About KOREA | KCCUK

Culture and the Arts

UNESCO Heritage in Korea

Korea’s vibrant cultural legacy, comprising music, art, literature, dance, architecture, clothing, and cuisine, offers a delightful combination of tradition and modernity. South Korea preserves ...

Traditional Arts

GugakThe term gugak, which literally means “national music,” refers to traditional Korean music and other related art forms including songs, dances and ceremonial movements. The ...

Hallyu (Korean Wave)

Hallyu (Korean Wave)A term now widely used to refer to the popularity of Korean entertainment and culture across Asia and other parts of the ...

Korean Life

Clothing and Fashion

Since their settlement in prehistoric times on the land now known as the Korean Peninsula, the Korean people have developed a wealth of unique cultural ...

Food

Since ancient times, the Korean people have maintained a belief that food and medicine have the same origin and hence perform the same function, following ...

Housing

Korean people have developed unique architectural techniques to build housing that is properly adapted to the surrounding natural environment, providing dwellers with better protection. A ...

Festivals, Celebrations and Holidays

FestivalsUntil the mid-20th century, Korea was primarily an agricultural society, and the seasonal rhythms of daily life were organized by the lunar calendar. As a ...

Religion

Korea is a country where all the world’s major religions, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, peacefully coexist with shamanism. According to the 2015 statistics ...

Society

Copyright ©Photographer Jang Soo-min-Korea Tourism Organization

South Korea – Summary

Geographical and Topographical FeaturesThe Korean Peninsula (lat. 33˚ - 43˚; long. 124˚ - 132˚) lies in the middle of Northeast Asia, flanked by China to its west ...

Education, Research and Industry

Education SystemKoreans regard education as very important. In the process of industrialization, human resources emerged as an important factor in connection with the need to ...

Copyright ©Photographer Lee Seong-u-Korea Tourism Organization

Labor and Social Welfare System

Social Security SystemSouth Korea operates a labor and welfare system that meets international norms. Workers’ three basic rights are guaranteed. Public officials also have their ...

Becoming a Society That Respects Cultural Diversity

South Korea has long been a culturally homogeneous society, but the number of migrant workers and foreign students has increased rapidly since the end of ...

Tourism

Historical Heritage of Seoul

Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, is itself an important part of Korea’s cultural heritage and the most popular attraction among overseas ...

Tourist Attractions and Shopping Centers

Insa-dong Insa-dong is a district in downtown Seoul that is packed with antique shops, antiquarian booksellers, art galleries, scroll mounters, craft workshops, brush shops, traditional ...

Recreation in Nature

Jirisan Mountain The highest and largest mountain in mainland South Korea, Jirisan Mountain consists of numerous scenic peaks, including its highest Cheonwangbong Peak (1,915m ...

Tourist Attractions outside Seoul

Gyeongju, the Millennium Capital Gyeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province was once the capital of the ancient Korean Kingdom of Silla (57 BCE – 935) for about one ...

Hanok Villages

The recent revival of interest in modernized traditional Korean houses (called hanok) among architectural designers and house buyers from across Korea has also helped attract ...

Header image: Copyright©Photographer Korea Tourism Organization, Kim Jiho-Korea Tourism Organization

Local Festivals

Local FestivalsAs in many other parts of the world, local communities in Korea have developed a variety of cultural programs and events to mark their ...

Sports

How South Korea Became a Sporting Powerhouse

South Korea ranked 7th overall in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. The country has shown great performances at international competitions with top 10 finishes ...

https://www.olympic.org/seoul-1988

1988 Seoul Summer Olympics

The 24th Summer Olympic Games were held in Seoul in 1988, with a record number of athletes (13,304 from 160 countries) attending the event ...

2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan

Held for 31 days (May 31 to June 30), the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan was the first World Cup to be jointly hosted ...

2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics

Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, was selected as the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics after receiving a majority vote at the 123rd IOC Session held ...

Taekwondo

Originated in Korea, Taekwondo is a martial art of self-defence in which the competitors use both their hands and feet. In ancient times, Koreans practiced ...

History

The Beginnings of the Country’s History (Prehistoric Times - Gojoseon)

The history of the Korean nation began in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula when people started settling there 700,000 years ago. Representative historic sites ...

Three Kingdoms and other States

Towards the end of the Gojoseon Period, tribal states came into being one after another in Manchuria and on the Korean Peninsula. Buyeo was established ...

North and South States Period: Unified Silla and Balhae

With the unification of the three Kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula in 668, Silla enjoyed a marked expansion of both its territory and population. Unified ...

Goryeo

By the late 8th century, Silla had been weakened by an internal struggle for power among the nobility; and, by the 10th century, leaders of ...

Joseon

Towards the end of the 14th century, Goryeo found itself in a difficult situation due to internal and external problems, including a struggle for power ...

The Fall of Joseon: Imperial Japan’s Annexation of Korea

The Fall of Joseon: Imperial Japan’s Annexation of Korea With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, capitalism developed in Europe ...

Independence Movement

During the colonial period (1910-1945), the Japanese pillaged Joseon’s resources, banned the use of the Korean language - even going so far in 1939 as ...

Transition to a Democracy and Transformation into an Economic Powerhouse

In May 1948, the country’s first democratic election was held in South Korea under the UN’s supervision to elect the 198 members of ...

Economy

The Korean Economy – the Miracle on the Hangang River

The Constitution of South Korea stipulates that “the right of property shall be guaranteed for every citizen.” In short, the country has adopted the market ...

Korea's Open Market Capitalist Economy

South Korea has adopted the open market economy, and is thus negotiating with other countries to sign more FTAs, as well as allowing foreigners to ...

Industrial Brand Leaders and Korean Industrial Standards

The government is committed to diversifying export items and enhancing their quality through the annual selection of first-rate quality goods. Among the range of first-rate ...

Efforts to Grow as a Global Power

At present, South Korea is striving to transform itself into a global economic system. Although the country accomplished rapid growth within a short period of ...

Inter-Korean Relations

Peace, A New Start; The ‘Panmunjeom Declaration’

President Moon Jae-in has consistently stressed the need for dialog to resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula and to open a new era of peace ...

Historical Background

Inter-Korean Exchanges and Cooperation

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Efforts for Lasting Peace

The government of the South has made efforts for a permanent settlement of peace on the Korean Peninsula and the development of good relations with ...