Cultureㆍ Art - Life Style: Overview

Culture and the Art of Korea

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Life Style: Overview

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    It is generally surmised that Paleolithic man began to inhabit the Korean Peninsula about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, although it has yet to be confirmed if they were the ethnic ancestors of present-day Koreans. Some Paleolithic men lived in caves, while others built structures on level ground. They lived on fruit and edible roots and by hunting and fishing.

   Neolithic man appeared in Korea around 4000 B.C., with signs of their active presence around 3000 B.C. being found across the peninsula. It is believed that the Neolithic people formed the ethnic stock of the Korean people. Neolithic people dwelled near the seashore and riverbanks before advancing into inland areas. The sea was their main source of food. They used nets, hooks and fishing lines to catch fish and gather shellfish. Hunting was another way to procure food. Arrowheads and spear points have been found at Neolithic sites. Later, they began to engage in farming using stone hoes, sickles and millstones.

   Rice cultivation started during the Bronze Age, generally thought to have lasted in Korea until around 400 B.C. People also lived in pits, while dolmen and stone cist tombs were used predominantly for burials during the period.

   As agriculture became a principal activity, villages were formed and a ruling leader emerged along with supreme authority. Law became necessary to govern the communities. In Gojoseon (2333 B.C.-194 B.C.), a law code consisting of eight articles came into practice, but only three of the articles are known today. They are as follows: First, anybody who kills another shall immediately be killed. Second, those who injures another's body shall compensate in grain. Third, those who steals other's possessions shall become a slave of his victim.

Traditional Korean houses remained relatively unchanged from the Three Kingdoms period through the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Ondol, a unique Korean under-floor heating system, was first used in the north. Smoke and heat were channeled through flues built under the floor. In the warmer south, ondol was used together with wooden floors. The major materials of traditional houses were clay and wood. Giwa, or black-grooved tiles for roof, were made of earth, usually red clay. Today, the presidential mansion is called Cheongwadae, or Blue House, after the blue tiles used for its roof.

Ondol, a unique Korean under-floor heating system, was first used in the north. Smoke and heat were channeled through flues built under the floor. In the warmer south, ondol was used together with wooden floors. The major materials of traditional houses were clay and wood. Giwa, or black-grooved tiles for roof, were made of earth, usually red clay. Today, the presidential mansion is called Cheongwadae, or Blue House, after the blue tiles used for its roof.

Traditional houses were built without using any nails but rather assembled with wooden pegs. Upper-class houses consisted of a number of separate structures, one for accommodation of women and children, one for the men of the family and their guests, and another for servants, all enclosed within a wall. A family ancestral shrine was built behind the house. A lotus pond was sometimes created in front of the house outside the wall.

The form of the houses differed from the colder north to the warmer south. Simple houses with a rectangular floor and a kitchen and a room on either side developed into an L-shaped house in the south, but would become U-shaped or square-shaped with a courtyard at the center in the north.

   From the late 1960s, Korea's housing pattern began to change rapidly with the construction of Western-style apartment buildings. High-rise apartments have mushroomed all over the country since the 1970s.

   Koreans began to weave cloth with hemp and arrowroot and raised silkworms to produce silk. During the Three Kingdoms period, men wore jeogori (jacket), baji (trousers), and durumagi (overcoat) complete with a hat, belt and pair of shoes.
The women wore jeogori (short jacket) with two long ribbons which are tied to form an otgoreum knot, a full length, high-waist wrap-around skirt called chima, a durumagi, complete with beoseon, white cotton socks, and boat-shaped shoes.

   This attire, known as hanbok, has been handed down in the same form for men and women for hundreds of years with little change except for the length of the jeogori and chima.

   Western wear entered Korea during the Korean War (1950-53), and during the rapid industrialization in the 1960s and 1970s, hanbok use declined, being regarded as inappropriate for casual wear. Recently, however, hanbok lovers have been campaigning to revitalize hanbok, and have created updated styles which are easier to wear.

Traditional hanbok is usually worn on special days like the lunar New Year holidays and Chuseok (Autumnal Full Moon Harvest Festival), and family festivities such as Hwangap, which marks one's 60th birthday.

   Of the three basic elements of life - house, clothing and food - the change in dietary habits has most significantly affected Koreans. Rice still remains the staple of most Koreans, but among the younger generations, many prefer Western-style food.

Rice has been usually accompanied by various side dishes, mostly seasoned vegetables, soup, pot stew, and meat.

A traditional Korean meal is not complete without kimchi, a mixture of various pickled vegetables such as Oriental cabbage, radish, green onion and cucumber. Certain types of kimchi are made spicy with the addition of red pepper powder, while others are prepared without red peppers or are soaked in a tasty liquid. However, garlic is always used in kimchi to add to its flavor.

   In late November or early December, Korean families engage in gimjang, or preparation of kimchi, for the long winter season. Until a few decades ago, the kimchi prepared for the winter was placed into large vessels which were stored underground to retain the flavor of the kimchi. With the emergence of apartment houses, electronic appliance makers are now manufacturing refrigeration units exclusively for kimchi. In addition, kimchi factories enjoy a brisk business as an increasing number of families buy kimchi instead of preparing it themselves.

   In addition to kimchi, doenjang (Korean bean paste), with its anti-cancer attributes, has attracted the attention of modern-day nutritionists. Koreans used to make doenjang at home by boiling yellow beans, drying them in the shade, soaking them in salty water, and fermenting them in sunlight. However, only a few families go through this process at home these days while the majority buy factory-made doenjang.

   Among meat dishes, seasoned bulgogi (usually beef) and galbi (beef or pork rib) are most favored by both Koreans and foreigners.

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Everything you ever wanted to know about Korean surnames When this author mentioned that he would be moving to Korea, he was told that he would soon have lots of friends named "Kim." Due to lack of prior contact with Korea or Korean people, he had no idea what this meant, but shortly after arrival on the peninsula the full reality became clear. According to Korean government sta... Views 52266
Life Style: Religion Unlike some cultures where a single religion is dominant, Korean culture includes a wide variety of religious elements that have shaped the people's way of thinking and behavior. In the early stages of history in Korea, religious and political functions were combined but they later became distinct. Historically, Koreans lived under ... Views 53916
Life Style: House ▲ Ondol: In modern usage it refers to any type of underfloor heating of a room that follows the traditional way of eating and sleeping on the floor. Hanok, traditional Korean houses, remained relatively unchanged from the Three Kingdoms period through the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Ondol, a unique Korean underfloor heatin... Views 42684
Museums and Theaters ▲ National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul Grand Park Korea abounds in cultural facilities of all levels and categories where people can enjoy exhibitions and stage performances throughout the year. These places offer an on-the-spot glimpse into the cultural and artistic achievements of Koreans past and present, regarding both ... Views 43779
Drama and Movies ▲ Daejanggeum [2003, MBC] Based loosely on a historical figure depicted in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, the show focuses on Jang-geum, Korea's first female royal physician While music and dance play an integral role in all traditional theatrical performances, Korean drama has its origins in prehistoric religious rites. A good e... Views 41488
Music and Dance ▲ Ensemble of national classical music performing Sujecheon [Long Life as Eternal as the Heavens] Music and dance were means of religious worship and this tradition continued through the Three Kingdoms period. More than 30 musical instruments were used during the Three Kingdoms period, and particularly noteworthy was the hyeonhakgeum... Views 51180
Painting ▲The figures on the walls of Muyongchong [the Tomb of the Dancers] from the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C. - A.D. 668) Although Korean painters showed a certain level of accumulated skills from the time of the Three Kingdoms, most paintings have been lost because they were drawn on paper. As a result, it is only possible to apprec... Views 58418
Literature Yongbieocheonga: ▲ The work eulogizes the virtue of the ancestors for the House of Yi, the founding family of the Joseon Dynasty, likening them to a deep rooted tree and a spring of deep waters Korean literature is usually divided chronologically into classical and modern periods. Korea's classical literature developed against the... Views 45571
Fine Arts Though people started living on the Korean Peninsula in the Paleolithic Age, existing remains indicate that the origin of fine arts dates back to the Neolithic Age (c. 6,000-1,000 B.C.). Rock carvings on a riverside cliff named Ban-gudae in Ulsan on the southeast coast feature vivid descriptions of animals and are noteworthy ... Views 51380
Life Style - Culinary Culture : Table Manners and Table Settings Table Manners and Table Settings From ancient times, Koreans have used spoon and chopsticks as their eating utensils. The spoon was for scooping steamed rice, soup, and stew, and chopsticks were used to eat a variety of prepared side dishes. Koreans are trained to use the spoon and the chopsticks correctly from childhood. Using ... Views 53303
Life Style - Culinary Culture : Ceremonial Food During the Joseon period, ceremonies were an important part of every family household and as a consequence, special foods for those ceremonies were developed. In particular, on the occasions of marriage and Hwan-gap, a special table-setting was arranged, which featured a variety of foods stacked up to about 30 to 50 centimeters high... Views 46635
Life Style - Culinary Culture : Kimchi Kimchi is a uniquely pungent mixture of fermented vegetables and its variations amounted to roughly 80 kinds of dishes during the Joseon period. For spring, summer, and fall consumption, kimchi was cured in a small quantity, but for the winter months, large quantities were made so that it could be eaten over three or four months.... Views 43160
Life Style - Culinary Culture History of the Development in the Culinary Culture Korea's culinary culture has been shaped with by its natural environment. Korea is located in the mid-altitude of the Northern Hemisphere, and belongs to a cold-temperate zone. Korea is surrounded by water on three sides, where both cold and warm currents cross each other, ... Views 50330
Life Style: Festivals In bygone days, festivals were lavish religious observances. It was during the Confederated Kingdoms period that harvest thanksgiving festivals began to be observed officially. They included the yeonggo (spirit-invoking drums) of Buyeo, dongmaeng (worship of the founder) of Goguryeo, and mucheon (dance to Heaven) of Dongye. Usually, festi... Views 54028
Life Style: Names Korean names have almost invariably consisted of three Chinese characters that are pronounced with three Korean syllables. The family name comes first, while the remaining two characters form the given name. However, this old tradition no longer remains intact. Of course, the majority still follow this tradition, but more and more... Views 53506
Life Style: Family Life In traditional Korea, the typical family was large with three or four generations usually living together. Because infant mortality was high and a big family was thought of as a blessing, having many children was desired. However, the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the country in the 1960s and 1970s were accompanied by an... Views 52930
Life Style: Overview It is generally surmised that Paleolithic man began to inhabit the Korean Peninsula about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, although it has yet to be confirmed if they were the ethnic ancestors of present-day Koreans. Some Paleolithic men lived in caves, while others built structures on level ground. They lived on fruit and edible r... Views 53192

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