About Korea

Korea Map

The Korean peninsula extends southward from the eastern end of the Asian continent. It is roughly 1000 km (621 miles) long and 216 km (136 miles) wide at its narrowest point. Mountains cover 70% of the land, and therefore Korea becomes one of the most mountainous regions in the world.

The Republic of Korea consists of nice provinces (do) with the capital in Seoul metropolitan city. There are also six metropolitan cities in Korea, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwanjgu, Daejeon, and Ulsan. Moreover, there are also the other 77 cities (si) in the whole nation and 88 countries (gun).

National Flag

The national flag of Korea is called Taegeukgi. Its very meaningful in symbol. The design symbolizes the principles of the balance, Yin and Yang in Korea philosophy. The circle in the center of the flag is divided into two equal parts: red and blue. The red half represents the proactive cosmic forces of the Yang while the other half of blue color represents the yin that’s very responsive the the cosmic forces.

Taegeukgi, Korean Nat'l Flag

The two forces combined to embody the concepts of its continual movement, the harmony and balance that characterize the sphere of infinity. The circle is then surrounded by 4 trigrams on each corner. Those 4 trigrams represents four universal elements: heaver, earth, fire, and water

National Flower

The name of Korean national flower is “Mugunghwa”, which means the Rose of Sharon. Every year, during the summer, from July to October, a profusion of the national flower blossoms graces the entire country. Mugunghwa is very special for its tenacity and its ability to withstand both blight and insects.

Moogungwa, Korea Nat'l Flower

The flower’s name comes from a very significance word stem in Korean word, “mugung” which means immortality. This word reflects accurately the enduring nature of Korean culture along with the determination and perseverance of the Korean people.

Climate

Korea lies in a temperate zone and has four seasons, just like those in western countries. The spring begins in late March or early April. The burst of the tree into leafy splendor marks the beginning of the Spring. Then from March to May, there will be some warm days. In June, the temperature rises over 20C or 68F. Monsoon rains usually begin around the end of June and ends in the mid- to late-July.

Winter in Korea

In August, the temperature is hot and humid. Mosquitoes will be coming during this weather season. In late September, the autumn/fall comes to bring the continental winds and clear dry weather. December to February are months for the winter which is dry and cold. Even in the winter months, 3 – 4 days of cold weather are often followed by a few days of warmth.

Religion

In Korea, freedom of religion is fully guaranteed. The 3 traditional religions-Shamanism, Buddhism, and Confucianism- have played important roles during the development of the country. Since the modern age, Christianism has grown so fast in Korea, after its introduction to the peninsula by the late of 18th century.

Language

Korea like many other countries have their own scripts for writing their language. Their alphabet is called “Hangeul” (한글) which basically has 10 vowels and 14 consonants. This script was developed by scholars during the patronage of King Sejong the Great. Please refer to my posting by clicking here to get further detail about it.

That’s a very brief introduction of Korea guys. Hope you guys like it.

Best regards,

~nasikun