INTRODUCTION TO KOREA

Formerly a single nation that was annexed by Japan

in 1910, the Korean Peninsula has been divided into
North Korea and South Korea since the end of World
War II on September 2, 1945. The Governments were
founded in the two (2) regions in 1948, leading to the
consolidation of division.
On June 25, 1950, North Korea attacked the South
on all fronts, igniting a three-year internecine
war. The tragic war was stopped with the signing
of the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27,
1953. The peninsula has remained divided ever
since, but a mood for peace has recently
developed after years of tension.
NORTH KOREA
 FUN FACTS
ABOUT
NORTH KOREA
 DID YOU KNOW??
• That one of the most
peculiar aspects of life in
North Korea is the
Government’s control over
citizens’ personal grooming.
• Girls in North Korea are
limited to just 18 approved
hairstyles, while boys have a
choice of ten.
DID YOU KNOW??
In the event of a house fire, it’s
mandatory to rescue the
Leaders’ portrait before
anything else, including your
own children, or you may face
Jail Time.
Every North Korean household
is required to display portraits
of Kim II-sung and Kim Jong-il,
which must be hung on the
most prominent wall in the
living room.
TRADITIONS IN NORTH KOREA
The Grand Mass Gymnastics
And Artistic Performance
Arirang
 Arirang Festival
The grand mass gymnastics and
artistic performance arirang,
also known as the Mass Games
is a mass gymnastics and artistic
festival held in the Rungrado
May Day Stadium in Pyongyang,
North Korea. The festival begins
in early August and ends in early
September.
• Victory Day is a time for North Koreans to reflect on their
country’s history and the sacrifices made during the war.
• May Day in North Korea is celebrated as International Worker’s Day, it
is celebrated across the globe and is regarded as a very special day for
the North Koreans.
 • Kang was born on
September 18, 1986 in
Pyongyang, North Korea,
and spent his childhood
there. He had a happy
childhood. His family lived a
relative luxury from his
grandfather’s position and
the fortune that he had
Kang Chol-Hwan given to the country upon
Author and Founder of North
Korea Strategy Center the family’s return to Japan.
 Work Of Kang Chol-hwan

Award of Kang Chol-hwan:

• Democracy Award (United States of America)
• She’s best known for book,
The Girl with Seven Names,
is a North Korean defector
and activist who lives in
Seoul, South Korea where
she is a student. She
escaped from North Korea
and later guided her family
out of North Korea through
China and Laos.
Lee Hyeon-seo
Author, Human Rights Activist
SOUTH KOREA
 fun facts about

SOUTH KOREA
DID YOU KNOW??
Military Service Is Mandatory For All Men

The main reason that military

service is mandatory is due to
the need to maintain a strong
national defense.
 DID YOU KNOW??
South Korean Is One Year Old When Born

One of the Unique facts about Koreans is

that they’re automatically one year old
at birth.
A newborn baby is considered one year
old in South Korea.
DID YOU KNOW??
They Say “Kimchi” not Cheese

Photographers
usually say “cheese”
to make people smile
in pictures. In Korea,
when photographers
count 1, 2, 3 or 3 to 1
those being
photographed say
“kimchi” by
themselves.
Traditions in South Korea
CHUSEOK
CHUSEOK
Also known as Korean Thanksgiving
Day, is one of the most important and
festive holidays of the year. This year,
Chuseok falls on Thursday, September
19th, but the holiday period actually
lasts for three days in total including
the day before and after Chuseok.
 CHUSEOK
KOREAN THANKSGIVING
 Traditionally, Koreans
return to their ancestral
hometowns to celebrate
with their families,
causing one of the
biggest traffic jams of
the year as people often
take to the road to
reach the provinces
outside of Seoul.
SEOLLAL
SEOLLAL
LUNAR NEW YEARS DAY
 Seollal is a Festival and National
Holiday commemorating the first
day of the Chinese lunisolar
calendar. Originating from
ancient China, it is one of the
most important traditional
holidays in the Korean Peninsula,
being celebrated in both North
Korea and South Korea.

 Seollal and Chuseok are the most

important traditional Holidays for
Koreans, so millions of people
visit their hometown to celebrate
with their Families.
BORYEONG MUD FESTIVAL
Since 1998, this giant Mud Fest has grown
into South Korea’s largest Festival with 2
million visitors.
JEJU FIRE FESTIVAL
 JEJU FIRE FESTIVAL
 Located off the coast of the Korean
Peninsula, Jeju Island is a that
mystical place. Dominated by
imposing volcano Hallasan, the
island is filled with rich forests and
villages built from volcanic black
rock. A dramatic place of rugged
cliffs, waterfalls and beaches, it’s
no surprise that Jeju plays host to
a Fire Festival.
 Held in early March, the festival
celebrates the arrival of spring and
symbolizes the Time for South
Koreans to pray for a good harvest
and good health in the coming
year.
SOUTH KOREA’S RELIGIONS
Historically, Koreans lived
under the influences of
Shamanism, Buddhism,
Daoism or Confucianism
and in Modern Times, the
Christian faith has made
strong in roads into the
country, bringing forth yet
another important factor
that may change the
spiritual landscape of the
people.
Other Traditions In South Korea
MEETING AND GREETING
 Bowing is the traditional way to greet in South
Korea.
 Handshakes often accompany the bow among
men.
 Your left hand should support your right
forearm when shaking hands.
 Korean Women do not always shake hands and
may slightly nod instead of a full bow.
 Always bow to individuals when departing.
FAMOUS
AUTHORS IN
SOUTH KOREA
Kyung-Sook Shin
Novelist, Writer
Kyung-Sook Shin
Born on January 12, 1963, Kyung-
Sook Shin is one of South Korea’s
most widely read and acclaimed
novelist. She is the author of seven
novels, including The Girl Who
Wrote Loneliness, I’ll Be Right
There And Please Look After Mom,
which was a New York Times
bestseller, translated into more
than thirty-five languages, and the
winner of the Man Asian Literary
Prize. Shin is the first Korean
Woman to receive this award.
Awards of Kyung-Sook Shin
 Contemporary Literature (Hyundae Munhak) Award

 Dong-in Literary Award

 Yi Sang Literary Award

 Man Asian Literary Award

Works of Kyung-Sook Shin

I’ll Be Right There, 2010

Winter Fables, 1990
Please Look After Mom, 2009
Hwang Sok-Yong
Novelist
Hwang Sok-Yong
Hwang Sok-Yong is a well-known
and popular Korean writer and
activist. He has written over 20
novels and essays, many of which
have been translated and published
in Japan, China, Germany, and
France. His best-known work is a 10
volume epic called Jangkilsan.
Awards of Hwang Sok-Yong
 Daesan Literature Prize
 Korea Culture and Arts
 Foundation Art Prize
 Manhae Literary Prize
 Danjae Literary Prize
Princess Bari, 2007
At Dusk, 2015
The Guest, 2001
 • He was born in November 11,
1968. He moved from place to
place as a child, since his father
was a military. He was educated in
Yonsei University in Seoul, earning
undergraduate as well as graduate
degree in Business Administration
from Yonsei University, but he
didn’t show much interest in it.
His career as a professional writer
started in 1995 right after
discharge when his short story “A
Young-ha Kim Meditations On Mirror” appeared
Novelist in review.
 Work of Young-ha Kim

Award of Young-ha Kim:

 First New Writer’s Award, given by Nunhak Dongne
with the novel, “ I Have a Right to Destroy Myself”
• She was born in 1963 in Seoul
South Korea. She suffered the
death of her father and spent
her childhood under the
mother of a hostess. She was
once become an author from
the Korean 386 generation.
Kim began her writing career
early, making her literary
debut when she had just
entered University, where she
join and won the Chosun Ilbo
Literary Contest. Kim Insuks
• She was born on November 27,
1970 in Gwanju South Korea. At
the age of 10, she moved to
Suyuri (of which she speaks
affectionately in her novel Greek
lessons) in Seoul. She studied
Korean Literature at Yonsei
University. She began her
published career when five of
her poems featured in the
Winter 1993 issue of the
quarterly Literature and Society.
Han has taught creative writing
at the Seoul Institute of the Arts. Han kang
FAMOUS LITERATURE IN KOREA
GWANGBOKJEOL
 One famous Korean Literature is the
“Gwangbokjeol” (광복절), written by the
poet Kim Sowol in 1923. It is a poem that
celebrates Korea’s Independence from
Japanese colonial rule in 1945. It is
considered one of the most important
works of modern Korean Literature.
 This is one of the most important public
holidays in the Korean Calendar called
Gwangbokjeol in South Korea, literally
meaning restoration of light. The day
marks the liberation of Korea from 35
years of Japanese colonial rule on August
15,1945.