Korean Culture

Korea was one of the last countries in Asia to be visited by Westerners, and its borders have remained largely unchanged since it was unified in the seventh century. Though it is one of the world's oldest and most ethnically homogeneous states, Korea was not born in a vacuum. Geographically isolated, the country was heavily influenced by powerful China and was often used as a bridge to the mainland by Japan. Calling themselves as "a shrimp among whales", Koreans borrowed elements of government, culture, and religion, all the while fiercely fighting to maintain independence.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Pachinko, a "mesmerizing" novel about the Korean-American daughter of first-generation immigrants striving to join Manhattan's inner circle (USA Today). Casey Han is a strong-willed, Queens-bred daughter of Korean immigrants immersed in a glamorous...

Apart from the headline-making politics, not much is known in the West about the Korean people and their ancient culture. Yet those who visit Korea, whether North or South, find a land of great interest. The Koreans, when not constrained by politics or other considerations, are friendly and sociable, and the peninsula has areas of outstanding natural beauty. The South’s cities, if not always beautiful, are vibrant and alive. The North, while very different, is complex and fascinating.

Korea has a long, riveting history—it is also a divided nation. South Korea is a vibrant democracy, the tenth largest economy, and is home to a world-renowned culture. North Korea is ruled by the most authoritarian regime in the world, a poor country in a rich region, and is best known for the cult of personality surrounding the ruling Kim family. But both Koreas share a unique common history. Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo draw on decades of research to explore the history of modern Korea, from the late nineteenth century, Japanese occupation, and Cold War division to the present day.

South Korea 101 is a book that shares with you practical information that holds great value in better understanding the Korean mindset and culture! If you have an interest in Korea and Korean people then this book will bring you tremendous value. I cover subjects like: How to eat spicy foods, how to not get run over by vehicles in Korea, dating in Korea and many more!

From the indie rockstar of Japanese Breakfast fame, and author of the viral 2018 New Yorker essay that shares the title of this book, an unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity. In this exquisite story of family, food, grief...

When Frank Ahrens, a middle-aged bachelor and 18-year veteran at the Washington Post, fell in love with a diplomat, his life changed dramatically. Following his new bride to her first appointment in Seoul, South Korea, Frank traded the newsroom for a corporate suite, becoming director of global communications at Hyundai Motors. In a land whose population is 97 percent Korean, he was one of fewer than 10 non-Koreans in a company of 5,000 employees.

This is Innovative language Learning. This Audiobook will take you through the basics of Korean with Basic Bootcamp, All About, and Pronunciation lessons. The five Basic Bootcamp lessons each center on a practical, real-life conversation. At the beginning of the lesson, we'll introduce the background of the conversation. In the fifteen All About lessons, you'll learn all about Korean and Korea.

A land famous for green tea and the martial art of tae kwon do, South Korea lies on a peninsula in southern Asia. Many small islands fill the waters off its coast, including the volcanic Cheju Island. Learn all about South Korea’s landscapes, the everyday life of its people, and the country’s history with North Korea.

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, "Two tigers cannot share the same mountain." However, in East Asia, there are three tigers on that mountain: China, Japan, and Korea, and they have a long history of turmoil and tension with each other. In his latest entertaining and thought-provoking narrative travelogue, Michael Booth sets out to discover how deep, really, the enmity is between these three "tiger" nations and what prevents them from making peace.

From the Emmy Award-winning Squid Game to streaming sensations like The Glory and Crash Landing on You, Korean television has emerged onto the global pop culture scene as compelling television—but what exactly makes these shows so irresistibly bingeable? And what can we learn about our...

Korea: An Unbroken History of Survival, Identity, and Influence Korea’s history is often summarized by invasion, occupation, and division. But those moments alone do not explain how a nation repeatedly pushed to the edge of erasure continues to stand—rooted in memory, culture, and identity. This book tells the longer story. Spanning from Korea’s earliest foundations to its modern global presence, this work traces the pivotal moments that permanently reshaped the peninsula. It is not a military chronicle or a political manifesto. Instead, it is a human history—one that focuses on ...

Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean potters’ village. When he accidentally breaks a pot, he must work for the master to pay for the damage by setting off on a difficult and dangerous journey that will change his life forever...

Long overshadowed by Japan and China, South Korea is a small country that happens to be one of the great national success stories of the postwar period. From a failed state with no democratic tradition, ruined and partitioned by war, and sapped by a half-century of colonial rule, South Korea transformed itself in just 50 years into an economic powerhouse and a democracy that serves as a model for other countries. With no natural resources and a tradition of authoritarian rule, Korea managed to accomplish a second Asian miracle.

What is it like to live in or visit South Korea? What makes South Korea’s culture unique? Explore the geography, traditions, and daily lives of South Korean people.

An excellent student from a poor, traditional family in Seoul, the narrator has absorbed the same message her whole life: Only a boy can provide the family with dignity and wealth. Not her. Not her three sisters. Receiving approval only for uncomplaining sacrifice, she has resolved to take on her family’s troubles. She is a good girl. And she knows what good girls must do.

Step inside the rabbit hole. From the first click on a dazzling music video to the addictive ritual of replaying a chorus and learning a bias's moves, The K-Pop Culture Handbook is the one companion every fan — new, returning, or longtime — has been missing. Written as the guide the author wished they'd had when they first fell in love with K-Pop, this book decodes the industry, the fandom, and the rituals that make K-Pop a global cultural force. Whether you're a curious "baby stan" just discovering this universe or an experienced multi-stan who wants deeper context and strategy, this ...

Are you learning Korean? Knowing more words is one of the best ways to speak and understand more Korean. And if you want to sound like a native speaker, you'll need vocab that's relevant to Korean culture and daily life and that is actually used by Korean people. With Learn Korean: Discover Korean Culture & Traditions by KoreanClass101.com, you learn the must-know vocab and Korean cultural insights that you won't find in a textbook.

Every Falling Star, the first book to portray contemporary North Korea to a young audience, is the intense memoir of a North Korean boy named Sungju who is forced at age 12 to live on the streets and fend for himself. To survive, Sungju creates a gang and lives by thieving, fighting, begging, and stealing rides on cargo trains. Sungju richly recreates his scabrous story, depicting what it was like for a boy alone to create a new family with his gang, his "brothers".

Winner of the 2019 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction A beautiful and haunting memoir of kinship and culture rediscovered. Jenny Heijun Wills was born in Korea and adopted as an infant into a white family in small-town Canada. In her late twenties, she reconnected with her first...