| | Need to Know | Capital City Seoul | | Tipping 10% | | Electricity 220 V | | Weights and Measurements Metric system |
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Sneak Preview
South Korea is a stark contrast to North Korea. South Korea is warm and welcoming, industrialization has taken place at a rapid pace but the Koreans retain their heritage and are fiercely proud of their culture. Both countries are beautiful, with mountains, lakes, and rivers; and, combined with the fact that they’re chockfull of beautiful old temples, palaces and monuments it’s hardly surprising that Korea- and more specifically South Korea- is an attractive destination for many tourists. Seoul is a city on the fast track – soaring skyscrapers abound and everyone seems to be in a rush. Further afield in contrast is the slow paced and steeped in ancient tradition with its shrines and beautiful temples.
So come and explore South Korea and be charmed by its friendly hospitable people, its sights and sounds.
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Historically Speaking
It is generally believed that Korea came into being in 2333 B.C, when the state of Ancient Choson was founded; the state itself collapsed when invaded by the armies of the Han emperor of China, and in its stead came up what are called the `Three Kingdoms’- Shilla (in the south east), Koguryo (in the north) and Paekche (in the south west). Of the three, it was Shilla (57 B.C. – 668 A.D.), which emerged as the strongest, unifying the country and establishing a Buddhist-influenced culture. Shilla eventually gave way to the Koryo dynasty, which in turn was succeeded by the Choson Dynasty in 1392. The Choson Dynasty was an age of great cultural and scientific development, but died at the hands of the Japanese, who, after repeated invasions, finally captured Korea in 1910. The Koreans kept up a brave resistance to the Japanese, but were able to achieve their independence from the Japanese only after the end of the Second World War. With independence came division- into North and South Korea. North Korea came under the rule of the Communists, and for nearly three years a bitter war was fought between the two countries - an extension of the Cold War.
With the collapse of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, hopes- and efforts- for the re-unification of the two countries have gathered momentum (North and South Korea, for instance, marched under one flag at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games).
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Habitat
Sandwiched between the Sea of Japan to the east and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korean Peninsula juts out from North Eastern Asia, separated from mainland Asia by two rivers- the Yalu and the Tumen. Other than the peninsula, there are about 3400 islands which also from part of Korea. Nearly 70% of the land in the two countries is mountainous, with the Taebaek Mountain Range running along the entire length of the peninsula’s east coast. The southwest part of the Korean Peninsula is largely made up of fertile river basins- two of the most important rivers are the Naktonggang and the Hangang Rivers. Korea, incidentally, is a land of great scenic beauty- the natives, in fact, describe the land as `kumsu-gangsan’- `land decorated with golden embroidery’. That may sound a bit far-fetched, but it is a beautiful land.
Flora and Fauna
The Koreans are known for their great love for nature, and this is reflected in the fact that they are very protective towards the forests and wildlife of their land. The country saw a great deal of deforestation and destruction of natural habitat during the Second World War and the Korean War; but now that peace has come to the nation, they’re doing their best to get back what was lost.
Northern parts of South Korea have mainly alpine vegetation: beech, pine and fir; while southern areas have tropical vegetation, with a number of species of hardwood trees and shrubs. Around coastal areas, mangrove stands are common.
The country has about 20 national parks, but these are known not as much for their fauna as for their scenic beauty. Very little of South Korea’s native wildlife survives, actually: it’s only in the alpine areas that you might be able to see native black bears, deer and birds.
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