Korean teachers and Korean students are wearing Han-bok in Korea

Korean People - Korean Culture

Korea is oft dubbed "The Land of the Morning Calm"... Maybe in years past... Present day Korea is a country that never sleeps, though the morning is generally one of the calmest parts of the day. You can always find somewhere to go or something to do at any hour of the day.

Oddly enough, despite the chaos and cacophony there are places you can go even in the heart of Seoul where you can escape the fast-paced life and revel in the culture of Korea.

Korean people are generally a friendly playful lot. Moreso when alcohol is involved. They take great pride in their country and culture and are thrilled by any effort we demonstrate to learn more about them and their language. Any time I spoke Korean I was constantly befriended and given hugs and arms around my shoulder like that Korean person was my proud long lost brother. They would show incredible pride in ME for learning their language and they would take me under their wing and (because they were often older than me) I would be dubbed "dongsaeng" (little brother). This could occur at a bus stop, in a pub, on the top of a mountain, in a fishing boat, on a bus, literally wherever I was.

Koreans are often looking for a place to unwind and let loose. It's a fun, funny experience. Be open to this.

I remember the first time I took a bus trip to go skiing in Gangwondo. We left on a Friday afternoon - around 1pm. I was excited. It was about a 2 hour ride to get to the hotel. I was the only caucasian. The whole bus stared at me when I go on. Lots of smiles and "ohhhhs". Not all that different from the typical response I got wherever I went. Everything was pretty orderly until the moment the bus started moving. Bottle caps were popping everywhere, the tour guide started in on the soju and the microphone and by the time we were 10 minutes enroute, everyone but the driver was signing and drinking and celebrating in merriment. The bus was actually bouncing and swaying with the dancing and armlocked sing/swaying that was goign on. It was an absolute crack up. I have since been on many a trip and all have been the same. Karaoke buses are good fun.

When you get invited to join a group of Koreans for pretty much anything, go along with them, and go along with it. Koreans will invite you ALL the time to hike or fish or "mountain climb". Be approachable and you'll be amazed at the experiences. Koreans adopt the attitude work hard play hard. There will be times you are frustrated and you shake your head about the spitting or shouting and drunken tirades or the vomit on the ground on saturday and sunday mornings or the line ups that go out horizontally from the ticketing windows or the pushing and elbowing but calm down, take a deep breath and remember that you didn't grow up with this as a norm in your society.

Korean history spans 5000 years. Many Westerners find this difficult to comprehend considering our recorded histories in our respective countries.

The maintenance of their culture and language throughout this span of time is remarkable considering the many hostile occupations and invasions they have experienced over time which could account for the incredible sense of patriotism and nationalism that is plainly evident all over Korea.

Korean myth maintains that Korea was born when Hwan Woong- a demigod, came to earth and ended up on Taebak Mountain, in what is now Gangwon-do Province, South Korea. A tiger and a bear living in a cave expressed a desire to become human. Tangun told them that if they ate twenty cloves of garlic and didn’t see the sun for 100 days they would become human. After 21 days the bear became a woman, but the tiger couldn’t stand being inside all the time and thus failed the test. The woman couldn’t find anyone to procreate with, so the divinity Hwan Woong, out of the goodness of his own heart, temporarily transformed himself into a man and got her pregnant- thus the Korean race was born. Perhaps this explains the latter day prevalence of garlic in Korean cooking- it is sold by the kilogram in Korean markets and is added liberally to virtually everything, both in its raw and cooked form. What does this say about the role and characteristics of men and women in Korean society... a point for discussion over some Korean barbeque...

Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries on earth. Eighty percent of the population has the surname Kim, Lee or Park, and there are remarkably few physical or cultural differences among ethnic Koreans.

Tribes from Central Asia probably migrated to the Korean peninsula between 5000 and 1000 BC and assimilated with local tribes, accounting for why Koreans are more physically similar to Mongolians than they are to their Chinese neighbors. South Korea is one of the few countries in the world that does not have a visible ethnic or cultural minority group within the country. The only ethnic minority in Korea are approximately 50,000 Chinese who took refuge in Korea after the Communist takeover of China in 1949. Most of these Chinese immigrants were from the Shandong province of China, which explains why most Chinese restaurants in Korea serve dishes from the Shandong province- including ja jang myun (noodles with black sauce) and jam-pong (spicy soup.) Amazingly, even though Korea borders China and was a Chinese vassal state, none of Korea’s cities have a Chinatown in the western sense- a testament to the close knit nature of Korean society and solidarity against outsiders. The closest resemblance to a Chinatown in Korea is in the city of Incheon.

Arts and Culture

While missing home and complaining about where you are is a normal part of the ex-pat lifestyle, you will often find that those who complain the most are those that exert the least effort getting the most out of their time abroad. Any country will suck if you never give it a chance. If you get tired of spending your weekends listening to other foreigners whinge, there are alternative diversionary activities to engage in, most depend on where you live, but be assured, there are always things that will make you smile and bring you back into touch with why you started on this adventure in the first place.

Get a guide book and get out.

Gyeongju (Gyoungju, Gyungju, Kyungju, Kyeongju) however you want to spell it, is a must not miss place in Korea. Any teacher who goes to Korea and does not make it to Gyeongju was not interested in the culture of Korea.

Gyeongju was the capital of the Shilla Kingdom for over 1000 years. It offers an amazing perspective on Korean culture and history. The massive buddha in a cave is a sight to see. I took a rare turn with a buddy when we were there trying to find some off the track place where there were little buddhas carved into the mountainside. When we finally stumbled upon the base of a mountain where there happened to be a small temple we asked a monk where this place was. He was astounded, both at our attempts to speak Korean and by the knowledge that we were seeking this place that no one knew about. Oddly, we had found it when we stopped to ask for directions. Amazing. What happened that day was amazing. I will not share more for the simple fact that I believe some places sacred and in an effort to maintain that sanctity those who seek it will already have enough information to start the journey to find it. There is nothing lonely about the Lonely Planet.

Each city offers it's own museums and art galleries. Many also have theater districts where you can see live performances. Seek these places out. They are a lot of fun.

In Seoul there are two fabulous areas, Insadong and Haehwa. Be sure to check both of them out and walk the back streets.

Museums and Art Galleries

Korea has a surprising number of fascinating art galleries and museums. There seems to be a paucity of information available about the Korean arts scene in English, but if you poke around there are some rewarding gems hidden both in the cities and the countryside. In Seoul, many galleries and antique stores are located in Insadong, a street near the downtown core of Seoul, adjacent to the Chongno neighborhood. This is a great place to have a cup of tea and do your Christmas shopping.

Check out our Korea links section for more info and interesting links about activities and culture in Korea.

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