South Korean Culture And Economy

South Korean Culture and Economy

In this paper we talk about different general aspects of South Korea, such as: economy, president, food, clothing, etc., to name a few. It is intended that the reader knows how Koreans live and engage with a foreign culture totally different than their own.
The main objective is for student, students of international business, to open their minds and exploredifferent cultures, since within this field are very important relationships with foreign countries, but even knowing them to establish lasting and successful, in addition to present the scope and limitations within it.
History
The habitation of early mankind in Korea appears to have started about half a million years ago.
The first kingdom in Korea was the Gojoseon, lasted from 2333 B.C. –108 B.C. After which, the three ancient kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla ruled the entire Korean peninsula and much of Manchuria.
The Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) was the peninsula’s last dynasty. During this period, various political and economic reforms were enacted.
The Japanese invasion of the peninsula in 1910 ended the Joseon Dynasty. Korea remained under Japanese colonial rule for 35years until the end of World War II. Finally in August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allies and withdrew from Korean Peninsula, which was then divided into two: South Korea in the free world and North Korea in the communist bloc. The Republic of Korea in the south established an independent government three years later.
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded theSouth. An armistice agreement was signed three years later in 1953.
In 1988, Seoul, the capital of the south, hosted the Olympics and in 1991 South and North Korea were simultaneously admitted to the United Nations.

Geography and Climate
The Korean Peninsula is located between 33˚ and 43˚ north latitude and 123˚ and 131˚ east longitude and is one of the most mountainous regions in the world,in which the highest mountains are the Hallasan in Jejudo Island with 1950 miles, Jirisan with 1915 miles and the last one is Seoraksan that is located in Seoraksan National Park with 1708 miles.
The weather can vary depending on the month of the year and can reach extreme temperatures, in March or early April is the beginning of spring, when June comes the average temperature is around 20°C inthe end of June and all the month of July are a lot of rain and typhoons, in August the weather it’s really hot and humid ant the temperature can reach more than 40°C, in September the weather is clear and dry with continental winds, October is colorful and the leaves from the trees start to fall and last in December to February is extremely cold with snow, the temperature can reach more than-16°C.
Type of Government
The South Korean Government is divided into executive, judicial, and legislative branches and has always had a presidential system with a relatively independent chief executive.
The actual President from Korea is Lee Myung-Bak; President Lee began his term on February 25, 2008 and currently continues his duties.

Korean Flag
The Korean flag is called “Taegeukgi”.The design symbolizes the principles of the yin and yang forces in Asian philosophy. The circle in the center of the flag is divided into two equal parts. The red half represents the proactive cosmic forces of the yang. The blue half represents the responsive cosmic forces of the yin.
The two forces together embody the concepts of continual movement, balance and harmony that characterize thesphere of infinity.
The circle is surrounded by a trigram in each corner. Each trigram symbolizes one of the four universal elements: Three lines = heaven, six lines = earth, four lines = fire and five lines = water.

Language
Korean language has its own alphabet which is the Hangeul, Korea’s official alphabet, was first invented by King Sarong during the Joseon Dynasty. Syllables are...