Monday, October 11, 2010

So...Korea...tell me a little bit more about it...

Just a little info on this neat country:

South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea) is a county in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east and North Korea to the north. The capital is Seoul (which is where I live currently).
As of July 2010, there are approximately 48 million people in Korea. Korea is a developed nation with a rich history.

Some facts about South Korea:

• Myth has it that Korea was founded by the god-king Dangun, in 2333 B.C. 
• Roughly half its people call themselves Christians, the other half Buddhists.
 • Its culture is imbued with traditional Confucian values and beliefs ( Confucianism: human beings are teachable, improvable and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor,  including self-cultivation and self-creation. A main idea of Confucianism is the cultivation of virtue and the development of moral perfection).

• The peninsula's division at the 38th parallel dates to 1945.
 • The war that ensued left more than three million Koreans dead or wounded. 
• South Korea today boasts a thriving democracy and surging economy (This is evident in everything I have seen so far!)


Here are  few pictures, courtesy of The World Factbook, so you know where I am.


Location of Korea, South                                        Map of Korea, South


As mentioned before, I am living in Seoul (pronounced like Soul). Seoul is a beautiful city with over 12 million people (and I thought NYC was huge!). Seoul is considered a global city and is one of the world's top ten financial and commercial centers. Seoul is also home to large corporations such as Samsung and LG. The Seoul Subway is the third largest in the world (which makes my commute very interesting!). 

Seoul is divided into 25 districts districts (gu).Each district (gu) is then divided into neighborhoods. So in my school address, which most of you have, Samjeon-dong is the neighborhood and Songpa-Gu is the district.

Here is where I live:




Info from National Geographic and The World Factbook, 2010

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