This presentation is an introduction to those yearning to learn Korean literature and culture. Also presented here are the literary backgrounds on how Korean undergo the learning English language.

1. SHERILYN E. NUESCA
ONE NATION, TWO STATES

2. Ancient Korea
By 4000 BC there were stoneage
farmers living in Korea. By 1000 BC
they had learned to use bronze. By
about 300 BC they had learned to
use iron to make toolsand weapons.
At first Korea was divided into
tribes but eventually organised
kingdoms emerged. There were 3 of
them, Goguryeo in the north and
Silla and Baekje in the south.

3. Three Kingdoms

4. Silla
 Sillawas one of the Three Kingdomsof Korea,
and oneof the world's longest sustained
dynasties. Although it was founded by
King Park Hyeokgeose the dynastywas ruled
by the Gyeongju Kim clan for most of its 992-
year history. What began as a chiefdom in
the Samhan confederacies, once allied
with China, Sillaeventually conquered the
other two kingdoms, Baekje in 660
and Goguryeo in 668.

5. Goryeo
 Goryeo, also knownas Koryŏ, wasa
Korean dynastyestablished in 918 by
King Taejo. This kingdom latergave
name to the modern stateof Korea. It
united the LaterThree Kingdoms in 936
and ruled mostof the Korean peninsula
until itwas removed by the leaderof
the Joseon dynasty in 1392.

6. Baekje
Baekje was founded by Onjo, the
third son of Goguryeo's
founder Jumong and So Seo-no,
at Wiryeseong (present-day
southern Seoul). Baekje, like
Goguryeo, claimed to
succeed Buyeo, a state established
in present-day Manchuria around
the time of Gojoseon’s fall.

7. Unified Silla (660 – 935)
 The Silla kingdom, allied with China's
Tang, defeats Baekje in 660 and
Goguryeo in 668 to form Unified Silla,
the first pan-Korean state. Meanwhile,
in Manchuria, the Balhae (Parhae), 698-
926, establish a northern kingdom.
During this time Buddhism is dominant,
and favorable trade relationships with
China and Japan help Korea to become
brilliant and wealthy

8. Joseon (1392 – 1910)
 General Yi Seonggyeestablishes the
Joseon (Yi) dynasty in Korea, following
thecollapseof Mongol rule. Culturally
aligned with Ming China, theearly
Joseon enjoy 200 yearsof peace until
about 1600, the startof the modern
(pan-global) era when Japan, China, and
Europe all collide with monumental
effect upon the Korean shore.

9. The Colonial Period in Korea
( 1910 – 1945)

The Japanese turned Korea into acolony to
supply Japan with food. Howevertheyalso
built bridges, railwaysand roads. The
Japanesealso built many factories in
Korea. The urban population grew rapidly
although Korea remained predominantly
agricultural. Nevertheless Japanese rule
was repressive. In 1919 many Koreans took
part in peaceful demonstrations for
independence. The Japanese responded by
arresting and executing thousands of
people.

10. Korean War
 Even before the warended Russia and the USA had
agreed that after the war Korea would be divided into
two zones, Russian and American. In August 1945
Russian troops entered the north. In September, after
the Japanese surrender, American troops landed in
the south. Korea was divided in two along an
imaginary line, the 38th parallel. It was originally
intended that the two zones would eventually be
united into one. Of course that did not happen. With
the onset of the cold war the divide between them
hardened. The Russians installed a communist
government in the north and in the south a
government was elected in 1948. Korea became two
countries, one Communist, and one Democratic.

11. SOUTH KOREA

12. South Korea
 Democracy did not f lourish in South Korea
in the 1950s. The president, Syngman Rhee
used a national security law of 1949 to close
newspapers and imprison critics. However
his administration was corrupt and by 1960
it was facing growing economic problems.
In 1960 riots by students forced Rhee to
resign. Faced with inf lation,
unemployment and continuing riots the
army staged a coup in 1961. General Park
Chung-hee became ruler.

13. The South Korean Economic Miracle
 Despite repressive rule South Korea's economy
began to grow rapidly from the mid 1960s and by
the 1990s the country had undergone an economic
miracle. It was transformed from a poor, relatively
undeveloped country into a thriving and rich
economy. The state played a large part in the
transformation. In the 1960s General Park built
roads and bridges and expanded education. A
series of 5 year plans were drawn up and the
government took a central role in running the
economy. Industry became dominated by large
corporations called Chaebol.

14.  In the 1980s the Koreaneconomycontinued to growand
thecountryclimbed outof poverty. South Korea becamean
aff luent society. In 1988 the Olympicswere held in Seoul
which brought South Korea into the international
limelight. Howeverfrom the mid 1980s therewas
increasing unrest in South Korea led by students unhappy
with the regime. In 1987 Christian leaders spokeoutagainst
the regimeand many people held massdemonstrations.
General Chun agreed to stepdown and democratic
electionswere held. In 1988 General Roh Tae-woowas
elected president.
By the 1990s South Koreahad becomea fairlyrich nation
and its people had quitea highstandard of living. Itwas
alsoademocraticcountry. In the 1990s thegovernment
began toderegulate industry.
At the beginning of the 21stcentury Korea isa prosperous
and thriving nation. In 2008 awoman named Yi SoYeon
becamethe first Korean to travel in space, whichwas
anothermilestone in thecountriesdevelopment.Then in
2013 Park Geun Hye became the firstwoman presidentof
South Korea.



15. NORTH KOREA

16. 
In the late 1990sasevere famineoccurred in North
Korea. Therewereunusuallyheavyrainand floods
in 1995-96, followed byadroughtin 1997 and
typhoondamage in 1997. Malnutrition became
commonespeciallyamong children. How many
peopledied in the famine is not knownas
informationisvery hard tocome by butsome
estimatesput itatone million. The food shortages
dragged on through the 1990s.
HoweverNorth Korearemainsaveryrepressiveand
very isolated regime. In the 1990sSouth Korea made
someattempt to normalizerelationswith the north
but Korearemainsadeeplydivided nation.
In 2013 thepeopleof North Koreastill faceterrible
hardshipand even starvationaswell as brutal
politicaloppression.
Todaythepopulationof North Korea is 22 million
while thepopulation of South Korea is 48 million.




17. North Korea
 In stark contrast is North Korea. After Russian
troops occupied the north a communist
government was installed. Kim Il Sung was made
ruler. Like many dictators he created a 'cultof
personality' by erecting statues of himself
everywhere. Schoolchildren were taught to see
him as the fount of all wisdom. In fact he created
a very repressive regime. Religious belief was
outlawed and the people strictlycontrolled. Today
North Korea is the last Stalinist regime in the
world. With a great deal of Russian aid North
Korea was transformed from a pooragricultural
country into an industrial one.

18. 1

31. A is for Art
Sout Korea has a variety of art
and a fraction of it is music. A
genre of Korean music is K-Pop,
which consists of hip hop, rock,
and electronic music with a
similar feel to American songs
but in Korean. Many teenagers
and young adults listen to K-
Pop around Asia and this music
is even starting to target the
American market. A popular
singer, is RAIN, an
superstar who is a
dancer, and movie
international
singer,
actor who
has starred in a number of
movies such as, "Speed Racer",
and "Ninja Assasin".

32. Korea has a rich history of
unique architecture. The most
famous type of Korean
buildings are their Buddhist
temples. These temples are
elegantly painted, made of
wood, are built with no nails,
and have sculptures of
Buddhist symbols that adorn
them. These characteristics
make Korean Buddhist temples
unique. The pictures shows
one of the many Korean
Buddhist temples. (Beopjusa)

33. Communication is
typically used in South
Korea through
Westernized methods
such as calling, texting,
and e-mailing. An
average teenager sends
2000 text messages a
month (in America, a
teenager sends 85 text
messages a month), which
is an extremely popular
medium of communication
in South Korea. (“Text”)

34. Most people in South
Korea garb themselves in
Western-style brands such
as 'Abercrombie and
Fitch', 'Forever 21',
'H&M', and 'Nike'.
However, on special
occasions, people wear
Korean traditional outfits
known as han-boks. For
men, a han-bok is a loose
fitting tunic with trousers.
For women, a hanbok
consists of a lengthy yet
colorful dress. (“Fashion”)

35. South Korean economy has
progressed unbelievably rapidly
and has made remarkable
progress in a very short period
of time. The biggest employer in
South Korea is LG, a major
manufacturer of electronic
products and telecommunication
company.
one of the
made: the
(“LG”)
The picture shows
many products LG has
Lollipop phone.

36. Fam y s va ued very h gh y nil i l i l i
Korean life. The father
is typically the master of the
family and he is the one who
provides all the necessities of
life for his family. In addition, a
child's number one priority is to
their parents. Due to Confucian
influences, respecting the
elders in the family is valued
very highly. In fact,
disrespecting your elders is
considered one of the worst
acts one can commit.
Korea: Language”)
(“South

37. The Korean government allows their
citizens certain democratic rights
through a very Western style
government mixed with Chinese
influences. In other words, this
means that people have influence
over the government's actions
through freedom of speech and
press. In addition, the government is
very similar to that of America as they
have a Supreme Court, a president,
and a Legislative branch. The picture
is one of the current South Korean
president, Myunk-Bak Lee. (“South
Korea Government”)

38. The Korean history is not a very
pleasant one, in fact, it is full of
war. In 1910, Japan seized
control of Korea during the
expansion of Japan. The
Japanese controlled Korea for
years, and abused Korean
citizens for their own benefit
through hard labor and harsh
punishments. Afterwards, two
35
Korean war and eventually
caused it to separate.

39. South Korea, rom pop starsf
to politicians, has many
icons, but one who would
bring an immediate response
would be Kim Yuna. Kim Yuna
started off as just a girl
learning how to skate but
grew up to be a professional,
Olympic figure skater. When
she won a gold medal at the
Vancouver Winter Olympics in
2010 she achieved world fame
because South Korea had
never gotten a medal in figure
skating, much less a gold
one.

40. The average person makes a
ving n South Ko ea byli i r
manufacturing automobiles and
ships, doing steelwork, making
consumer electronics, and
helping with
telecommunications. These
occupations make up the
majority of the South Korean
job market. South
Korean factory workers can
assemble a cell phone in a
matter of seconds and one out
of a million of those cell phones
is defective. The picture shows
factory workers hard at work.
(“South Korea: Job”)

41. South Koreans value
knowledge and find it of
vital importance and as a
result, about four percent
of South Korea's GDP is
spent on education. Ninety
seven percent of the
population is able to read
and write and the average
South Korean spends a
total of seventeen years in
school. In the picture, you
can see hardworking
students in a classroom.
(CIA)

42. The Korean language, also known
as Hangul, plays an important
role in Korean people. King
Sejong finally developed Hangul
in the mid 15th century. This
language is spoken in both North
and South Korea, but North
Koreans prefer to call it
Chosongul. Although Hangul is the
main language, there are a few
second languages taught in
schools such as English, Chinese,
and Russian. (South Korea
Language)

43. There are a number of ways to
get around in South
Korea. Driving is a very common
way of getting from one place to
another, although many people
can not afford cars. This is why
public transportation, such as
buses or
common
fast, and
subways, are very
since they are cheap,
experience little to no
city traffic. International
transportation by airplanes are
also fairly popular since there is
a mass of international visitors
and emigrations. (South Korea
Transportation)

44. N is for National Pride
South Koreans love their country
and as a result, they would stand
up and fight for it. In 1919, the
Koreans grew frustrated with
Japanese rule so they campaigned
to get their freedom back. As a
result, Korean nationalists led an
enormous, peaceful
demonstration which led to the
death of 2,000 people as well as a
jailing of 19,000 others. In this
photo, South Koreans wave their
flags high above, representing
their country. (Ahmad, 381)

45. O is for Organizations
South Korea has many
organizations but the
most known one is the
Korean military or (ROK).
The ROK is the largest
military branch in South
Korea. Men must
complete 21 months of
military service in a
certain amount of time. It
is a very well equipped
best in Asia.

46. South Korea may no be the
b ggest country bu does
t
t iti ,
have a enormous population
of 48,754,657 people. South
Korea has one of the top
ethnically and linguistically
homogeneous population
although many people
emigrate to countries such as
China, the United States, and
Japan. Additionally, the
northwest, southeast, and the
plains south of the Seoul-
Incheon area are most
populated. (South Korea)

47. Q is for Quality of Life
Due South Korea's
amazing economy, most of
the people are happy and
extremely healthy. Most
people have very
successful jobs, can afford
housing, heat, electricity,
and medical bills. South
Korea has clean water, and
plenty of food to eat due to
trade. Korea is a bustling
city with many public
taxis), trains, and planes.

48. In South Korea, their Constitution
provides freedom of religion. Foreign
missionaries and religious groups do
not need to be licensed nor do they
need to have a registration
requirement. Furthermore, the
Government does not authorize the
teaching of a certain religion in
public schools, although private
schools are certified to advise
religious activities. About twenty six
percent of South Koreans
are Buddhist, twenty six percent
are Christian, forty six percent are
atheist, and two percent are affiliated
with other religions. (Religion)

49. Most people in South Korea
consider themselves in the
P
.l
.'D
.ft
.m
.l
.t!i
.l
.lf
,I
.II
....
upper middle class or
class. They base their
class on the level of
middle
social _..11
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rt ...
•b
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education (such as a college
graduate) compared to those
with primary education.
(Culture) There is a huge
variety of people in South
Korea; some with lots of
money, and some without
any money.
., ....
·~
,
..
..
.
_

50. In South Korea, manners are
important. For example,
when you enter a house, you
MUST take off your
shoes. To wear your shoes
inside a house is
considered both dirty and
disrespectful. (South Korea:
Culture)

51. U is for Urban or Rural
South Korea is mostly
made up of cities as more
than 70% was urbanized by
2000. However, South
Korea has a small
percentage of rural area of
twenty three percent by
2000. South Korea has
many cities such as Seoul,
the capital city, Pusan, and
other big cities. The
pictures shows one
example of a huge city in
Korea known as Seoul.

52. South Koreans mainly enjoy
soccer and their traditional sport,
tae kwon do, which is a kind of
martial art that developed 2000
years ago and was meant for self
defense and a type of Korean
sparring match known as ssrium,
a very simple and physical
game. An opponent tries to force
the other person to the ground
by grabbing their belt. If a part of
the body above the knee touches
the ground, the other person
wins. (“Recreation”)

53. W is for Way of Life
Many rich people
Korea hire maids
work of everyday
take care of their
in South
to do the
life and to
children.
The maids wash the clothes,
usually in a washing
machine, and sometimes
cook dinner when the
parents can't come home in
time. However, it's often the
mother who takes care of
the shopping.

54. The Korean Peninsula is a
very mountainous and
rugged place.
70% of the Korean
Peninsula is covered by
mountains and forests. To
the east, there is the Sea
of Japan, to the south,
there is the Korean Strait,
and to the west, there is
the Yellow Sea. The DMZ
which divides North and
South Korea is along the

55. Korean people normally eat
rice, a sort of soup, and
kimchee with every meal.
The sorts of soups either
involve a sort of salty broth
with meat and vegetables or
a stew of beans or another
sort of vegetables. Kimchee
is a pickled cabbage spiced
with garlic, onions, peppers,
and shellfish sauce. The
meal above consists of rice,
kimchee, and a fermented
bean soup. (Woo)

56. Z is for Ztuff
Chopsticks are traditional
and modern utensils used
mainly by East Asia and
Asian restaurants. They
are used to grab
different kinds of foods
like a fork. They come in
pairs and are small thin
sticks of wood or plastic.
They are held by one
food easily.

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