Joan A.

Bella BSEd 3 – 13
Schedule: TFRI 10:30 – 12:00

KOREAN CULTURE
Korea is a nation that was little known to the outside world until it burst into the news in the
middle of the twentieth century as a major trouble spot in the Cold War. The Korean Conflic
t, which lasted for three years from 1950 to 1953, establishedKorea as a battleground in th
e worldwide confrontation between democratic capitalism and Communism, and it remains
a place where the tensions persist even after the fall of Communism in Europe and the diss
olution of the Soviet Union. Because of Korea's strategic position on the edge of the "free w
orld," it is easy to overlook the historic and cultural features of Korean civilization that make
it an intrinsically interesting place to study and visit. Despite the war and continuing division
of the country into northern and southern republics, and despite the long years of poverty a
nd struggle that followed the cease-fire in 1953, the two parts ofKorea are poised to play a
significant role in world affairs in the twentyfirst century.South Korea is already one of the w
orld's most energetic trading economies. North Korea has attracted attention as a country d
etermined to assert its independent course, demanding respect and recognition as well.

The once-dominant Confucian culture—with its emphasis on respect for

ancestors, age, and seniority—continues to influence Korean family, work, and social
life, albeit to a lesser degree than in the past. In addition to other factors, such as
economic status and position in a business hierarchy, age and marital status are among
the determinants of relative seniority, and there is some expectation that even between
social acquaintances these factors—especially age—will influence relations.
Traditional family life is much involved with rituals marking life-cycle milestones
and the observation of holidays and ancestral rites. The most important passages in a
person’s life are the completion of a baby’s first 100 days, one’s marriage, and one’s
61st birthday. According to traditional Korean belief, the spirits of the departed do not
leave the earth for several generations; thus, deceased parents and grandparents are
still considered part of the family. Ancestral rites (cherye) are performed to honour them
on death anniversaries and on major holidays. Two of the most important holidays are
Sŏllal (Lunar New Year) and Chusŏk (harvest moon festival, often referred to as the
Korean Thanksgiving), both observed according to the lunar calendar. These are
marked by the gathering of families in the ancestral hometown or at the home of the
head of the family. Traditional elements of holiday celebrations include the formal,
respectful greeting of elders, the preparation and eating of special foods such as
specific types of rice cakes (ddŏk), and the wearing of traditional dress (hanbok).
Hanbok was the everyday dress of Koreans for thousands of years before the opening
of the country to the West. Western dress has supplanted the hanbok almost
everywhere, but even urban dwellers commonly still wear it on special occasions such
as important family meetings, holidays, weddings, and funerals. Women’s and girls’
formal hanbok consists of several layers of undergarments under a colourful, long
billowing skirt and short jacket held closed with a long tie. The men’s and boys’ version
consists of full-legged pants and a long, wide-sleeved jacket. There are
different hanbok for special occasions, such as weddings, babies’ birthdays, and 61st-
birthday celebrations.
Food is an important part of Korean cultural identity. In the diets of even the most
Westernized urban dwellers, traditional Korean cuisine, which emphasizes grains—
especially rice—and fresh vegetables, continues to occupy a dominant role even amid
the popularity of pizza, hamburgers, sushi, Chinese food, and other foreign dishes. A
Korean meal generally consists of rice, soup or stew, and a number of side dishes,
almost invariably among them kimchi, or pickled vegetables. Such is the importance of
kimchi in the national diet that an estimated 160 or more varieties have been identified,
and there is a museum in Seoul dedicated to the dish. The most common type is the
spicy paech’u (Chinese cabbage) kimchi. Although many families today buy most of
their kimchi in supermarkets, many others still make their own. The traditional practice
of kimjang, in which villages and families devoted several days in the autumn to
preparing the winter supply of kimchi, is celebrated in such annual kimjang festivals as
that held in the southwestern city of Kwangju. Other popular Korean dishes
are bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables, egg, a spicy sauce, and sometimes
meat), jjajangmyŏn (noodles in a black-bean sauce), pulgogi (or bulgogi; marinated
meat grilled over charcoal), and samgyet’ang (a soup of stewed whole chicken stuffed
with rice and ginseng), which is eaten as a restorative, particularly during hot weather.

Until the late twentieth century, most Koreans lived in rural

areas and supported themselves through an economy based on agriculture. Part of
Koreans’ culture is
agriculture. Their seasons and holidays were related to the agricultural calendar and the
ir lives were tied to the weather and the success or failure of their crops. Though the pro
portion of the population living in villages and cities has been reversed in the process of
economic modernization, most Koreans still feel closely tied to their ancestral homes in t
he countryside and many have relatives still living in ancestral villages.
When we speak of the Korean agricultural economy we are speaking of rice agric
ulture, for rice is the basic food of the Koreans and an essential part of every meal inclu
ding breakfast. The variety is provided by other foods that are served separately as pan
chan, or "side dishes." The clean white rice that appears on the table is the product of a
n elaborate process of farming that has always been at the heart of the Korean econom
y and is still essential to the nation's economic health.
The Koreans' emotional affinity for rice is rooted in memories of mothers and gra
ndmothers who got up before dawn every day to start the day's rice cooking. Rice was i
n their lunchboxes at school. Water that was boiled in the nearly empty cooking pot mad
e a comforting family drink. Burnt rice made a crunchy snack. Puffed rice was a special t
reat.
Confucianism, the bonds between family members and friends, the respect for au
thority, the willingness to work hard, the passionate desire to learn and improve one's p
osition--all these have remained through generations of revolutionary change(Clark,
2000).
In conclusion, Korea’s culture keeps their kinship. It binds the people living in
their country. Their love for their own culture is what makes them successful and
popular. They do not allow foreign influences to dominate their country even in history
up until now. The people of Korea are unified by their desire to make a change in their
quality of living but with a sense of identity by sticking to their traditions and culture and
nourishing it.

REFERENCES
https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Korea/Daily-life-and-social-customs
Clark, D. Culture and Customs of Korea. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT., 2000.