Indholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2021 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

Often overshadowed by its neighbors, South Korea is a vibrant and influential country in its own right. Here are five fascinating facts to get you started. 1 Best alphabet in the world? Korea’s alphabet, han’gul, is considered one of the most logical writing systems in the world. It was created by a king named Sejong in the 15th century as a gift to his people. 2 The family is the cornerstone of Korean culture. Family relationships have a powerful influence in Korean society both at home and at work. Young people are taught to show respect for their parents and other elders in the community. 3 South Korea’s capital is one of the most connected cities in the world. About 95% of homes in Seoul have high-speed Internet connections, and…

Legend says that long ago, Prince Hwanung, the son of heaven’s supreme deity, descended to earth along with 3,000 servants and built the City of God. A bear was transformed into a woman, and Hwanung took her as his wife. The Samguk Yusa (Memorablia of Three Kingdoms) records that their child, Tan-gun, founded the first Korean kingdom of Chosen in Pyongyang and began his reign in 2333 B.C.E. As this legend shows, Koreans have an intense love of their land. They see their country as a place that is so beautiful and inviting that a deity would want to live there. This feeling is reflected in almost every aspect of Korean life. Like Hwanung, the ancestors of modern-day Koreans came to this part of northeastern Asia voluntarily. But rather than…

Catchy tunes with fantastic harmonies. Great choreography. Brightly colored costumes and backdrops. Beautifully styled singers. Gorgeous music videos. If this doesn’t really sound like current American popular music, that’s because it isn’t. This is K-Pop, Korea’s popular music. It is a musical genre that emerged in South Korea in the 1990s and has since become a global phenomenon. “K-Pop” is a general term for Korea’s popular music, but it actually draws from many different musical styles, especially rock, hip hop, and electronic music. Like the term “Latin pop,” K-Pop is more of a geographical name to indicate where in the world this music comes from rather than identifying one particular sound. Some people compare the K-Pop genre to singers like Taylor Swift or groups like One Direction. However, it really…

LONG AGO, when time was young, two brothers named Heung Bu and Nol Bu lived as neighbors in Korea. They planted rice and depended upon the steady change of the seasons to bring them a crop each year. Neither was wealthy, but both had enough to eat. Nol Bu, the older brother, was always making plans to grow more rice and gain more riches. Heung Bu, the younger brother, just enjoyed every day and never made plans beyond his next meal. Despite their differences, the brothers’ wealth was nearly equal until the day the swallow came. One morning early in spring, both brothers were out in their neighboring paddies planting rice seedlings. They had rolled their pant legs high above the muddy water, and their wide straw hats slanted downward,…

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Korea LOCATION: Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the East Sea (Sea of Japan) and the West Sea (Yellow Sea), with North Korea to the north AREA: 38,345 square miles (99,720 square kilometers) POPULATION: 51,715,162 (July 2020 estimate) GOVERNMENT: republic CAPITAL: Seoul CLIMATE: temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter TERRAIN: mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south HIGHEST POINT: Hallasan at 6,397 feet (1,950 meters) NATIONAL LANGUAGE: Korean NATIONAL DAY: Liberation Day, August 15 CURRENCY: South Korean won (KRW) MAIN RELIGIONS: Christianity, Buddhism…

For thousands of years, the Korean Peninsula has been called the “Land of Morning Calm.” However, if you were stepping out into the busy streets of Seoul today, you would hardly find this a fitting description. Seoul and its suburbs make up a bustling metropolis of nearly 25 million people. Along major streets like Gangnam and Hongdae, you’ll discover a city that never sleeps. Dining, entertainment, and shopping options are open around the clock. Education is important. Students often spend hours with tutors after a full day of classes. There are even 24-hour study rooms open throughout the city. To match this high-speed lifestyle, Seoul has invested billions of dollars in high-speed technology throughout the city over the last 30 years. Being so connected has not only helped the city’s…

Want to know a Korean culinary secret? Everyday Korean meals typically include rice, pork and/ or seafood. Pretty tasty stuff, to be sure, but here’s the secret—it’s really the sauces and side dishes that create a delicious Korean feast. Kicking off with Kimchi You can’t talk about Korean cuisine without mentioning kimchi. From soups and stews to rice, salads, snacks, and sides, kimchi is a classic Korean food. It’s so popular that many families have a separate mini-refrigerator or cool storage area just for kimchi. Kimchi isn’t just one food item—it’s a way of preserving raw food, such as cabbage leaves, radishes, garlic, and onions. The food can be edible for years, but it does get softer and more sour over time. The process of making kimchi dates back thousands…

The DMZ Japan annexed the entire Korean peninsula in 1910. When Japan surrendered and World War II ended, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was backed by the Soviet Union, and South Korea (the Republic of Korea) received support from the United States and other allies. The Korean War began in 1950 when communist North Korea invaded South Korea (the Republic of Korea). In 1953, an armistice (cease-fire) was signed by the combatants, including North Korea, China, and the United States. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a 2.5-mile wide, 150-mile long area across the Korean Peninsula that separates North and South Korea. The border between the Koreas along the 38th Parallel (latitude 38° N) is the most heavily guarded in the world. It has divided families for generations.…

Bibimbap is a feast for body and soul. It’s a healthy and fun way to serve odds and ends from your veggie drawer. You can also add meat or keep it all vegetarian. What You’ll Need » Rice (1/2 cup per person) » An assortment of chopped vegetables to sauté… carrots, zucchini, mushroom, bean sprouts, onions, spinach » Soy sauce » Sesame oil » Egg (1 per person) » Cooked chicken, ground beef, strips of pork or steak (optional) » Gochujang (red chili paste, optional) Directions 1. Prepare the rice per the package directions. 2. While the rice is cooking, sauté your vegetables. You can cook them all at the same time, mixing them together, but if you want to present a traditional dish, sauté each vegetable separately and set…

Some towns build a “moon house” out of branches and bamboo. Wishes written on paper are hung on the house. In the evening, the branches are lit on fire, and the house becomes a bonfire. Burning the moon house drives away bad spirits and starts the new year with good luck. Children are dressed up in fancy clothing and sent to wish their elders good fortune in the new year with a traditional bow. As a reward, their relatives give them pocket money or sweet treats in a colorful silk bag. Food plays a big role in Seollal. Rice cakes are particularly popular on the holiday. Many people eat tteokguk, tasty broth with long cylinders of rice cake. One of the most important parts of Seollal is the charye, the…

Dansaekhwa means “monochromatic” or “one color” in Korean. This minimalist art style began in the 1970s in South Korea and became one of the country’s most important art movements. Korean artists Park Seo-bo, Ha Chang-hyun, Lee Ufan, and Chung Sang-hwa were part of this movement. Together, they challenged the more traditional forms of painting. They emphasized the process of painting by exploring what could be done with different materials. Chung Sang-hwa used layers of paint, adding wax and clay for texture. Ha Chang-hyun squished paint through fabrics such as burlap. Others used the handled end of the paintbrush to draw lines through thick layers of paint. Park Seo-bo used paper pulp from the paper mulberry tree for texture. Kazuo Shiraga painted with his feet. Focused on the process, they highlighted…