I feel that Korea needs no introduction. Friends who have visited say their stay could only be equated to that of being in outer space. It is remarkably extraordinary. I look forward to proving the veracity of the statement once I visit in the near future. However with my limited knowledge, the Korea I know is one resilient and self-driven nation. It has gone through thick and thin to emerge as the 12th largest trading nation and its influence is vast and far reaching. In recent years, we have seen Korea emerge not only as an influential nation but as a world super-power. To qualify as a member of the G-20 is no mean fit. In 2010 we witnessed the country host the G-20 summit where the leaders of the twenty most powerful nations converged in Seoul to discuss the future of the world economy. The country hosted the Summer Olympics of 1988, the 2002 World Cup tournament and is set to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. Introduction of Korean studies in educational institutions in our country I believe is long overdue. With the continuing influence of the East in Kenya and the rest of the continent, introduction of Korean studies is vital and will play a key role in various sectors. Students enrolling for Korean studies will have an opportunity to learn the Korean language including the famous 24 consonant and vowel alphabet – Hangul. The course will give students a glimpse into Korean culture through its literature, music and art. In 2012, we saw Psy’s song – Gangnam Style ruling the airwaves and everybody was dancing to the tune from Presidents like Barack Obama to Prime Ministers like James Cameron. Not to be left behind, fellow country man Ban Ki-moon the U.N Secretary General also danced to it. The brainchild behind this hit was a Sou... ... middle of paper ... ...or Higher Diploma. Given an opportunity to go to Korea, one will adapt quickly avoiding cultural shock. They will save a year of their lives where they could have been learning the new language and adapting to the new ways. To sum it up, introduction of Korean studies is an ingenious move that will not only open floodgates to improving the Kenyan and Korean relations but will bring immense opportunities and help our citizens and young people see the world from another perspective. It will bring about a paradigm shift from the choking and excessive influence of the West and many young people through our universities will have an opportunity to learn of this new found kingdom. This will bring home diversity through exchange of culture and will help these two countries move forward shoulder high as we embrace the 21st century in style and hope to leave a positive mark.
Australia and South Korea share want to help in strengthening outcomes for their students. They have exchange programs in place that allow many Australian students to come and experience Korea. Australia has many thousands of Korean students studying in their country. South Korea is Australia's 4th largest origin of international students, with nearly 21,000 full-time students studying in Australia in 2015. South Korea is a popular destination for Australian students under the New Colombo Plan (NCP). The numbers of NCP students studying in Korea continue to increase year after year¬. For 2017, 12 NCP scholarships have been awarded. Both the active Korean community in Australia and the growing number of alumni in South Korea show great personal
The period from 1905 to 1924 is characterized by quite a different group of Korean Immigrants. One part of this group was made up of Koreans who were running from their government and students who were studying in the US. Syngman Rhee, who would become the leader of South Korea during the Korean War, was earning his Ph.D. at Princeton University during this time. About 500 students and political refugees arrived in America (...
“Countries where people feel more threatened with uncertainty are more likely to be afraid of change and countries where people are less threatened with uncertainty are more accepting of a departure from the norm.” (Adler, Rosenfeld, Proctor, &Winder, 2012, p.100). I grew up in Korea until grade 11 and came to Canada. Even though I spent seven years in Canada, I am still strongly influenced by norms in Korean society. I realized that I came from one of the countries that feel more threatened with uncertainty and not comfortable with not fitting the norms in the society. In Korean society, females who are 24 years old usually finish their four-years of degree and look for the job. Moreover, majority people expect to finish degree in four years. When my parents kept reminding me the norm in Korean society, I felt discouraged because I did not want to be behind the rest of same age people in Korea. I realized that I felt helpless not because my parents were not supportive with my decision, but because of the uncomfortable feeling that comes from not fitting the norm. I should have understood my perception that closely related to Korean society and the difference of culture between Korea and
Soh, C. S. (2001). South Korea. In C. R. Ember & M. Ember (Eds.), Countries and Their Cultures (
There are lots of dialects in Korean language. In South Korea, there are several dialects such as, Kangwon dialect, Kyeonggi dialect, Kyeongsang dialect, Jeonla dialect, Chungcheong dialect, and Jeju dialect. Also, there are dialects in North Korea, which are, Hamkyeong dialect, Pyeongan dialect, and Hwanghae dialect. I am going to cover only South Korea’s dialects in this paper.
...y say that I was able to get a good overview of Korean history with a strong sense of knowledge gained. What I specifically gained was a better sense of Korea as a unique cultural entity with its own sense of excellence and its individuality. I have also learned that regardless of the hardships Koreans have suffered in this century, they have successfully endured every worst situation a nation can ever experience. From Japan's colonial rule to the heavy influence Korea felt from Russia's communist state and America's democracy, Korea was able to withstand all these instabilities and overcome to what may be a healthy and modernized nation. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who would like a broad yet thorough overview of Korean history because; this book is precisely written and sectioned accordingly to not make learning history difficult or confusing.
From Korean Pop stars to dramas, South Korea has it going on. It seems that there is not one Asian country that has not had the Korean Wave, a Chinese term given to South Korea referring to the exportation of their culture, completely wash over it. What started as an Asian sensation, the Korean Wave is now beginning to spread globally, ranking South Korea as one of the top countries known for its exportation of culture. Between music, television, and video games, South Korea’s economy is rapidly increasing as the world continues to fall in love with its entertainment industry.
South Korea is a country that has rapidly developed. But the country also experienced military dictatorship in the 1980s
When there was still Japanese imperialism and Korea was a Japanese colony, Japan forced many terrible things upon Korea. The annexation of Korea, which finished in 1910, was met with little response or resistance from the international world and Korea respectively. Their rule was suppressive. Korea became completely dependent on Japan for its economy. Things like ports were made for military use and while Japan built bridges, dams, and hallways in Korea, their original purpose was for the military and to make Japan look powerful. Throughout the period, 1910 to 1945, there were rebellions but they were quickly demolished by the Japanese. In 1919, there was a revolt with almost 2 million supporters and in the end, thousands to get killed ...
Robinson, J. H. (2000) 'Communication in Korea: Playing Things bye Eye'. Intercultural Communication Journal: A Reader. Vol.9, pp. 74-81.
According to one article, over the past two decades, countries in the world have become more and more interdependent, and new technologies have erased many existing borders. As boundaries between countries are dissolved, foreign language instruction has become more necessary than ever for linking with the rest of the world and for producing an enlightened citizenship able to function in today’s ever-shrinking world. (Morris, http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/759) For the people who are learning any other languages, before start to study, it is obviously important that knowing differences between two languages, their own language and others. The purpose of this article is to explore differences between Korean and English. And then, it will be
South Korea, once a broken country filled with broken families, has transformed itself into a fine example of perseverance in a tough situation. South Korea and its neighbor to the north have developed past where they were before the Korean War, but in different ways. The two countries, while certainly dependent on each other, are vastly different. Their conflicting styles of government and their differing cultures speak for themselves in this case. South Korea has, over the years, changed dramatically from the crippled country of the Korean War into a blossoming beacon of Asian cultural and economic changes. The combination of its recent economic importance, its heavy cultural influence, and its constant danger of participating in a war makes South Korea one of the most influential countries in the world.
South Korea is officially called the republic of Korea. It accompanies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its location is between the Yellow Sea and the East Sea. An artificial boundary called the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separates South Korea from its neighboring country, North Korea. South Korea has a total area of 38,502 square miles. A little known fact is that South Korea is slightly larger than the state of Indiana.
Another factor is that Korea’s heavy investment in human capital has led its education to rely heavily on rote learning and curricula cramming for the national university entrance exam. This leaves little room for creative thinking and an exploratory spirit . The government’s remedies include investments (over the past decade) to improve the education system, as well as work with industry to create more specialized curricula to smoothen the transition from university to industry.
Due to the harsh differences between the peoples of Korea, and especially due to the onset of Communism, the Korean War erupted and the nation split in half, with the Communist-supported Democratic People’s Republic in the north and those who favored democracy in the Korean Republic of the south (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000). The two separate countries of North Korea and South Korea have gone their opposite ways, and each has experienced different fortunes in the past half-century. The South Koreans managed to recover from the turmoil of the 1950s and 1960s to become an economic power and a democracy supporter. On the other hand, North Korea can be viewed as a retro country, based first on a Communist ideology, laid down by leader Kim Il Sung and inherited by his son, the current dictator Kim Jong Il, then evolving into a totalitarian state (Pacific Rim: East Asia at the Dawn of a New Century). Today, North Korea holds the distinction of being one of the very few remaining countries to be truly cut off from the rest of the world.