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| Family
Life |
Traditionally in Korea, the typical family size is quite large, with
three or four generations usually living together under the same
roof. Because infant mortality was high and a big family was thought
of as a blessing, having many children was the desired option.
However, as the country underwent rapid industrialization and
urbanization during the 1960s and 1970s the pattern was accompanied
by an effective birth control drive, and the average number of
children in a family dramatically decreased to two or less in the
1980s.
Having a long Confucian tradition under which the eldest
son takes over as head of the family, many Korean families preferred
having a son. To tackle the problem of male preference, the
government has completely rewritten family-related laws in a way
that ensures equality for sons and daughters in terms of
inheritance.
Industrialization of the country has made life more hectic
and complicated. Young married couples have begun to separate from
their extended families and start their own homes. Now almost all
families are couple-centered nuclear families.
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| Names |
| The majority of Koreans have family names within one of a
small set: Kim (about 21% of all Koreans), Yi (or Lee or Rhee, 14%),
Park (or Pak, 8%), Choi (or Choe), Jeong (or Chung), Jang (or
Chang), Han, Lim, etc. A Korean name consists of a family name, in
almost every case one syllable, plus a given name usually of two
syllables. The family name comes first. A Korean woman does not take
her husband's family name, but their children take their father's
family name. |
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| Marriage |
Koreans think marriage is the most important passage in one's life
and a divorce is regarded as a disgrace not only for the couple but
also for their families ¡ª still the divorce rate is growing rapidly
these days.
Today's typical wedding ceremony is somewhat
different from what it was in old times: first a Western-style
ceremony is usually held at a wedding hall or a church with the
bride wearing a white dress and the groom wearing a tuxedo, then
later in the day the bride and groom have a traditional ceremony at
a different room in the venue, in colorful traditional costumes.
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| Jerye(Ancestral
Memorial Rite) |
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According to traditional Korean beliefs, when people die, their
spirits do not immediately depart; they stay with their descendants
for four generations. During this period the deceased are still
regarded as family members, and Koreans reaffirm the relationship
between ancestors and descendants through jerye on special
days like Sollal (Lunar New Year's Day) and Chuseok (Korean
Thanksgiving Day), as well as on the anniversary of their ancestors'
passing. Koreans also believe that people can live well and happily
thanks to benefits their ancestors bestow upon them. |
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| Body
Language |
| When you beckon to a person, do so with your palm down, and
then flutter your hand up and down with your fingers touching
together. It is not polite to beckon with your palm up ¡ª especially
using only one finger, because Koreans do that only to dogs. |
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| Ondol |
Traditional Korean rooms have multiple functions. Rooms are not
labeled or reserved for a specific purpose; there is no definite
bedroom or dining room for example. Rather, tables and mats are
brought in as needed. Most people sit and sleep on the floor on
thick mats.
Underneath the floors are stone or concrete
flues. Traditionally hot air was vented through the flues to provide
heat. Clay or cement would be placed over the stones to protect the
residents from noxious gasses. This type of under floor heating is
called
ondol.
Nowadays hot water is piped through cement
floors covered with linoleum.
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| Korean
Food |
A diverse array of food and dishes can be found throughout Korea.
Korea was once primarily an agricultural nation, cultivating rice as
their staple food since ancient times. These days Korean cuisine is
characterized by a wide variety of meat and fish dishes along with
wild greens and vegetables. Various fermented and preserved food,
such as kimchi (fermented spicy cabbage), jeotgal (matured seafood
with salt) and doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) are notable for
their specific flavor and high nutritional value.
The prominent feature of a Korean table setting is that
all dishes are served at the same time. Traditionally, the number of
side dishes varied from 3 for the lower classes to 12 for royal
family members. Table arrangements can vary depending on whether a
noodle dish or meat is served. Formal rules have developed for table
setting, demonstrating the attention people pay to food and dining.
Compared to neighboring China and Japan, a spoon is used more often
in Korea, especially when soups are served.
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| Gimjang |
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Gimjang is the age-old Korean practice of preparing winter kimchi,
which has been passed down from generation to generation. Since very
few vegetables are grown in the three or four winter months, gimjang
takes place in early winter and provides what has become a staple
food for Koreans. For Koreans, a dinner table without kimchi is
unthinkable. |
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| Traditional
Korean Clothing (Hanbok) |
The hanbok has been the Korean people's unique traditional
costume for thousands of years. The beauty and grace of Korean
culture can be seen in photographs of women dressed in the hanbok.
Before the arrival of Western-style clothing one hundred years ago,
the
hanbok was worn as everyday attire. Men wore jeogori
(Korean jackets) with baji (trousers) while women wore jeogori
with chima (skirt). Today, the hanbok is worn on days
of celebration such as weddings, Seollal (Lunar New Year's Day) or
Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day). |
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| Traditional
Korean Houses |
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A traditional Korean house is called hanok. Hanok
sought to create a living space based on the coexistence of nature
and humans. Accordingly, the natural aspects of traditional Korean
houses range from the structure's inner layout to the building
materials which were used. Another unique feature of traditional
houses is their special design for cooling the interior in the
summer and heating the interior in the winter. Since Korea has such
hot summers and cold winters, the ondol gudeul, a floor-based
heating system and daecheong, a cool wooden-floor style hall,
were devised long ago to help Koreans survive the frigid winters and
to make the sweltering and humid summers bearable. These primitive
types of heating and air-conditioning were so effective that they
are still in use in many homes today. |
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