Culture Paper: South Korea
The Korean peninsula has been inhabited for roughly 40,000 years. Many significant events throughout Korea’s history have played important roles in shaping Korea’s culture into what it is today. The name Korea originally rooted from “Koryo,” which was the succeeding dynasty in 918-1392 after the Tongil Silla period (period in which the peninsula was unified). Korea was imposed by Japanese colonial rule and finally liberated at the end of World War II in 1945. Following the end of the war, Korea faced an internal battle, resulting in the division of the country into two parts: the north, which is the People’s Republic of Korea backed by powerful communist allies such as China and Russia, and the south, which
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In addition, jobs requiring a higher education degree and intensive training such as service providers (doctors, nurses, teachers, therapists) are often very well respected and trusted as primary decision makers. Lay people are expected to how respect with distinctively addressing elders and people of higher status by their age/job titles, refraining form ever using personal names. This is exemplified through important non-verbal communication patterns such as bowing when greeting someone older than you and holding an object with both hands when handing something over to an elder person (Stone, 2005). Generally speaking, physical contact is often viewed as uncomfortable amongst strangers, in contrast to other cultures where something as personal as cheek kissing is highly accepted (Brones, 2008). In addition, Koreans consider direct eye contact impolite until a sense of comfort is established between the involved parties. This is also applicable to the Chinese culture, the Korean culture involves more direct means of greeting elders such as bowing as opposed to looking towards the ground while formally shaking his/her hands (Guillain, 2008). Despite these subtle differences and potential conflict of interest, the Chinese culture is
Culture is the certain way a place lives like villages , cities , towns etc also it can mean the customs of forsay town
In the Korean culture, the young people show respect to the elderly by bowing (Lee 117-133). However, when they are both in the same age bracket or levels of leadership, both will bow for each other as a sign of respect. Furthermore, in the Korean culture people refer to each other using titles such as Master and can only use names in case they are very close of from the same family (Kim 365-372). On the other hand, in the American culture hand shake is used for greeting and as a sign of respect between two individuals. The titles of reference are common to every individual except for the people in political positions. These include Mr. Miss. Sir. or Ma'am to show respect to the elderly.
• Cultural differences – when the same thing means different things in two cultures, communication can be difficult. For example, it is seen as polite and respectful to make eye contact when speaking to someone in Western culture but in other cultures, for example in East Asia, it can be seen as rude and defiant.
“Western generational models can not be applied broadly to a global workforce.” (Erickson, 2011, p. 1) The events that shaped the generations in the United States did not necessarily happen around the world. Other countries and cultures have had their own monolithic events to shape their beliefs and character. While events such as World War II did happen globally, not every country was involve in that war and did not have the same experience as say people in the United Kingdom and United States might have had. The potential exception to this rule is the proposed Generation Y and Millennials who have globally had access to the same information due to increasing availability of technology. In a recent email report
When communicating with others, it is important to consider the context in which we are working. For example, more formal language and behaviour would be used in a meeting and the school will have a range of types of planned communication with other adults – when dealing with other professionals, there will be meetings and discussions as well as more informal communication at different times. However, there are also the non-spoken forms of communication such as how quickly we respond to an email or phone message, how attentive we are when speaking to someone, how we dress. Different cultures will have their own norms of behaviour which will extend to gestures, body language and eye contact. In some cultures, for example, it is not polite
We are comfortable near friends and relatives, but maintain some distance when interacting with strangers. However, we are brought up to consider strangers as friends until the evidence indicates otherwise (Cramer, & Cramer, 2010). This explains our custom of immediate and beyond-the-surface communication with strangers and our willingness to bond with them. We also favor direct eye contact over indirect. We use direct eye contact during conversations as a sign of trust, respect and interest towards the speaker. However, we avoid eye contact with people in authority to show respect and attentiveness. Our personal relationships with people of the same age group are very informal, but we are very respectful to foreigners. A strong emphasis is placed on family, which is the source of identity, emotional and physical support and protection against life challenges. This is the intense sense of family belonging that is limited to family and close friends. Therefore, people that don’t belong to our family or circle of close friends are slow to be
In this seemingly peaceful world, the Korean Peninsula has been seen as one of the hottest potatoes in the world. Many people do not acknowledge that the Korean War has not ended, but the event settled with just an armistice since the tension of the war became so intense between not only two Koreans, but other major countries such as Russia, China, and the United States. Even an armistice of the war, there still remains severe tensions in the Korean Peninsula and because of this, questions like why Korea has been the only divided country in the world and what has increased the tension between two Koreans have been brought up to historians. And to the answers to the questions about the modern Koreans is the war
Korea has a vast and rich heritage but also one based upon civil war and the attempt to create a single unified country through force if necessary. Between 57 AD and 668 AD, the land that is now known as North and South Korea was called the Three Kingdoms because of its division into three kingdoms, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Following this period, between 698 and 926 AD, Korean history was in the midst of the North South States Period wherein Silla became united and coexisted alongside Balhae at point both above and below the peninsula. After this came the Koryo or Goryeo era (918-1392 AD) and then the Choson or Joseon period (1392-1897 AD). Despite being separate, kingdoms, the three had much in common including a shared culture and language, as well as religious and philosophical beliefs which were increasingly influenced by their larger Chinese neighbor. Governmental changes were the primary difference in the divided Korea and each of the three kingdoms had a system in place that was instrumental in the way the people as well as those in positions of leadership functioned in the society.
Under Yi Sŏng-Gye’s son King Sejong, considered Korea’s greatest ruler, inventions like the rain gauge, the use of a movable type, and the birth of Korean alphabet called Hangeul, still in use today, surfaced. (Piddock, 27-28) They ruled the entire peninsula for 500 years. Then Korea was annexed by neighbors Japan in 1910. Korea continued to be under Japan until 1945 when it was liberated at the end of World War II. (“North Korea”, Culturegrams) “With the defeat of Japan in 1945, the Allies agreed to divide the Korean Peninsula between the Soviet Union and the United States at the thirty-eighth parallel as a temporary measure.” (Piddock, 30) The Soviet Union received the Northern part of Korea, and the United States the South. “.. Soviet forces closed off northern Korea at the thirty-eighth parallel and placed Korean communists in power there.” Evidently, North Korea was bound to turn communist.
Maria Gonzalez is a twenty-one year old psychology major here at Middlesex County College (MCC). She was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and moved from there ten years ago at age 11. Majority of her family comes from D.R while many of them are still there today. Maria has noticed a change between herself and her family members when she visits her country due to the fact she has been in America almost a decade and has experienced different things.
In Chinese culture, respect towards an authority figure is shown by giving a slight bow and to avoid making eye contact. If people of the opposite sex make eye contact, it may be considered as a flirtatious act. It is also inappropriate and rude to address an elder or person of higher status by their first name. They should be addressed by their designation ( i.e. Mr. Mrs. Miss) unless told other wise.
The Korean peninsula has always been in a rough location. It is located between China and Japan, trapped. It could be reasonably compared to the rope in a tug-of-war game, having been occupied by one or the other for a large majority of time. In 1910, Japan had annexed Korea and were occupying the region. Their occupation stayed firm until Japan’s ultimate defeat in World War 2. One may think that Japan leaving the region would mean that Korea would receive its sovereignty back. However, they ended up becoming more divided than ever. After World War 2, the Soviet Union and the United States became involved in what is commonly known as the Cold War. The Soviet Union was communist. The U.S. wanted to keep communism from spreading. The Cold War
Firstly, I have considered getting a tattoo. I have the exact time I would get. It would be at life changing event in my life. When I get a tattoo I want it to have significant meaning. In some cultures tattoos are used to display your status in the community. According to Polynesian’s culture they have tattoos that significant different things. For example the sun symbolize prosperity, brilliance, grandiosity and leadership. It can also have meaning associated with the time of day. For instance the sunrise is connected with the rebirth while the sunset is connected with the afterlife. The Polynesian take their tattoos very seriously. In my opinion with the recent trend of tribe tattoos here is where you can see cultural appropriation has effect
A cultural event that I have attended in the past that has had a memorable affect on my life was a Native American Powwow. This event takes place every year, Thanksgiving weekend in Tucson, AZ. I arrived in the late afternoon, as the sun was going down. I remember seeing many different types of people, from tourists to the different Native American performers. The physical setting of this particular celebration was outside, and based around, one main circle. Drums were beating so loud, you could feel the pound inside your chest. Different activities were going on all around, such as dancers, vendors, and a huge variety of foods to choose from. The circular dancing arena is known as the arbor, this area is blessed before any of the events
Creativity research asserts that creativity occurs within the realm of a domain. However, all domains, and all creativity, occur within the larger framework of culture. A term as broad as culture can be difficult to define. In the late 19th century, anthropologist Edward Tylor proposed one of the first definitions: “Culture…is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” As Tylor proposed, culture is the larger sphere within which domains occur, and a culture shapes creativity through the ways it shapes domains. Within any domain, culture plays a large role in the manifestation of creativity. Different cultures hold different views of creativity, creative works, and creative people, based on the culture’s values. The values of a culture influence