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Korea's history dates back to 2333 B.C.
The 1910-1945 era represents the Japanese Colonial Period followed by the Korean
War, 1950-1953.
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As of 2009 the population of the Republic
of Korea (South Korea) was about 48 million people, roughly 490 people per
square kilometer.
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Korea's official alphabet was invented by
King Sejong during the Joseon Dynasty (late 14th century). The alphabet consists of 17
consonants and 11 vowels. In recent times three of the consonants and one
of the vowels have been downgraded and are no longer used.
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Koreans began to practice Buddhism in A.D.
372.
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The signing of the Korean-American Treaty
in 1882 brought Christianity to the people of Korea.
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Traditionally Korean families are large with several
generations living together under one roof.
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The majority of Korean family names fall within a small
subset with the last name appearing first. The last name is almost always
one syllable and the given name is usually two syllables. Korean women do not
take their husband's last name, but the last name of the children is the
husband's family name.
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The national flower of Korea is the mugunghwa (무궁화),
the rose of sharon.
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The
national anthem of Korea was originally sung to the
tune of Auld Lange Syne. But, Korean maestro Ahn Eak-tay (1905-1965) felt
it was inappropriate to sing the anthem to another country's folk song and
composed new music for it in 1935.
