Fast Facts about Korea
- Title: The Republic of Korea (South), Democrtatic People's Republic of Korea (North)
- Location: East Asia, lying to the southeast of China and divided into two separate sovereign states- North Korea and South Korea - by the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
- Population: 49 million people (South), 24.5 million people (North).
- Capital: Seoul (South), Pyongyang (North).
- National Animal: Tiger (South), Chollima (North).
- Dominant Language: Korean.
- Currency: Won.
- Major Exports: Automobiles (South), Cement and Non-Ferrous Metals (North).
- Dominant Religion: Christianity and Buddhism (South), Religious suppression (North).
- Political System: A constitutional democracy since the 1980s with the current head of state as President Park Geun-hye, the country’s first woman president (South), Communist dictatorship under the control of Chairman, General Secretary, and Supreme Commander Kim Jong-un while the title of “Eternal President of the Republic” was given to his grandfather, Kim Il-sung after his death in 1994 (North).
- Military: The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (ROK Armed Forces) is one of the largest standing armed forces in the world, consisting of the ROK Army, ROK Navy, ROK Air Force, and ROK Reserve Forces (South), the United States Forces Korea (USFK) is the division of the U.S. armed forces stationed in South Korea, encompassing the Eighth United States Army and the Special Operations Command Korea, and other branches (South), the Korean People’s Army, or KPA, is the military of North Korea, consisting of five divisions: the Ground Force, the Navy, the Air Force, the Strategic Rocket Forces, and the Special Operation Force (North).
Music from South Korea
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Modern Music
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Modern Music
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Traditional Music
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Korean Culinary Corner:
Kimchi
As Korea’s national food dish, kimchi is a fermented, or pickled, spicy cabbage dish.
Seonkyoung Longest’s YouTube food channel, “Asian at Home” includes myriad traditional Korean recipes, making it a noteworthy resource to bolster one’s Korean recipe repertoire. In this English video on the bottom left, Longest introduces prospective chefs to the preparation and cooking process of kimchi. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekF7heK9lng Chef Guy Fieri offers an Americanized - and thus poetntially more approachable for novice chefs who wish to dabble in Asian cusine - kimchi recipe: ginger and soy-marinated pork tenderloin strips stir-fried with kimchi and served on a bed of rice pilaf in an episode of "Guy's Big Bite" aired on the U.S. Cable TV program, "Food Network." Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL_iNimlMsA. However, for a super shortcut taste of kimchi, NONGSHIM - a North American Asian product line - offers a “Spicy Kimichi” flavor in its microwavable “Bowl Noodle Soup” line that can be purchased in most U.S. grocery stores. The picture links to NONGSHIM's official website: http://www.nongshimusa.com/about-nongshim |
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North Korea
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With the religious and cultural suppression of North Korea's Communist dictatorship, North Korea has become one of the most secretive countries in the world. However, access to its unique interworkings and its last vestiges of culture are revealed through rare "insider" voices. In a 2009 National Geographic documentary, correspondent Lisa Ling guides one through the mysterious country. And in Guy Delisle's graphic novel, Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea reveals the country through his 2001 two-month work visit for a French film animation company. |
Web Pages about Korea
"Touch Korea"
Touch Korea (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ibuzzkorea.com /touchkorea/eng/?cat1=5
Boasting this new addition to the official tourist site of Korea, “Touch Korea” is an interactive “board game” intended for people to whom traveling abroad is infeasible. Users can click on various aspects of Korean culture – and even narrow down the choices through an easy-to-use classification system – and learn about thing such as Korean food, art, and trends through virtual interactive experiences. For example, one can rub the nose of a Dolharubang, listen to the beat of Samulnori, and take a fun quiz to increase knowledge about kimchi. Offering a comprehensive digital exploration of Korean culture, “Touch Korea” is an engaging, informative, and lively website. |