Korea

__Seoul, Korea__
=**__Economy__**=

South Korea’s economy has grown a lot since the 1960s. There are lots of major industries in South Korea and one of them is chaebol. The chaebol is a large company that does lots of things in Korea. Chaebols came to Korea in the 1920s and 1930s. A lot of major industries are South Korea. South Korea has a lot of agriculture but not as much as before. South Korea grows crops, such as rice, ginseng, tea, barley, vegetables, and wheat. The people who had farmed all their lives work with their hands without machines. Over the past fifteen years, fewer and fewer young Koreans farming. More than 80% of Koreans now live in cities. South Korea’s agriculture has changed. South Korea’s transportation is going fast. Every city has a good highway networks connecting to other major cities. The cities have good subway stems, too. A lot of cars were created by Hyundai, LG, SK, and Samsung. South Korea’s transportation is still growing. South Korea’s economy is still growing. by: Samuel, Alice and Gia

a train arriving in Dongdaemun Station

=__Places to Visit__= Busan Busan is in South Korea, in the south. There are four million people living in Busan. Busan has a nice beach called Haeundae Beach and has many things to see. Busan has an old Temple called Beomeo-sa Temple and a famous Museum of Modern Art and the Nakdong River Estuary Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Busan is famous for making a raw fish. Busan is nice place to visit. by: Mason

Jeju island Jeju island is in South Korea. It is between Japan and South Korea. 500,000 people live in the Jeju Island. Many people visit Jeju Island because Je Ju island has sea, beach and beautiful stones. I visited Jeju Island. I saw a stone with a hole. I touched a big rock. The stones are from a volcano. I rode a horse. Jeju weather is hot but sometimes cold. People in Je Ju island speak a different kind of Korean than people in Seoul. Je Ju Island has many fish and so many kinds of fish dishes. Je Ju island is a fun place to visit. by: Jenny

=__Government__=

The government of South Korea is similar to the government from America. The constitution of South Korea is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch is headed by the president. Also, the executive branch deals with problems for the whole country. The legislative branch consists of the National Assembly of South Korea. The National Assembly has people who make the laws. Lastly, the judicial branch has many judges and courts. They hear cases and decide who’s right or wrong. South Korea’s constitution was made in 1948 and has been changed nine times. There are many similarities between the government in South Korea and the government in American. The government of South Korea is a democracy. The president is in charge for 5years. The National Assembly of South Korea is making laws. The president proposes laws to the National Assembly and carries out laws passed by the National Assembly. The president is the leader of the army and can declare war. The prime minister helps the president. The Armed forces of South Korea are large. Armed Force is all of the branches of a Country’s military. The military has an army, navy, air force, marine and coast guard. You have to be in the Armed forces from age 20-30 for 24-28 months. The Armed Forces of South Korea are big. By: Jinny, Huck Jun and Martin

=__Geography and Climate__= The Geography of South Korea is amazing. There are three main landforms: mountains, lakes and plains. The highest mountain is located on Jeju Island. It is called Hallasan and it is 6,398 feet high. The famous lakes are volcanic crater lakes. They are also on the Jeju. The south western plain stretches all along South Korea’s western coast. The Han River is the second longest river in South Korea and flows into the Yellow Sea. The geography of South Korea is interesting. The climate of South Korea has four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. The summer is hot and humid. Summer temperatures are between 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 85 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius).The winter from mid –November to March is cold and freezing. Spring, from April to mid-June, is short when the snow melts and it rains a lot. The weather in Korea changes a lot. By: Sally, Jocelyn and Hanna

=__ Culture __=


 * LANGUAGE **

The culture in Korea is interesting and various. We call the written Korean language Hangeul. There are ten vowels, and 14 consonants. It is a phonetic alphabet that has its own special sounds.

There are a lot of religions and beliefs in Korea. Buddhism is very popular. Buddhism is from India, and came to Korea by China. 23% of Korea is Buddhist. There are thousands of Buddhist temples in Korea .Buddhism is based on Siddhartha Gautama, a prince in India .His belief was that you should give up worldly desires .Christianity is also plentiful in Korea. Today there are more than 22 million Christians, only slightly less than half its population! Soccer is extremely popular on our peninsula. In the 2002 World Cup, the biggest soccer competition in the world, the streets of Seoul were filled with people in red (the Korean team’s color.) 2006, South Korean speed skaters came home with six gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals!!They’re also won medals in traditional Korean sports like taekwondo and archery. Traditional Korean food is very zesty .It sometimes uses spices like chilis pepper, garlic, and mustard. Soy sauce, onions, leeks, sesame seeds, and soy bean paste are used a lot. Meals include steamed rice, soup, and vegetables. Seaweed is a common food to put in soup. Some kids and parents of Grade 3 enjoying a traditional Korean meal. Here is some seaweed for sale at a supermarket! New Year’s Day comes twice a year in Korea. There is January 1st, a national holiday in South Korea. Koreans also celebrate the Lunar New Year, which happens in January or February. Buddha’s Birthday is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth Lunar month. Christmas is not a major holiday because not everyone is Christians. It is celebrated on December 25th. The culture in South Korea is wonderful in many ways. by: Jaewon, Justin and Kayley
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