Began as an oral tradition. – Korean
poems were called Hyangga. – A new form of poem developed after the
Goryeo dynasty and was called shijo a three- line poem written in Hangul
and gained wide acceptance.
Korean Literature
13. • Modern Korean Literature
• The first period of the modern Korean literature is often called
“Enlightenment”
• Introduced the Western-style schools and newspaper emerged. – Many
biographical works were published, the main character was often
depicted as a hero.
• Jayusi is the formation of modern free verse poetry
• The first printed work of fiction in Korea was John Bunyan’s Pilgrims
Progress or Cheonno- yeokjeong,1893.
• The first complete edition of Bible in Korean was published in, 1910.
14. • Contemporary Korean Literature - During the Colonial Korea 1910
• 1945 free speech and press were restricted, thus influencing the
literature
• Literature focused on self discovery and increasingly on concrete
reality
• Many novelist experimented with new literacy style and techniques
• In 1919, Kim Tong-in and Kim Hyok founded a literary
magazine “Changjo”.
• The literary magazine appeared during 1920’s and 1930’s were the
basis for the future development of Modern Korean Literature
• Many novels of the 1920s centred around themes of the suffering of
intellectuals.
15. Fun Facts about Korea:
2. There are the short works of one volume, “medium” works of about 10 volumes, and
long works of more than 10 volumes.
3. There are works of yangban writers and those of common writers.
•
• From the 17th century onwards, fiction became increasingly popular and more readily
available through book rental schemes.
• Geumo Sinhwa (new stories from Mount Geumo) by Kim Si-seup.
• The first know classical work of Korean fiction.
• It was written in Chinese characters.
• In the mid-Joseon period, parable-like stories were published.
• By the end of the Joseon period, many writers had started to deviate from the orthodox
conventions of classical Chinese literature, and literature about common people such
as merchants, theieves, or gisaeng were commonplace.
