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...

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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 ...

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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...

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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 ...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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...

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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....

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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, ...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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