Korean Culture for Curios New Comer - 통으로 읽는 한국 문화

Page : 308 pages            Book Size: 170 x 240 (mm)

ISBN 9788962927252

Some who live in Korea or those who are here learning the Korean language are often  embarrassed by Koreans asking “How old are you?”at their first meeting, and cannot understand how Koreans share jige, a dish similar to western stew, from a common bowl without using individual plates. That explanation is not that easy. 

There are hundreds of thousands of foreigners living in Korea. Some are here for study, some for work and some live here with their Korean husbands. There are, however, only a few books available that may satisfactorily give answers to such curiosity. The author kept this in mind before starting this book - to attend to foreigners living the Korean life with cultural shocks. 

This book introduces Korea as a whole including clothes, food, houses, sports and trips with a main focus on natural environment and socio-cultural variations to enable readers easily understand Korea in general. As well structured as the book is, the content is not stiff, and it is in relation with everyday life to make it easily comprehensible.

“Korean Culture for curious new comers”is a book greatly introducing Korean cultures, which Hannah Park has been researching and teaching for years, at foreigners’level. This book will be very useful in aiding foreign college students and multicultural families to understand and adapt to Korean cultures in a short period of time. Author: Hanna Park
Hannah Park was born in Daegu, South Korea. She realized that ‘bring up children’ is the greatest task in life, while working as an instructor of parents effectiveness training and a reading instructor after obtaining a Master’s degree. She went to China with the vision that it would be the land of opportunity for children generation and stayed 10 years there. In 2004 she published the book ‘Give Studying in China as a Gift to Your Child!’, based on the ten years of experiences of differences and similarities on education in South Korea and China.
Park lectured the course ‘Korean Society and Culture’ in College of Arts and Science Beijing Union University, University of Internation Business and Economics and Yan-Tai University in China. In those days, the book ‘Introduction to Korea’ was used for the textbook of the course. The textbook is the matrix of this book. It is said that people gain insight into a forest when they are out of the forest. In this book, Park tried to discuss the haracteristics of Korean people from a perspective of foreigners and deliver Korean cultures in an interesting way.
She was an advisory committee member of ‘Korean Food Internationalization Project’and introduced Korean cultures through lecturers for Korean language instructors in foreign countries. At the present time, she lectures many courses, such courses as ‘Classics in the Humanities’ and ‘Korean Cultures’ for the education of children generation.

Table of Contents

Preface
A letter of recommendation

Chapter I
First Impression of South Korea
Vibrant South Korea, Dynamic Korea!
Step 1 South Korea in the World…18
Step 2 Symbols of Korea…22
Step 3 Korean People and the Korean Alphabet…27

Chapter 2
Natural Environment and Administration
There are many beauties in Korea because it has clean water!
Step 1 Geography and Climate…42
Step 2 Nature and Korean People…48
Step 3 Administration District and Population…53

Chapter 3
Family and Manners
Why do Korean people always ask people’s age when they meet for the first time?
Step 1 Characteristics of Korean Families…64
Step 2 Family Relations and Manners…74
Step 3 Dol, Wedding Ceremony, Hoe Gap and Ancestral Rites…83

Chapter 4
Clothing Life and Han Bok
Korean People who Say ‘The Tailor Makes the Man.’
Step 1 Korean People and Clothes…98
Step 2 Han Bok Culture…100

Chapter 5
Dietary Life and Kimchi
Kimchi, hot and mouth-watering!
Step 1 Cooked Rice and Soup…110
Step 2 Table Setting and Table Manners…117
Step 3 Kimchi and Mak geol li…124

Chapter 6
Housing Lifestyle and On Dol
You take off your shoes at home?
Step 1 Traditional Han Ok…136
Step 2 On Dol and Sedentary Lifestyle…142
Step 3 Apartments and Modern Architecture…145

Chapter 7
History and Peoples
Korean History which Has Bounced Back up Like a Roly
Poly through Loyalty and Filial Piety
Step 1 Overview of Korean history…150
Step 2 People on Korean Currency…170

Chapter 8
Politics and Economy
Do you know the division of South and North Korea and ‘Miracle on the Han River’?
Step 1 Democracy and the Division of South and North Korea…180
Step 2 New Village Movement and Miracle on the Han River…194
Step 3 Today’s Korean Economy…201

Chapter 9
Education and Occupation
Korean People Live to Learn, even if They Are Poor! A Country without Illiterate People
Step 1 Education Fever and Education System…208
Step 2 Study in South Korea…216
Step 3 Career Path and Occupation…223

Chapter 10
Culture and the Korean Wave
National Character of Loving to Sing and Dance
Step 1 Traditional Culture and Heritage…230
Step 2 Contemporary Pop Culture…247
Step 3 Korean Wave and Korean Culture…257

Chapter 11
Sports and Tourism
The 1998 Seoul olympics and Cheering Heat in the
2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan
Step 1 Taekwondo and Soccer…264
Step 2 Sports and Leisure Culture…270
Step 3 Traffic, Tourism and Shopping…278

Chapter 12
Tradition and Religion
Lunar New Year’s Day, gift money, be happy!
Step 1 Korean Festive Days…290
Step 2 Religion …300