SEOUL - THE CITY

Seoul, the capital of Korea and home to more than 10 million of the nation's 47 million people, is set amid beautiful mountains. The Han River runs between the older part of town on the North side and the newer part of town on the South side. The older part of the city in the North had been developed during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), while the southern part of the Seoul was occupied by ancient Baekje Kingdom for five hundred years from 1st century B.C.to late 5th century A.D. Since its designation as the capital during the Joseon dynasty, Seoul (once called Hanyang in Joseon) has been the financial, political, commercial, diplomatic, educational and cultural center of Korea. Although it is a huge and vital city with all modern comforts and conveniences, Seoul remains the repository of more than 2,000 years of Korean culture and enshrines treasures and traditions from still earlier times. Seoul has successfully hosted many international events including the Olympic Games and 2002 Korea/Japan FIFA World Cup and the Global Summit of Women in 2004.

 

KOREA - THE COUNTRY

With a history of over 5,000 years, Korea has a rich cultural history that includes historic monuments, cultural relics and other archeological remains. In 1392 the Joseon Dynasty was established. During this time the Confucian philosophy of loyalty to country and respect for elders was strongly promoted and instilled into Koreans and remains the cornerstone of the Korean psyche. Seven Korean cultural treasures were designated as part of UNESCO'S World Heritage project; these include Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto, Hyeinsa Temple, which stores the famous Changgyongpango, a collection of all the sacred writings of Buddhism known as the Tripitaka, Jongmyo Shrine and Changdeokgung Palace. King Sejong, (c.1418-1450) the fourth king to reign during the Joseon Dynasty, had scholars devise, create and promulgate a phonetic alphabet system in 1446. The unique and highly scientific “Hangul” (Korean language) is part of the reason why the IT industry has developed so rapidly in Korea. Korea's modern history has been turbulent and dramatic. During the first half of the 20th century Korea experienced colonization and war, and the latter part of the century brought rapid economic growth, which has affected all aspects of Korean society. The Korean people, highly adaptive to changes in general, are now undergoing deep institutional, social and psychological changes as can be seen, for example, in the recent decision to revise the Civil Law.