| Revision as of 00:51, 27 April 2008 view source75.7.9.217 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 03:43, 27 April 2008 view source 68.101.99.203 (talk) ←Replaced content with 'There is no more to it, Koreans are not people, and Korea is not a country, its just some piece of unexplored part of the map.'Next edit → | ||
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| There is no more to it, Koreans are not people, and Korea is not a country, its just some piece of unexplored part of the map. | |||
| {{dablink|This article is about the Korean civilization. For the modern political entities, see ] and ]. For other uses, see ].}} | |||
| {{Infobox Country | |||
| |conventional_long_name = <span style="line-height:1.33em;">Korea | |||
| |common_name = Korea | |||
| |image_flag = Unification flag of Korea.svg | |||
| |image_map = Locationmap Korea.png | |||
| |official_languages = ] | |||
| |capital = ], ] | |||
| |latd=37 |latm=32 |latNS=N |longd=126 |longm=59 |longEW=E | |||
| |largest_settlement_type = conurbation (population) | |||
| |largest_settlement = ] | |||
| |area_rank = 84th if ranked | |||
| |area_km2 = 220,186 | |||
| |area_sq_mi = 85,020 <!--Do not remove per ]--> | |||
| |percent_water = 2.8 | |||
| |population_estimate_rank = 18th if ranked | |||
| |population_estimate_year = 2007 | |||
| |population_estimate = 72,326,462 | |||
| |population_density_km2 = 328.48 | |||
| |population_density_sq_mi = 850.7 <!--Do not remove per ]--> | |||
| |currency = ] (]) (]/]) | |||
| |time_zone = ] | |||
| |utc_offset = +9 | |||
| }} | |||
| ]]] | |||
| ] royal throne]] | |||
| '''Korea''' (]: ], see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and a former state situated on the ] in ]. Korea is currently divided into ] and ]. Korea is often used to refer to ] due to its greater significance and influence in the world. | |||
| Although the ]s of historical Korean dynasties fluctuated, the peninsula today is defined as ] with the political ]s of the two Koreas combined. Thus, the peninsula borders ] to the northwest and ] to the northeast, with ] situated to the southeast across the ]. | |||
| The history of Korea began with the legendary founding of ] in 2333 BCE by ]. | |||
| Limited linguistic evidence suggests probable ] origins of these people, whose northern ] culture absorbed migration and trade with the peoples of ] and ]. The adoption of the ] ("]" in Korean) in the 2nd century BC, and Buddhism in the 4th century AD, had profound effects on the ]. Koreans later passed on a modified version of these cultural advances to ].<ref>"," BookRags.com; Jared Diamond, "," ''Discover'' 19:6 (June 1998); Thayer Watkins, ""; "," ''Encyclopædia Britannica''; "," ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.</ref><ref>"," ''Seoul Times'', June 18, 2006; "," Asia Society Museum; "," JapanGuide.com; "," MSN Encarta; "," JapanVisitor.com.</ref><ref>{{cite book | editor = Delmer M. Brown (ed.) | year = 1993 | title = The Cambridge History of Japan | publisher = Cambridge University Press | pages = 140-149 | url = http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0521223520&id=x5mwgfPXK1kC&pg=PA159&lpg=PA159&vq=buddhism&dq=Paekche+hostage+japan&sig=dwsfsmf80GCVdVXe90a5s9Tkq34}}; George Sansom, ''A History of Japan to 1334'', Stanford University Press, 1958. p. 47. ISBN 0-8047-0523-2</ref><ref></ref> | |||
| Since the ], Korea was ruled by a single government and maintained political and cultural independence until the nineteenth century, despite the ] of the ] Dynasty in the 13th century and ] of the ] in the 16th century. In 1377, Korea produced the ], the world's oldest movable metal print document.<ref></ref> In the 15th century, the ]s, possibly the world's first ]s, were deployed, and King ] promulgated the Korean alphabet ] to increase literacy among his people who could not read nor write ] (Chinese characters). | |||
| During the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea's isolationist policy earned it the Western nickname the "]". By the late 19th century, the country became the object of the colonial designs of ] and ]. In 1910, Korea was forcibly ] and remained occupied until the end of ] in August 1945. | |||
| In 1945, the ] and the ] agreed on the ] and disarming of Japanese troops in Korea; the Soviet Union accepting the surrender of Japan ] and the United States taking the surrender south of it. This led to ] by the two ]s, exacerbated by their inability to agree on the terms of Korean independence. The two ] rivals then established governments sympathetic to their own ideologies, leading to Korea's current division into two political entities: ] and ]. | |||
| ==Names of Korea== {{main|Names of Korea}} | |||
| {{seealso|Korean romanization}} | |||
| The name "Korea" derives from the ] period of ], which in turn referred to the ancient kingdom of ]. Merchants of the ] called it ''Cauli'' (from the Chinese pronunciation), which then came to be spelled Corea and Korea. Korea is now commonly used in English contexts by both North and South Korea. | |||
| In the ], Korea as a whole is referred to as ''Han-guk (abbreviation of Dae Han Min Guk)'' ({{ko-hhrm|hangul=한국(대한민국)|hanja={{linktext|韓|國}}|rr=Hanguk|mr=Han'guk}}) by South Korea, and ''Chosŏn'' ({{ko-hhrm|hangul=조선|hanja={{linktext|朝|鮮}}|mr=Chosǒn|rr=Joseon|context= north}}) by North Korea. "The Land of the Morning Calm" is an ] nickname loosely derived from the ] characters for ], the name derived from the ] and the earlier ]. (Choson and Joseon are two Romanizations of the same name.) | |||
| ==History== | |||
| {{main|History of Korea}} | |||
| {{seealso|Prehistoric Korea|History of North Korea|History of South Korea}} | |||
| <!--Note: this is a short summary. Do not add details here: please expand content in the main article (History of Korea)--> | |||
| {{History of Korea|left}} | |||
| === Prehistory and Gojoseon === | |||
| {{main|Prehistoric Korea|Gojoseon}} | |||
| The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around ], and the ] period begins around 6000 BCE. ]'s founding legend describes ], a descendent of heaven, as establishing the kingdom in 2333 BCE.<ref></ref> ] and contemporary written records indicate it developed from a federation of walled cities into a centralized kingdom sometime between the 7th and 4th centuries BCE. | |||
| ] roof tile]] | |||
| The original capital may have been at the ]-Korea border, but was later moved to what is today ], North Korea. In 108 BCE, the Chinese ] defeated ] and installed four commanderies in the area of Liaoning and the northern Korean peninsula. Subsequent Chinese immigrations from ] and ] brought elements of Chinese culture to the peninsula. By 75 BCE, three of those commanderies had fallen, but the ] remained under successive Chinese control until 313.<!--Note: this is a short summary. Do not add details here: please expand content on the main article (History of Korea)--> | |||
| === Three Kingdoms === | |||
| {{main|Three Kingdoms of Korea}} | |||
| ] | |||
| The ] (], ], and ]) dominated the peninsula and parts of Manchuria during the early ]. They competed with each other both economically and militarily. | |||
| ] united ], ], ] and other states in the former Gojoseon territory, in addition to destroying the last Chinese commandery.<ref></ref> Goguryeo was the most dominant power, Goguryeo reached its tenth in the fifth century, when reign of the ] and his son, ] expanded territory into almost all of Manchuria and part of inner Mongolia, and took the ] region from Baekje. Gwanggaeto and Jangsu subdued Baekje and Silla during their times. After the 7th Century, Goguryeo was constantly at war with the ] and ] dynasties of China. | |||
| Founded around today's ], the southwestern kingdom ] expanded far beyond ] during the peak of its powers in the 4th century. It had absorbed all of the Mahan states and subjugated most of the western Korean peninsula (including the modern provinces of ], ], and ], as well as part of ] and ]) to a centralized government. Baekje acquired Chinese culture and technology through contacts with the ] during the expansion of its territory. | |||
| ] crown]] | |||
| Although later records claim that ], in the southeast, was the oldest of the three kingdoms, it is now believed to have been the last kingdom to develop. By the 2nd century, Silla existed as a large state, occupying and influencing nearby city states. Silla began to gain power when it annexed the ] in 562 AD. The Gaya confederacy was located between Baekje and Silla. The three kingdoms of Korea often warred with each other and Silla often faced pressure from Baekje and Goguryeo but at various times Silla also allied with Baekje and Goguryeo in order to gain dominance over the peninsula. | |||
| In 660, King ] ordered his armies to attack ]. General ], aided by ] forces, conquered Baekje. In 661, Silla and Tang moved on ] but were repelled. King ], son of Muyeol and nephew of General Kim launched another campaign in 667 and Goguryeo fell in the following year.<!--Note: this is a short summary. Do not add details here: please expand content on the main article (History of Korea)--> | |||
| === Unified Silla and Balhae === | |||
| {{main|Unified Silla|Balhae}} | |||
| In the 5th, 6th, and 7th centuries, Silla's power gradually extended across the Korean Peninsula. Silla first annexed the adjacent ]. By the 660s, Silla formed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty of China to conquer Baekje and later Goguryeo. After repelling Chinese forces, Silla partially unified the Peninsula, beginning a period often called ]. | |||
| In the north, former Goguryeo General ] led a group of Goguryeo refugees to the ] area in Manchuria and founded ] (698 AD - 926 AD) as the successor to Goguryeo. At its height, Balhae's territory extended from northern Manchuria down to the northern provinces of modern-day Korea. Balhae was destroyed by the ]s in 926. | |||
| Unified Silla fell apart in the late 9th century, giving way to the tumultuous ] (892-935). ] unified the Later Three Kingdoms and absorbed Balhae refugees. | |||
| ].]] | |||
| === Goryeo === | |||
| {{main|Goryeo}} | |||
| The country ] was founded in 918 and replaced Silla as the ruling dynasty of Korea. ("Goryeo" is a short form of "Goguryeo" and the source of the English name "Korea.") The dynasty lasted until 1392. During this period laws were codified, and a civil service system was introduced. ] flourished, and spread throughout the peninsula. The development of ] industry flourished in 12th and 13th century. The publication of ] onto 80,000 wooden blocks and the invention of the world's first metal ] in 13th century attest to Goryeo's cultural achievements. Their dynasty was threatened by ] invasion from the 1230s into the 1270s, but the dynastic line continued to survive until 1392 since they negotiated a treaty with the Mongols that kept its sovereign power. In 1350s, ] was free at last to reform a Goryeo government. Gongmin had various problems that needed to be dealt with, which included the removal of pro-Mongol aristocrats and military officials, the question of land holding, and quelling the growing animosity between the Buddhists and Confucian scholars. | |||
| === Joseon dynasty === | |||
| {{main|Joseon Dynasty}} | |||
| ]'', After called hangul.]] | |||
| In 1392, the general ] established the ] (1392-1910) with a largely bloodless coup. The Joseon Dynasty is believed to have been the longest-lived actively ruling dynasty in East Asia. He named it the ] in honor of the previous Joseon before (Gojoseon is the first Joseon. "Go", meaning "later", was added to distinguish between the two). King Taejo moved the capital to ] (formerly ]; modern-day ]) and built the ] palace. In 1394 he adopted ] as the country's official religion, resulting in much loss of power and wealth by the Buddhists. The prevailing philosophy was ], which was developed by ]. Joseon experienced advances in science and culture. ] (1418-1450) promulgated ], the Korean alphabet. The period saw various other cultural and technological advances as well as the dominance of neo-Confucianism over the entire peninsula. Between 1592 and 1598, ] Korea. ] led the forces and tried to invade ] through Korea, but was eventually repelled before even getting through Korea. This war also saw the rise of the career of Admiral ] and his "]" or gobukseon. In the 1620s and 1630s Joseon suffered ] who eventually also conquered the Chinese ]. After that, the Joseon dynasty ] to the ] Court. During the Joseon dynasty, Koreans brought Roman Catholicism (and other forms of ] followed shortly thereafter) into Korea, at first in secret. | |||
| <!--Note: this is a short summary. Do not add details here: please expand content on the main article (History of Korea)--> | |||
| === Japanese occupation === | |||
| ], ''Tobae'', February 1887. It shows Korea as a fish which China, Russia, and Japan are all trying to catch.]] | |||
| {{main|Korea under Japanese rule}} | |||
| Beginning in the 1870s, Japan began to force Korea to move out of China's sphere of influence into its own. Japan forced Korea to engage in foreign trade through the ] in 1876. In 1895, ] was assassinated by the Japanese under ] directive (Kim et al. 1976).<ref></ref> In ] on 1909, ] assassinated the former ], ] for his role in trying to force Korea into occupation. In 1910, an already militarily occupied Korea was a forced party to the ]. This is a controversial treaty since the treaty was never ratified by the Korean Emperor and the required Korean Imperial seal was absent.<ref>"서울대이태진교수의동경대생들에게들려준한국사 : 메이지일본의한국침략사", Yi Tae-jin (2005) ISBN 89-7626-999-3</ref> | |||
| Even before formal Japanese colonial rule, the ] was already in existence. Korean resistance to the brutal<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> Japanese occupation was manifested in the nonviolent ] of 1919, where 7,000 demonstrators were killed by Japanese police and military.<ref></ref> The ] also spread to neighboring ] and ]. | |||
| Over five million Koreans were conscripted for labor beginning in 1939,<ref></ref> and tens of thousands of men were forced into Japan's military.<ref>山脇 啓造 Yamawaki, Keizo. 近代日本と外国人労働者―1890年代後半と1920年代前半における中国人・朝鮮人労働者問題 ''Modern Japan and Foreign Laborers: Chinese and Korean Laborers in the late 1890s and early 1920s'', 明石書店 Akashi-shoten, 1994, et al. ISBN 9784750305684 </ref> Approximately 200,000 girls and women,<ref>Yoshimi Yoshiaki, ''Comfort Women. Sexual Slavery in the Japanese Military During World War II''. Translated by Suzanne O'Brien. Columbia University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-231-12032-X, originally published by 岩波書店, 1995. ISBN 978-4004303848 </ref> mostly from Korea and China, were forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese military.<ref></ref> In 1993, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono acknowledged the terrible injustices faced by these euphemistically named "]".<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| During Japanese Colonial rule, the Korean language was suppressed in an effort to eradicate Korean nationalism. Koreans were forced to take Japanese surnames, known as ].<ref></ref> Traditional ] suffered heavy losses, as numerous Korean cultural artifacts were destroyed<ref></ref> or taken to Japan.<ref>Newsweek.com. </ref> To this day, valuable Korean artifacts can often be found in Japanese museums or among private collections.<ref>Newsweek.com. </ref> One investigation by the South Korean government identified 75,311 cultural assets that were taken from Korea, 34,369 of which are in Japan, and 17,803 of which are in the ].<ref>http://news.naver.com/news/read.php?mode=LSD&office_id=001&article_id=0001429084</ref> | |||
| === Korean War === | |||
| {{main|Korean War}} | |||
| ] | |||
| With the defeat of Japan in 1945, the ] developed plans for a trusteeship administration, the Soviet Union administering the peninsula north of the ] and the United States ]. The politics of the ] resulted in the 1948 establishment of two separate governments, ] and ]. | |||
| In June of 1950 North Korea invaded the South, using Russian tanks and weaponry. During the ] (1950-1953), millions of civilians died and the three years of fighting throughout the nation effectively destroyed most cities. Around 171,000 POWs were captured and held by the Americans and South Koreans on ] (an island in the south)<ref>(Cumings 1997: 298)</ref> The war ended in a ceasefire agreement at approximately the ]. | |||
| ==Geography== | |||
| {{main|Korean Peninsula}} | |||
| {{seealso|Geography of North Korea|Geography of South Korea|Provinces of Korea}} | |||
| ], a map of Korea]] | |||
| ].]] | |||
| Korea is located on the ] in ]. To the northwest, the Amnok River (]) separates Korea from China and to the northeast, the Duman River (]) separates Korea from China and Russia. The ] is to the west, the ] is to the south, and the ] (East Sea) is to the east of Korea.<ref>, The People's Korea, 1998.</ref> Notable islands include ], ], and ] (''Dokdo'' in Korean). | |||
| The southern and western parts of the peninsula have well-developed plains, while the eastern and northern parts are mountainous. The highest mountain in Korea is ] (2744 m), through which runs the border with China. The southern extension of Baekdusan is a highland called ]. This highland was mainly raised during the ] orogeny and partly covered by volcanic matter. To the south of Gaema Gowon, successive high mountains are located along the eastern coast of the peninsula. This mountain range is named ]. Some significant mountains include ] (2,184 m), ] (1,724 m), ] (1,638 m), ] (1,708 m), ] (1,567 m), and ] (1,915 m). There are several lower, secondary mountain series whose direction is almost perpendicular to that of Baekdudaegan. They are developed along the tectonic line of Mesozoic orogeny and their directions are basically northwest. | |||
| Unlike most older mountains on the mainland, many important islands in Korea were formed by volcanic activity in the Cenozoic orogeny. ], situated off the southern coast, is a large volcanic island whose main mountain ] (1950 m) is the highest in South Korea. ] is a volcanic island in the Sea of Japan, whose composition is more felsic than Jeju-do. The volcanic islands tend to be younger, the more westward. | |||
| Because the mountainous region is mostly on the eastern part of the peninsula, the main ] tend to flow westwards. Two exceptions are the southward-flowing ] and ]. Important rivers running westward include the Amnok River (]), the ], the ], the ], the ], and the ]. These rivers have vast flood plains and provide an ideal environment for wet-rice cultivation. | |||
| The southern and southwestern coastlines of Korea form a well-developed ] coastline, known as ''Dadohae-jin'' in Korean. Its convoluted coastline provides mild seas, and the resulting calm environment allows for safe navigation, fishing, and seaweed farming. In addition to the complex coastline, the western coast of the Korean Peninsula has an extremely high tidal amplitude (at ], around the middle of the western coast. It can get as high as 9 m). Vast tidal flats have been developing on the south and west coastlines. | |||
| ==Demographics== | |||
| {{main|Koreans|Demographics of South Korea|Demographics of North Korea}} | |||
| The combined population of the Koreas is about 73 million (North Korea: 23 million, South Korea: 50 million). Korea is chiefly populated by a highly ] ] group, the ], who speak the ]. The number of foreigners living in Korea has also steadily increased since the late 20th century, particularly in South Korea, where more than 1 million foreigners currently reside. A minority population of ] (roughly 440,000 as of August 2007<ref name="million">{{cite web|url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200708/200708270012.html|title=Foreign Expatriates in Korea Top One Million|work=Chosun Ilbo|date=2007-08-27|accessdate=2008-01-08}}</ref>) live in South Korea and small communities of ethnic Chinese and ] are also found in North Korea.<ref></ref> | |||
| ===Language=== | |||
| {{main|Korean language|Hangul}} | |||
| ] is the official language of both North and South Korea, and of Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture in Manchuria area of China. Worldwide, there are around 100 million or more speakers of the Korean Language. South Korea has around 50 million speakers while North Korea around 27 million. Other large groups of Korean speakers are found in the ] (around 2.5 million speakers), ] (around 2 million speakers), the former ] (around 500,000), ] (around 900,000), ] (100,000), ] (70,000) and ] (150,000). It is estimated that there are around 700,000 people scattered across the world who are able to speak Korean because of job requirements (for example, salespersons or businessmen with Korean contacts), marriages to Koreans or out of pure interest in the language. {{Fact|date=February 2008}} | |||
| The genealogical ] of Korean is debated. Some linguists place it in the ] language family; others consider it to be a ]. Korean is ] in its morphology and ] in its ]. Like ] and ], Korean has borrowed much vocabulary from the genetically unrelated ] or created vocabulary on Chinese models. | |||
| Modern Korean is written almost exclusively in the ] script, which was invented in the 15th century. While hangul may appear ], it is actually a ] alphabet organized into ] blocks. Each block consists of at least two of the 24 hangul letters ''(]):'' at least one each of the 14 ]s and 10 ]s. Historically, the alphabet had several additional letters (see ]). For a phonological description of the letters, see ]. ] (Chinese characters) and ] are sometimes included within hangul texts, particularly in South Korea. | |||
| ==Culture and arts== | |||
| {{main|Culture of Korea}} | |||
| {{see also|Korean art|Korean pottery|Korean martial arts|Korean dance}} | |||
| ] | |||
| In ancient Chinese texts, Korea is referred to as "Rivers and Mountains Embroidered on Silk" ({{lang|ko|금수강산}}, {{linktext|錦|繡|江|山}}) and "Eastern Nation of Decorum" ({{lang|ko|동방예의지국}}, {{linktext|東|方|禮|儀|之|國}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=714173|title=대한민국의 국호|work=Naver Encyclopedia|accessdate=2007-08-14}}</ref> During the 7th and 8th centuries, the ] connected Korea to ]. In 845, Arab traders wrote, "Beyond China is a land where gold abounds and which is named ]. The Muslims who have gone there have been charmed by the country and tend to settle there and abandon all idea of leaving.<ref></ref>" | |||
| Korean festivities often showcase vibrant colors, which have been attributed to ] influences: bright red, yellow, and green often mark traditional Korean motifs.<ref>http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/calendar/kcostumes.htm</ref> These bright colors are sometimes seen in the traditional dress known as ]. | |||
| One peculiarity of Korean culture is its ]. Individuals are regarded as one year old when they are born, and their age increments on ] rather than on the anniversary of their birthday. Thus, one born on December the 31st would be aged two on the day after they were born. Accordingly, a Korean person's stated age will be one or two years more than their age expressed in the Western tradition. | |||
| ===Literature=== | |||
| {{main|Korean literature}} | |||
| Korean literature written before the end of the ] is called "Classical" or "Traditional." Literature, written in Chinese characters (]), was established at the same time as the Chinese script arrived on the peninsula. Korean scholars were writing poetry in the classical Chinese style as early as the 2nd century BCE, reflecting Korean thoughts and experiences of that time. Classical Korean literature has its roots in traditional folk beliefs and folk tales of the peninsula, strongly influenced by ], ] and ]. | |||
| Modern literature is often linked with the development of ], which helped spread literacy from the aristocracy to the common people and women. Hangul, however, only reached a dominant position in Korean literature in the second half of the 19th century, resulting in a major growth in Korean literature. ''Sinsoseol'', for instance, are novels written in hangul. | |||
| The ] led to the development of literature centered around the wounds and chaos of ]. Much of the post-war literature in South Korea deals with the daily lives of ordinary people, and their struggles with national pain. The collapse of the traditional Korean value system is another common theme of the time. | |||
| ===Religion=== | |||
| ] | |||
| {{main|Korean Confucianism|Korean Buddhism|Christianity in Korea}} | |||
| ] tradition has dominated Korean thought, along with contributions by ], ], and ]. Since the middle of the 20th century, however, ] has competed with Buddhism in South Korea, while religious practice has been suppressed in North Korea. | |||
| According to 2003 statistics compiled by the South Korean government, about 46% of citizens profess to follow no particular religion. ] account for 27.3% of the population (of which half are Catholics and half are various denominations of Protestantism) and ] 25.3%. | |||
| Koreans valued scholarship and rewarded education and study of ]; ] boys were highly educated in ]. In ], the ] defined a person's social status, and a similar system persisted through the end of the ]. In addition, the ] civil service examination provided paths of upward mobility. | |||
| ===Cuisine=== | |||
| {{main|Korean cuisine}} | |||
| Korean cuisine is probably best known for ](]: 김치), which uses a distinctive ] process of preserving vegetables, most commonly cabbage. ](]: 고추장 - pronounced go-choo-jang) is also commonly used, often as ], earning the cuisine a reputation for being spicy. | |||
| ](]: 불고기) (roasted marinated meat, usually beef), ] (ribs), and ] (pork belly) are popular meat entrees. Meals are usually accompanied by a soup or stew, such as ] (stewed ribs) and ] ](]: 된장찌개) (fermentated bean paste stew). The center of the table is filled with a shared collection of sidedishes called ]. | |||
| Other popular dishes include ](]: 비빔밥)which literally means "mixed rice" (rice mixed with meat, vegetables, and pepper paste) and ](]: 냉면) (cold noodles with soup). | |||
| {{seealso|Korean tea ceremony|Korean royal court cuisine}} | |||
| ===Video Games=== | |||
| Korea is widely known as a global hub for professional video game players. Online games such as Starcraft and World of Warcraft are immensely popular. Top players in Korea are known to gain almost celebrity status, and are regarded as professional athletes by their fans. It is believed that the popular internet term "zerg rush keke", and "pwn" originated in Korean gaming circles. | |||
| ==Education== | |||
| {{main|Education in North Korea|Education in South Korea}} | |||
| The modern Korean school system consists of 6 years in elementary school, 3 years in middle school, and 3 years in high school. Students are supposed to go to elementary and middle school, and do not have to pay for it.(The teachers are paid from taxes) Most public middle school and high school students have to wear uniforms, and are not supposed to grow their hair more than a particular length. The ], coordinated by the ], currently ranks South Korea's science education as the 11th best in the world, being significantly higher than the OECD average.<ref>http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/8/39700724.pdf</ref> Although South Korean students often rank high on international comparative tests, the education system is sometimes criticized for its emphasis on passive learning and memorization. The Korean education system is much more strict and structured than most western societies and Korean students rarely have free time to spend enjoying themselves as they are under a lot of pressure to perform and gain entrance to university.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} | |||
| ==Science and technology== | |||
| {{main|Science and technology in Korea}} | |||
| ], one of the world's oldest surviving astronomical observatories]] | |||
| One of the best known artifacts of Korea's history of science and technology is ](첨성대, {{linktext|瞻|星|臺}}), a 9.4-meter high observatory built in 634. It is considered to be one of the world's oldest surviving astronomical observatories. | |||
| The world's first metal mechanical movable type printing was developed in Korea in 1232 by ] during the ], modeled after widespread Chinese clay (] in 1041), several hundred years before ] developed his ] (Cumings 1997: 65). Though the ] was used much earlier, metal movable type printing press marked a significant development in printing allowing the same tools to be used for more diverse printings. The ] is the world's earliest remaining movable metal printed book, printed in Korea in 1377. The world's earliest known surviving example of woodblock printing is the ].<ref></ref> It is believed to have been printed in Korea in 750-751 AD which, if correct, would make it older than the ]. Goryeo silk was highly regarded by ], and Korean ] made with blue-green ] was of the highest quality in the world and sought after by even Arabian merchants. Goryeo had a bustling economy with a capital that was frequented by merchants from all over the known world. | |||
| During the ] period the earliest ]s, the ] (]) were invented,<ref></ref> as well as other weapons such as the ] (비격진천뢰, {{linktext|飛|擊|震|天|雷}}) and the ]. | |||
| The Korean alphabet ] was also invented during this time by Sejong the Great. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{Portal}} | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| *Cumings, Bruce. ''Korea's Place in the Sun'', Norton, 1997. ISBN 0-393-31681-5 | |||
| *Kim, et al. ''Women of Korea: A History from Ancient Times to 1945'', Ewha Womans University Press, 1976. ISBN 89-7300-116-7. | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| *http://www.diamond-dilemma.com/kor/doc/TariqHussain_KoreaHerald_5Mar2007.pdf | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| * Chun, Tuk Chu. "Korea in the Pacific Community." ''Social Education'' 52 (March 1988), 182. EJ 368 177. | |||
| * ]. ''The Two Koreas''. New York: Foreign Policy Association, 1984. | |||
| * ''Focus On Asian Studies''. Special Issue: "Korea: A Teacher's Guide." No. 1, Fall 1986. | |||
| * Gi-Wook Shin/Michael Robinson (Ed.). ''Colonial modernity in Korea,'' Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University, Asia Center; Distributed by Harvard Univ. Press 1999, ISBN 0-674-14255-1 | |||
| * Joe, W.J. & Choe, H.A. ''Traditional Korea: A Cultural History'', Seoul: Hollym, 1997. | |||
| * Joungwon, A.K. ''Divided Korea: The Politics of Development'', Harvard University Press, 1975. | |||
| * Lee Ki-baik. ''A New History Of Korea''. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1984. | |||
| * Lee Sang-sup. "The Arts and Literature of Korea." ''The Social Studies'' 79 (July-August 1988): 153-60. EJ 376 894. | |||
| * Tae-Jin, Y. "The Illegality of the Forced Treaties Leading to Japan's Annexation of the Great Han Empire," In the ''Korean National Commission for UNESCO'', Vol. 36, No. 4, 1996. | |||
| * Dennis Hart, ''From Tradition to Consumption: Construction of a Capitalist Culture in South Korea''. Seoul:Jimoondang Pub. 2003. | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{sisterlinks|Korea}} | |||
| {{portal|Korea}} | |||
| ; Official | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ; Informative | |||
| * {{wikia|Korea|Korea}} | |||
| * {{wikitravel|North Korea}} | |||
| * {{wikitravel|South Korea}} | |||
| * {{dmoz|Regional/Asia/Regions/Korean_Peninsula|Korea}} | |||
| {{coor title dm|38|19|N|127|14|E|type:country_region:KR}} | |||
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Revision as of 03:43, 27 April 2008
There is no more to it, Koreans are not people, and Korea is not a country, its just some piece of unexplored part of the map.