English teachers guide to korea

• Advisories to the government based on ATEK Member Survey information on non-citizen English teacher's problems and needs does one particular city have a higher rate of teachers report

The Association for Teachers of English in Korea provides the following services to the general public, members and non-

• Advocacy for English teacher concerns at the national and local levels.

• The English Teacher's Guide to Korea, which will be made available in PDF for free download from our website (http://atek.or.kr).

ATEK provides the following benefits and services to members:

• Full access to ATEK's Employer Rating System, to make and review ratings.

• Access to the member forums.

• Access to professional development and lesson planning materials.

• Information on how to check to see if your employer is correctly reporting your income, paying your taxes and making proper deductions from your pay.

• Copies of labor, tax, pension, and health insurance complaint forms,

translated into Korean, and instructions about how to go about filing a complaint.

• Local social networks (the Provincial and Metropolitan Associations that send reps to our national council).

• Access to data from the ATEK Member Survey, which enables ATEK to track average salaries and weekly hours by region and type of teaching job, average level of satisfaction with various job types, average length of stay of foreigners working in Korea, average pay and benefit increases when re- signing for a second year, and much more Want to know if your contract offer is above or below the average salary for someone in your city and education level? Get access.

• Advisories to the government based on ATEK Member Survey information

on non-citizen English teacher's problems and needs (does one particular city have a higher rate of teachers reporting pay withholding fraud? That city's government might want to know that.)

• An online application that translates letters home to parents into Korean, so that you can communicate with parents and let them know how their child is doing.

• Representation of member concerns to relevant government agencies and other groups.

• Responses to media items of interest to non-citizen English teachers.

All these resources are available on our website at

http://atek.or.kr

The English Teacher's

Guide to Korea Living, Working, and Thriving in Korea Sparkling

By Tony Hellmann, M.Ed.

Tom Rainey-Smith Jason Thomas, M.App.Ling.

Matthew Henderson

ATEK

Press

This book was designed and laid out entirely with open source software.

Individual sections copyright © 2009 by the respective authors, all rights reserved, except as licensed below Used by permission.

Published by ATEK Press, a division of the Association for Teachers of English in Korea Design and composition by Tony Hellmann Copyedited by Jason Thomas

Cover: Art by Jeffrey Morabito www.jeffreymorabito.com Photo by Trey Ratcliff, www.stuckincustoms.com

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative

You are free:

to Share – to copy, distribute, display,

and perform the work.

Under the following conditions: Attribution You must attribute the

work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work)

Noncommercial You may not use this work

for commercial purposes

No Derivative Works You may not alter,

transform, or build upon this work

 For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work The best way to do this is with a link to this web page

 Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation You should consult with

a professional where appropriate Neither the publisher nor the authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

This book is published in both print and electronic formats

Printed in the Republic of Korea

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book is dedicated to all the teachers:

those that have come before,

those that have gone on,

and those that remain,

at or far from home.

There is a Korean word, sinparam, that expresses

the pathos, the inner joy, of a person moved to action not by coercion but by his own volition

Param is the sound of the wind; if a person is

wafted along on this wind, songs burst from his

lips and his legs dance with joy A sinparam is a

strange wind that billows in the hearts of people who have freed themselves from oppression, re-

gained their freedom, and live in a society of

mu-tual trust.

Cheong Kyeong-mo

F OREWORD

From its quiet beginnings in 1883, when the Korean

government opened up the first English language school

to train interpreters, teaching of English has developed into a three trillon won a year industry English

proficiency is required to be competitive in law, finance, and many other professional fields An English test is even

an entrance requirement to become a police officer today.

For the first 100 years, the teachers were looked up

to Many were missionaries who, most Koreans feel, came

to help their forbears in a spirit of self-sacrifice Later, in the 1960s and '70s, they were young American Peace

Corps volunteers, many of whom, like the present

American Ambassador to Korea, Kathleen Stephens, went

on to contribute to the country in other ways

Then, things seemed to get more difficult I don't know if this was the start, but I recall a howl or protest about 25 years ago after a Frenchman wrote an article in

Le Monde, the French daily, describing how he had enjoyed

life in Korea, drinking, seducing women and teaching language despite being completely unqualified After this, people started looking askance at foreign teachers, and the authorities introduced regulations requiring them,

somewhat unnecessarily as many were just conversation teachers, to have university degrees As their image in the media worsened, additional regulations followed, with the introduction of fingerprinting for foreign residents (now repealed, but still favored by some government officials), and recently, the introduction of drug and HIV tests.

Ever since, it seems, despite their contribution and the appreciation of colleagues and students, expatriate teachers of English have had to contend publicly with unfair accusations about their behavior, often backed with completely misleading statistics and/or statements

reported in the press The long-suffering English educator community took this in stride, and they continued to come

to teach, dutifully meeting the requirements set for them However, they lacked a unified voice with which to

appraise the media and government of their needs.

Now, with the formation of their first association, I sense that this situation is about to turn into something more appropriate and professional And, here in your hands, is the first piece of evidence to support my

assumption The English Teachers Guide to Korea was

conceived by the founders of the Association for Teachers

of English in Korea (ATEK) to help make the transition from the normalcy of home to expatriate life a little easier And it does a very good job of doing so, with its practical advice and historical lessons It's better than anything else

we have produced so far in the expatriate community But that, I guess, that's how it should be The writers are

teachers, after all

Michael Breen, author of The Koreans

P REFACE

Looking back on our experiences in Korea, there were times when all of us lost time, money or sanity because we were lacking accurate information How many things have each of us learned through trial and error? The English Teacher's Guide to Korea was conceived of to help make the transition to expatriate life a little easier.

When the ATEK founding directors were deciding what benefits to offer members when ATEK launched, we knew that our most valuable asset was information We developed concepts for wikis, directories, and this book Initially we were only going to offer it to members, but after some discussion, we realized that holding this information back from any English teacher just isn't right:

we need to offer something to everyone.

The Authors

I would like to thank my better half, Wu Junjun, for being patient and encouraging, even when my duties with ATEK took me away from her Ben Wagner, Professor of Law at Kyung Hee University, very graciously dogged a Korean prosecutor for a legal citation I needed, and his tireless work for the rights of expatriates in Korea is appreciated I am forever grateful for his support Alan Timblick and Simon Hong at the Seoul Global Center have provided ATEK with top notch business consulting, and helped to find us the answers which we could not retrieve

on our own; for that I am also grateful Heekyoung Han at

ix

the Seoul Global Center is chiefly responsible for the joint ATEK-SGC publishing effort that resulted in 1,000 copies

of this book being made available free to English teachers

in Korea Most importantly, I'd like to thank the other authors: Tom, Jason, and Matt, for putting up with my demands and working so hard on the material they contributed It shows, and I could not work with a finer group of educators My deepest appreciation and sincerest thanks goes to them.

Tony Hellmann

I’d like to thank all those people who encouraged

me to pursue the idea of ATEK, and all those who have helped me out along the way Whether it was Mr Sung first taking me out to lunch to discuss the idea of setting

up a teachers’ organization, teachers phoning me to talk to

me about the everyday issues they face, our legal counsel who has encouraged us to pursue this idea in new and novel ways, my friends at Amnesty International Korea and G48 who have always provided me with encouraging words and mental support, or those who worked with us closely along the way, they all deserve my deepest gratitude

I would also like to say that ATEK has been very fortunate to have some very impassioned and hard- working people dedicating countless hours and resources

to this guide Lastly, I’d like to thank my family here in Korea and back in New Zealand, especially my loving fiancé who has stood by me, helped with translation work, withstood my moments of inspiration, and been my pillar

x

of strength and support and my truest confidant.

Tom Rainey-Smith

My thanks to teachers Kim Seok-cho and Hwang Hyeon-su for their comments on earlier drafts related to ELT and co-teaching Special thanks to every member of the Korean Teachers Union for their tireless efforts to change the status quo, and to my ATEK colleagues for the same

Jason Thomas

I'd like to thank my wife for allowing me time away from her and our baby son while I was writing my contribution to this book Thanks also to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation and the Korea Tourism Organization for their excellent interactive online English language maps and information systems Thanks also to The

Yongsan City Government for their excellent handbook, A Guide for Expats Living in Yongsan which is available for

free in the foyer at the Yongsan-gu office

Matt Henderson

xi

Foreword vii

Preface ix

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: Korea, Past and Present 3

Republic of Korea Country Profile 3

Demographics 5

Socio-economic Situation 6

Korean History at a Glance 7

Korean Culture 9

Diet 10

The Experience of Dining 11

Climate and Geography 14

Calendar Holidays 16

Other Calendar Celebrations (not holidays) 17

A Few Notes on the Korean Language 17

Romanization of Korean 17

Origins of Hangul 18

Korean Language Today 20

Major Differences Between Korean and English 21

Chapter 2: Understanding the Korean Education System 23

A Brief History of Education and the Role of English in Korea 23

Historical Education 23

20th Century Education 24

English Education from Beginning to Present 26

The Korean Education System 40

Overview 40

Elementary Schools 41

Middle Schools 42

High Schools 44

Supplementary Test-prep Education 44

Higher Education 45

National Administration 46

Local Administration 50

Accountability 50

Evaluation 51

Teacher Evaluation 51

Education System Strengths 52

Education System Areas for Continued Development 53

Chapter 3: Obtaining Employment and Moving to Korea 57

Visas in Korea 57

Visa Types 57

Who Can Work in Korea? 57

How to Get a Visa 58

Finding the Right Job 59

Job Types 59

Resumes and Interviews 61

Chapter 4: At Work 69

Introduction to English Language Education in South Korea 69

Communicating with Students, Coworkers, and Others 70

Teaching and Co-teaching 70

Why We Have Trouble Communicating with Koreans: High Context and Low Context Sociolinguistic Differences 79

The Korean Learner of English: English-Korean Cross-Linguistic Challenges 83

Phonological Differences 83

Communicative Differences: An Example 87

Differential Use of Vocabulary by Language 88

Planning Language Lessons 90

Learning Objectives 92

Activities 93

Chapter 5: Living as an Instructor in Korea 115

Reasons to Register with Your Embassy 115

Alien Registration 116

Daily Life 117

Waste Disposal 117

Paying Bills 121

Housing 122

Relocation Services 125

Health Care 126

Overview 126

First Response (Ambulance) 127

Medical Facilities 128

Pharmacies 128

Specialized Medicine 128

Services 130

Eye Care and Vision 130

Postal 131

Banking and Money 132

Mobile phones 140

Internet 140

Telephone 141

Public Facilities 142

Public Baths and Toilets 142

Sports and Recreation 143

Traditional Sports 143

National Sports Leagues 144

Stadiums 144

Other Public Recreational Facilities 144

Bookstores and Libraries 144

Bookstores in Korea 144

Libraries in Korea 145

Korean Language Lessons 147

Courses 147

Korean Language Providers 147

Chapter 6: Knowing Your Rights 154

Legal Problems 154

Overview 154

Traffic Violations 154

Non Traffic-related Criminal Charges 154

Civil Action (Lawsuits) 156

Employer/Employee Disputes 156

Korean Criminal Law and You 156

Differences between Korean and Western Criminal Justice Systems .158

Legal Procedures 161

Selections from the Immigration Control Act 173

Important Articles for Instructors 173

Pay and Deductions 175

Taxes 175

Pension and Severance Pay 178

Health Insurance 181

What to Do if You Suspect Withholding Fraud 182

Seeking Legal Support 182

Employment 182

Criminal/Civil 182

Chapter 7: Travel Inside and Outside of Korea 183

Korean Immigration 183

Important Introductory Notes 183

Immigration Contact Center 183

Services 184

Single Re-entry Permit 187

Multiple Re-entry Permit 187

Immigration Offices Nationwide 188

Foreign Embassies 191

Australia 191

Canada 191

Ireland 191

New Zealand 192

South Africa 192

United Kingdom 192

United States of America 193

Public Transportation 194

Intra-City Travel/Commuting 194

Cross-Country (Intercity) Travel 228

Air and Sea Travel 231

Appendices 239

Appendix 1: Survival Phrases for Living and Working in Korea 239

The Basics 239

Numbers, Counting, and Dates 240

Emergency Situations 244

Getting Around 246

Consumer Transactions 248

On the Phone 262

Expressing Feelings 264

Appendix 2: Korean Foods and their Approximate Nutritional Values .269 Rice Dishes 269

Rice Cakes (Ddeok) 270

Kimchi 271

Soups 272

Stews 276

Vegetable Dishes 278

Greens (Namul) 279

Tofu (Dubu) Dishes 280

Noodles 280

Meat Dishes 281

Korean Barbecue 282

Fish and Seafood Dishes 283

Side Dishes 284

Vinegared Sides (Muchim) 286

Dumplings (Mandu) 287

Snacks 288

Sweets 289

Sauces and Condiments 290

Beverages 291

Korean-Chinese Dishes 292

Appendix 3: Sample Lesson Plan, with All Required Materials 293

Introductory Information 293

Lesson 294

Guided Practice 336

Independent Activity 341

Feedback 345

Closure 347

I NTRODUCTION

Living and working in a foreign country where one doesn't speak the native tongue presents significant challenges How does one access services? For that matter, what services are available, and how do they compare and contrast with services in one's country of origin? What does one need to know in order to minimize potential conflicts in a workplace with a substantially different set

of expectations and social mores? What does one who has never taught before need to know before they step into an English classroom as a teacher for the first time? The questions are both substantial and without end.

This book is designed to help provide answers to some of these questions, and to report good, accurate information from reliable sources Much of the information in this guide is scattered across the Internet

on websites that cannot verify the truthfulness of statements contained therein Other information is available only in Korean, and has been translated and presented in this guide Still other information is original work written specifically for inclusion in this book We hope this guide makes expatriate life a little more convenient, a little less perplexing, and generally better There is something in it for everyone.

Chapter One provides social, political, economic, cultural, and historical facts about Korea, to give you a sense of Korea's present situation, and how it has arrived

at it It also presents some information on Korea's spoken and written language.

Chapter Two explains the Korean education system,

beginning with a broad history of education in Korea, a more specific look at the history of English education, and then a detailed profile of the current Korean education framework.

Chapter Three covers the visa system for English teachers (and some others) in Korea and provides a description of different types of jobs for English teachers Finally, an article is presented which provides information

on how to find a job, including what to look for, what to watch out for, and what particulars you need to know before signing a contract.

Chapter Four details things one needs to be aware

of when interacting with Koreans (both students and coworkers) in a work setting Cultural and communicative differences are explained There is an article on working with a co-teacher which may be of particular interest to public school teachers There are resources for those seeking information on how to actually teach, including lesson planning, activity preparation, and classroom management.

Chapter Five introduces a variety of goods, services, and activities essential to (or convenient for) daily living The health care system is covered in greater detail than most other guides (I interviewed a Korean doctor for part of it) Transportation is covered in depth as well.

Chapter Six attempts to explain everything a foreign resident of Korea needs to know to understand their rights as residents, as workers, and as immigrants (whether temporary or otherwise) Criminal and traffic law are covered in some detail, and civil law is touched upon as well Labor standards are also outlined.

Chapter Seven covers travel, detailing immigration permits and procedures It also provides information on airports and airfields around Korea, and foreign embassies.

Finally, the appendices provide additional information of use: an extensive list of “survival phrases” written in English and Korean is available; a great number

of Korean foods are listed, along with their macronutrient compositions; and a detailed lesson plan is presented.

This guide is a work in progress, with the first edition is a starting point Future editions will expand upon the information presented herein, and provide new information as well I and the other authors hope that some of what we've written is of use to you.

Tony Hellmann, Editor of the First Edition

The Association for Teachers of English in Korea provides the following services to the general public, members and non- members alike:

• Monitoring of proposed legislation and regulations which may affect citizen English teachers in Korea.

non-• Translation of proposed and existing legislation and regulations (domestic and international) and analysis of their possible effects on non-citizen English teachers in Korea.

• Advocacy for English teacher concerns at the national and local levels.

• The English Teacher's Guide to Korea, which will be made available in PDF for free download from our website (http://atek.or.kr).

ATEK provides the following benefits and services to members:

• Full access to ATEK's Employer Rating System, to make and review ratings.

• Access to the member forums.

• Access to professional development and lesson planning materials.

• Information on how to check to see if your employer is correctly reporting your income, paying your taxes and making proper deductions from your pay.

• Copies of labor, tax, pension, and health insurance complaint forms, translated into Korean, and instructions about how to go about filing a complaint.

• Local social networks (the Provincial and Metropolitan Associations that send reps to our national council).

• Access to data from the ATEK Member Survey, which enables ATEK to track average salaries and weekly hours by region and type of teaching job, average level of satisfaction with various job types, average length of stay of foreigners working in Korea, average pay and benefit increases when re- signing for a second year, and much more Want to know if your contract offer is above or below the average salary for someone in your city and education level? Get access.

• Advisories to the government based on ATEK Member Survey information

on non-citizen English teacher's problems and needs (does one particular city have a higher rate of teachers reporting pay withholding fraud? That city's government might want to know that.)

• An online application that translates letters home to parents into Korean, so that you can communicate with parents and let them know how their child is doing.

• Representation of member concerns to relevant government agencies and other groups.

• Responses to media items of interest to non-citizen English teachers.

All these resources are available on our website at

http://atek.or.kr

T HE E NGLISH T EACHER ' S

Living, Working, and Thriving in Korea Sparkling

By Tony Hellmann, M.Ed.

Tom Rainey-Smith Jason Thomas, M.App.Ling.

Matthew Henderson

ATEK

Press

This book was designed and laid out entirely with open source software.

Individual sections copyright © 2009 by the respective authors, all rights reserved, except as licensed below Used by permission.

Published by ATEK Press, a division of the Association for Teachers of English in Korea Design and composition by Tony Hellmann Copyedited by Jason Thomas

Cover: Art by Jeffrey Morabito www.jeffreymorabito.com Photo by Trey Ratcliff, www.stuckincustoms.com

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative

You are free:

to Share – to copy, distribute, display,

and perform the work.

Under the following conditions: Attribution You must attribute the

work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work)

Noncommercial You may not use this

work for commercial purposes

No Derivative Works You may not

alter, transform, or build upon this work

 For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work The best way to do this is with a link to this web page

 Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation You should consult with

a professional where appropriate Neither the publisher nor the authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

This book is published in both print and electronic formats

Printed in the Republic of Korea

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

C HAPTER 1: K OREA , P AST AND P RESENT

• Capital City: Seoul (10.1 million).

• Population: 48.46 million (2007)

• Language: Korean (Written form: Hangul).

• Currency: Won (notes issued in denominations of 1,000, 5,000,

and 10,000 (with a 50,000 won note to be issued in 2009)

• Foreign residents: 1.1 million.

• Tourism: 6,155,000 visitors (2005).

• National flag: Taegukgi (the circle symbolizes the harmony of

yin (blue) and yang (red) and the four trigrams represent heaven, earth, fire and water)

• National flower: Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon, blooms July

through October)

• Territory: 99,678km2 (South Korea only, which takes up 45%

of the Korean peninsula and is roughly the same size as Portugal, Hungary or Iceland) 75% of the territory of Korea is mountainous and 17,000km is formed by coastline

• Highest mountain: Halla Mountain (1950m).

• Longest rivers: Nakdong River (521.5km), Han River

(481.7km)

• Major cities: Seoul (10.1 million), Busan (3.5 million), Incheon

(2.6 million), Daegu (2.5 million), Daejeon (1.5 million), Gwangju (1.4 million), Ulsan (1.1 million)

• Climate: Temperate with four distinct seasons Spring and fall

are typically short and dry due to a migratory anticyclone weather pattern, summer is hot and humid (50-60% of the total rainfall happens during summer), and winter is cold and dry with snowfall Average temperature of hottest month

(August): 23 – 26 degrees centigrade Temperature during coldest month (January): -6 – -7 degrees centigrade.

• Religion: According to a 2005 census, half the population

actively engages in religious practices Buddhism (43.0%), Protestantism (34.5%) and Catholicism (20.6%) are the three most popular religions

• Political System: Representative democracy with president

elected to a single 5-year term by direct popular vote Division

of power among the executive, legislature (unicameral

National Assembly) and judiciary.

• President: Lee Myung-bak (2008).

• Suffrage: Universal at 19 years of age.

• Elections

Presidential: every 5 years.

National Assembly: every 4 years.

Local Councils: every 4 years.

SOURCES

Facts and Figures, Koreanet: The official website of the Republic of

Korea, http://www.korea.net/ (Retrieved 2/12/08)

Explore Korea Through Statistics 2007, Korea National Statistical

The population of the Republic of Korea as of 2006

was 48 297 184, with a density of 485 persons per

square kilometer Fast population growth was once a

serious social problem in the Republic, as in most

oth-er developing nations Due to successful family

plan-ning campaigns and changing attitudes, however,

population growth has been curbed remarkably in

re-cent years The country saw its population grow by

an annual rate of 3% during the 1960s, but growth

slowed to 2% over the next decade In 2006, the rate

stood at 0.33% and is expected to further decline to

0.01% by 2020

A notable trend in the population structure is that it is

getting increasingly older The 2006 population

estim-ate revealed that 9.5% of the total population was 65

years old or over, while the number of people in the

15-64 age group accounted for 71.9% In the 1960s,

population distribution formed a pyramid shape,

with a high birth rate and relatively short life

expect-ancy However, age-group distribution is now shaped

more like a bell because of the low birth rate and

ex-tended life expectancy Youths (15 and younger) will

make up a decreasing portion of the total, while

seni-or citizens (65 and older) will account fseni-or some 15.7%

of the total by 2020

The Republic of Korea was once of the world's poorest agrarian societies In less than forty years, it has dramatically transformed the economy An outward-oriented economic development strategy, which used exports as the engine of growth, contributed greatly to the radical economic transformation This is shown through the per capita Gross National Income (GNI): in 1962 the average worker made US$

87 a year, while in 2005 the average worker made about US$ 16,291 This amount of success is impressive, considering many other countries with per capita GNI's similar to South Korea's in 1962 have been unable to make these kinds of gains

The World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific (2006) notes that:

The Republic of Korea has developed rapidly since

the 1960s, fueled by high savings and investment

rates and a strong emphasis on education The nation

became the 29th member country of the Organization

for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

in 1996 With a history as one of the fastest growing

economies in the world, the Republic of Korea is

working to become the focal point of a powerful

Asi-an economic bloc during the 21st century The

North-east Asian region commands a superior pool of

essen-tial resources that are the necessary ingredients for

economic development These include a population of

1.5 billion people, abundant natural resources and

large-scale consumer markets

Archaeological findings indicate that the Korean Peninsula was occupied by humans as early in the Lower Paleolithic period

Korea began with the founding of Joseon (The name Gojoseon

is almost always used for this kingdom to prevent confusion with the Joseon dynasty founded in 14th century; the prefix Go- means 'old' or 'ancient') in 2333 BC by Dangun, the mythical first King Gojoseon expanded until it controlled much of the northern Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria After numerous wars with the Chinese Han Dynasty, Gojoseon disintegrated, leading to the Proto-Three Kingdoms of Korea period

In the early centuries of the Common Era, Buyeo, Okjeo, Dongye, and the Samhan confederacy occupied the peninsula and southern Manchuria Of the various small states, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla grew to control the peninsula as the Three Kingdoms

The unification of the Three Kingdoms by Silla in 676 led to the North-South States period, in which the much of the Korean peninsula was controlled by Unified Silla, while Balhae succeeded the northern parts of Goguryeo In Unified Silla, poetry and art was encouraged, and Buddhist culture flourished Relationships between Korea and China remained relatively peaceful during this time However, Unified Silla weakened under internal strife, and surrendered to Goryeo in 935 Balhae, Silla's neighbor to the north, was formed as a successor state to Goguryeo During its height, Balhae controlled most of Manchuria and parts of Russia It fell to the Khitan Empire in 926

After the North-South Period, successor states fought for control during the Later Three Kingdoms period The peninsula was soon united by Wang Geon of Goryeo Like Silla, Goryeo was a highly

cultural state and created the Jikji in 1377, a book made using the

world's oldest movable metal type

The Mongol invasions in the 13th century greatly weakened Goryeo However, Goryeo continued to rule Korea as a tributary ally

to the Mongols After the fall of the Mongolian Empire (Yuan Dynasty), Goryeo continued its rule independently After severe political strife and continued invasions, Goryeo was replaced by the Joseon Dynasty in 1388 following a rebellion by General Yi Seong-gye

General Yi declared the new name of Korea as Joseon in reference to Gojoseon, and moved the capital to Seoul The first 200 years of the Joseon Dynasty was marked by relative peace and saw the creation of Hangul by King Sejong the Great in the 14 century and the rise and influence of Confucianism

In the latter of the 16th century, Joseon was invaded by a newly unified Japan During the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), centuries of peace had left the dynasty unprepared, and the lack

of technology and poor leadership from the Joseon government and generals led to the destruction of much of the Korean peninsula However, continued Korean dominance at sea led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the rise of local militias, and the intervention of Ming China put Japan under great pressure to retreat in 1598 Today, Admiral Yi is celebrated as one of Korea's foremost heroes and his turtle ships, used with great success against the Japanese, are considered the world's first ironclad warships, although lack of hard evidence of iron plating sparks much debate

During the last years of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea's isolationist policy earned it the name the "Hermit Kingdom," primarily for protection against Western imperialism In 1897, King Gojong proclaimed Korea an empire, to reflect that it was no longer under the protection of the Chinese Qing Dynasty He oversaw the partially successful modernization of the military, economy, real property laws, education system, and various industries, until the Empire of Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910, beginning a 35-year period of Japanese rule

After Japan's defeat in World War II the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to temporarily occupy the country, with the Soviet Union in the North, and the United States in the South The purpose of this occupation was to establish a Korean provisional government which would eventually become independent Though elections were scheduled, the two superpowers backed different leaders and two states were effectively established, each of which claimed sovereignty over the whole Korean peninsula.

The Korean War (1950-1953) left the two Koreas separated by the DMZ, remaining technically at war through the Cold War to the present day North Korea is a communist state, often described as Stalinist and isolationist Its economy collapsed in the 1990s South Korea went through a succession of dictators (until 1988) and eventually became a capitalist liberal democracy It is now one of the largest economies in the world

Korea has a very diverse and distinct culture It is important to familiarize yourself with the customs, belief systems, and values so that you can better understand the culture and find your own place within it

Korea has a long history of isolation and defending itself from would-be foreign occupiers and is a relatively homogeneous society, both ethnically and culturally It is also important to remember that democracy, which was fought long and hard for through the years of Japanese occupation and subsequent military dictatorships, is relatively new (Korea's first democratic election was in 1988) and highly cherished Multiculturalism is a relatively new concept, but the growing number of foreign spouses and foreign workers is having a large impact

While Korea holds on to the many aspects of its traditional culture, younger generations have grown up in a very different society and are more receptive to social change While Korea has undergone huge progress since the days of military dictatorship, there are many taboos that can prove exclusionary to different subsets of the population Gay men and lesbians are not well-accepted, but there

is a strong community that is gaining acceptance The role of women

has also markedly improved, but there is still much room for improvement.

Korean culture places much importance on formality and hierarchy and this is reflected in the language with the careful use of register when addressing people of different social status or age and

in body language; older people and those of higher social status are more respected and spoken to in honorific language reflective of their comparative rank

Because of the importance of formality, it is important to identify where a person fits in the social spectrum and what age they are in order to address them correctly Therefore it is usual for people

to inquire about your age and background when first getting to know you

Taking the time to understand Korean culture will help your time spent here be much more enjoyable and rewarding For a deeper understanding of communicative differences between Koreans and

Westerners, see the sub chapter entitled Communicating with Students, Coworkers, and Others on page Error: Reference source not found of

this book

D IET

Koreans were an agricultural people long before their modern industrious nature was brought forth, and many Korean dishes are as distinctive as is wider Korean culture Much of the food enjoyed in Korea today has stood the test of time and can be traced back to far-off origins which were in turn informed by Korea’s distinct seasons, geography and cultural practices Dining is also an integral part of the culture as a whole, and the collective experience of sharing food is a wonderful and informative experience for those new to the country

The Korean diet consists largely of rice, meat and pickled vegetables There are a multitude of flavors and spices used in Korean cooking and you are sure to find a favorite dish somewhere amongst them Red chili is an essential ingredient in many dishes and it may take some time for your palette to become accustomed to the heat That said, there are many non-spicy dishes to whet your appetite

THE EXPERIENCE OF DINING

Experiencing modern Korean cuisine can be described in the following ways: many foods have regional differences and long histories stemming from food prepared for the common people, that reserved for nobility, or that traditionally served only to royalty; side dishes are an essential component of Korean cuisine; dining itself is a communal experience and dining etiquette is based on Confucian culture; meals are eaten sitting around a low shared table on the floor; grains such as rice are commonly included in and as an accompaniment to many dishes; vegetarian dishes are somewhat rare

as meat and seafood are used as stock and key ingredients in most dishes; and spices, seasoning, strong flavors and distinctive aromas are key characteristics

The most famous food is kimchi The most common variety is made from pickled cabbage and red chili sauce, but many kinds of vegetables can be used to make kimchi Most sauces are made using

seafood Other popular dishes include bibimbap, a rice-based dish

served with vegetables, a fried egg and red chili paste (it can be made

with or without meat), bulgogi (Korean barbecue), and galbi (ribs)

One of the most popular dishes is a food adapted from the Chinese

called jajangmyeon Its chief ingredients are black bean sauce and

noodles

Korean food is served with a multitude of side dishes (usually including kimchi and pickled radish) These dishes are shared by all and are replenished for free at restaurants Much food is thrown out after meals as it is often nearly impossible to finish everything available!

VEGETARIAN LIFE IN KOREA

It is important to start with the basics: Korea is by no means an easy place for a vegetarian to live The reality is that it can feel like an almost daily struggle to keep meat in some form or another out of your diet The concept is not easily translated or understood, and it is important to learn some basic expressions to explain your dietary requirements or choices That said, with a little knowledge and by following some basic advice, living as a vegetarian or vegan in Korea

is totally achievable and, with a few adjustments, should not impact your decision on whether to come to Korea negatively This author is

vegetarian and has many friends who successfully live as vegetarians here also There will undoubtedly be frustrations at first, but these can easily be incorporated into the experience of cultural adjustment that everyone must go through – and that doesn’t include changing your diet!

HOW TO ORDER VEGETARIAN FOOD

There is a range of vegetarian dishes available in Korea (see Food in Korea for a sample), but there are also many ways that fish or meat byproducts can be added to food without your knowledge As the concept of vegetarianism is not well understood in Korea, it is important to specify exactly what you can and cannot eat The best way to avoid having any unwanted traces of fish or meat in your meal

is to explain that you are allergic to all meats and/or other food items that you do not eat It may feel dishonest at first, but it is simply the safest and best way to ensure that no such food enters you diet

Some common meals that can be prepared vegetarian include

kimbap, bibimbap, jjolmyeon, bibimguksu, doenjang-jjigae, and jjigae.

sundubu-WHERE TO EAT VEGETARIAN

Many Korean Buddhists have adopted a vegetarian diet and therefore Buddhist restaurants often offer a good selection of vegetarian and vegan food There are also many buffet restaurants that offer a wide variety of fresh vegetables and cooked grains While there are many various vegetarian restaurants and food retailers around the country, the best and biggest range is in Seoul due to its size You can visit the following websites for more information and links:

http://seoulveggieclub.wordpress.com

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FO/FO_EN_6_6.jsp

http://animalrightskorea.org/vegetarianism/vegetarianism-in-korea.html

TIPS FOR SURVIVAL

• Cook at home more often

• Follow recipes for Korean dishes and substitute tofu for meat

• Familiarize yourself with side dishes as many of these are vegetarian

• Find a local vegetarian community and become a part of it

• Be very specific when ordering food

• Be tolerant and be prepared to explain that you need an order

to be made again from scratch when dining out

The Seoul Metropolitan government has a great Seoul

Appendix Two: Korean Foods and their Nutritional Values on page Error:

Reference source not found for a list of many Korean foods and their descriptions

Korea becomes hot and humid in the summer and is cold and dry in the winter The four seasons each bring their own conditions with spring and autumn (fall) typically being shorter than the longer summer and winter months Temperatures vary around the country, and while summer brings the monsoon rains which often lead to flooding in the southern regions, winter brings snowfall down to sea level

Yellow dust blows in from China to the north in the spring and can make breathing somewhat unpleasant Air pollution in the northern, highly-populated cities can also be hazardous, particularly around Incheon and Seoul

Surrounded by sea, the peninsula is bordered to the north by North Korea (itself bordered to the north by China and Russia) with the West Sea (Yellow Sea) to the west and the East Sea (Sea of Japan)

to the east.Most of the country is covered with mountainous terrain, and thus hiking is a favorite pastime for people of all ages

Lunar New Year’s Day – Seollal 설날 3

March 1 Independence (Declaration) Day – Samiljeol

Literally means “restoration of light”

1

15th day of

the 8th lunar

month

Korean Thanksgiving – Chuseok 추석 3

October 3 National Foundation Day – Gaecheonjeol

개천절

1December

25

Christmas – Gidoktansinil 기독탄신일 1

* Some holidays may fall on the weekend, in which case the number of actual working days off will be reduced For

example, if Seollal falls on a Sunday, the three days of festivities will be Saturday, Sunday and Monday, so you will

only have one day off work.

OTHER CALENDAR CELEBRATIONS (NOT HOLIDAYS)

July 17 Constitution Day – Jeheonjeol 제헌절

October 1 Armed Forces Day – Gukgunuinal국군의 날

October 9 Hangul Day – Hangeullal 한글날

While some scholars have tried to identify a connection between Korean and Japanese, the Korean language is more often placed in the Altaic language family alongside Turkic, Mongolic and Tungus-Manchu languages Chinese characters (hanja) were used to represent the language up until the mid-15th century when a native system was introduced by the monarch King Sejong

While Korean is perhaps limited in its use as it is not widely spoken outside of the country, 1 it is very useful to learn some basic expressions and survival language during your time spent here It is also an important part of getting to know and understand the culture There are many academies, universities, and community and government programs set up to teach the language to foreigners

inside Korea See Appendix One: Survival Phrases for Living and Working

in Korea for phrases one may find useful.

George M McCune was a doctoral student at the University of California-Berkeley who was born in Korea and was a lifelong Korea scholar In 1937, Edwin O Reischauer was on his way to China to collect information for a paper he was writing in Japan He stopped in Korea and was then forced by political events in China to stay in Korea for a couple of months During this period McCune and Reischauer began development of a Romanization system with Korean linguists Development continued after Reischauer left, until

1 At least 71 million people (roughly the population of North and South Korea when combined) speak the Korean language, including in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, the United States of America, the Philippines, and Russia (including those states formerly part of the Soviet Union) In China, Korean is widely spoken in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and is also widely spoken inside the large Korean communities throughout the United States and Canada It is currently the 16 th most commonly spoken language in the world.

the McCune-Reischauer system was published in 1939, in that year’s

Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society.

The McCune-Reischauer system, as it was called, became the most common system in use outside Korea In Korea, however, debates raged and various systems were adopted by the government

at different times, some similar to the McCune-Reischauer system, and others not, thereby causing much confusion In 2000, the government adopted Revised Romanization, which is the system in use in this book It is incrementally replacing the McCune-Reischauer system over time

The reason one sometimes see cities like Daegu and Busan written as Taegu and Pusan, is because the latter is their correct spelling in the McCune-Reischauer system If you see Romanized Korean with apostrophes or diacritic marks over the vowels, chances are good it is McCune-Reischauer At the time of printing of this book, almost all major traffic signs are written in the government's Revised Romanization, as well as all materials printed by the government after

2000 As the McCune-Reischauer system is becoming increasingly obsolete over time, we don't recommend you learn it, unless you specifically wish to read a book written in it

The indigenous Korean alphabet Hangul2 was commissioned in 1443

by King Sejong the Great and developed in order to increase literacy

in the Joseon kingdom Promulgated in 1446, Hangul is based on phonological and metaphysical representations (Yin/Yang and heaven, earth and man).3 Its symbols represent the position of the mouth and tongue when they produce the corresponding sounds that make up the language It was originally made up of 28 graphemes (17 consonants and 11 vowels), or letters, but in its modern form consists

of 10 vowels and 14 consonants which are combined to form syllabic

sets Originally called Hunminjeonguem, meaning ``proper sounds to

instruct the people," the modern word Hangul, literally meaning

“Korean language,” was first used in the 1910s

2 Under Revised Romanization, Hangul is properly spelled Hangeul However, it is considered a word in the

English language and in English the conventional spelling is as it appears in this book.

3 Baxter, David, “The Korean Language,” Korean Through English, Ed Lee Sang-Oak et al., Seoul: Hollym, 1993,

pp 113-27.

As the Korean language developed, so did discrepancies between the spoken and written forms of the language; some words could not be fully expressed using the writing system adopted from Chinese

characters (hanja) (this problem is known as eonmunichi).4 Thus the need for a new writing system arose and was identified by King Sejong

According to the introduction of the Hunmin-Jeongeum (A Book

on Explanations and Illustrations of the Korean Alphabet), in his own

words, Sejong developed Hangul for the following reasons: 1) to develop national5 identity through an indigenous writing system; 2) create a written language that would be accessible to all; and 3) to make the learning of foreign languages easier.6

Despite these honorable intentions, hanja remained the

preferred script of scholars and the upper classes, while Hangul remained the preserve of women and the uneducated In fact, its development and dissemination faced strong opposition from the elite and it was the subject of protest by Confucian scholars from as early

as 1444 Its use was banned outright in 1504, but revived again in

1527.7

It was not until the early 20th century that it achieved predominance in all spheres of written Korean While many scholars believe that King Sejong developed Hangul single-handedly, there is a lack of evidence to either confirm or deny this claim fully.8 Either way, his legacy is a source of much pride to Koreans and will likely remain

so for many years to come

While the Japanese added a further barrier to its continuation by attempting to entirely replace Korean with Japanese in the late 1930s, Hangul has survived with its reputation intact While its importance

4 Lee, Ki-Moon, “Hangul in the Perspective of Modern Times,” National Institute of the Korean Language, Jan 2008,

retrieved 19 Feb 2009, < http://www.korean.go.kr/eng_hangeul/short/003.html >

5 “Nation” is perhaps too modern a term to be used here and more likely refers to an identity for the Joseon Kingdom and its inhabitants linking back to their recorded history.

6 National Institute of the Korean Language, “Short Writings on Hangeul,” National Institute of the Korean

Language website, Dec 1996, retrieved 19 Feb 2009, <http://www.korean.go.kr/eng_hangeul/short/001.html >

7 National Institute of the Korean Language, “Chronology of Hangul,” National Institute of the Korean Language

website, retrieved 19 Feb 2009, <http://www.korean.go.kr/eng_hangeul/supply/pop04.html >

8 King Sejong carried out much of his work in secret and employed his princes to work on this problem of trying

to develop the Hangul alphabet (Hunmin-Jeongeum), but it was only his second daughter, Princess Chongoi, who

was able to come up with a satisfactory solution According to Lee (see above reference), he rewarded her with hundreds of slave families.

as a written language had been understood by scholars in China and Japan for hundreds of years, the earliest Western grammars and dictionaries were not written until the late 19th Century, corresponding to lack of contact with outside nations prior to this period In fact it was not really until the 1960s that the international community began to recognize the ingenuity of the written Korean language and accord it praise.9 More recently, UNESCO developed the King Sejong Prize for Literacy in cooperation with the South Korean government in 1989 This prize is awarded to governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations that fight illiteracy, especially through the promotion of indigenous languages in developing countries.10

Modern Korean has continued to evolve, with the adoption of many foreign language words, most noticeably those borrowed from English This is likely to increase as the role of English becomes more

important inside Korea Hanja still persists in academic writing and in

newspapers and is also likely to remain a feature of the language for many years.11

Korea celebrates its indigenous language every year on October 9, known as Hangul Day

9 Kang, Chang-Seok, “Making Principals of Hangul and its Graphic Shapes,” National Institute of the Korean

Language website, Dec 1996, retrieved 19 Feb 2009, <http://www.korean.go.kr/eng_hangeul/short/004.html >

10 United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, “UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prizes -

Supporting Literacy in Multilingual Contexts,” UNESCO website, retrieved 23 Nov 2008

<

http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=53673&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html >

11 Hanja is a compulsory subject at secondary school level and students of all ages work hard to prepare

themselves for the yearly Hanja examination, which can help them to enter better schools.

Neutral and Low, and 2) Informal-High and Informal-Low Some forms persist only in writing It is common to mix forms of speech in everyday conversation, but when in a formal situation or unsure of one’s place, it is advisable to use the higher forms.12

PERSPECTIVE

As with many different languages, there are words and expressions used in Korean that cannot be translated directly into English (and vice versa) Baxter claims that while English can be viewed as a language of the head, Korean should be viewed as a language of the heart He illustrates this point by explaining that by utilizing all of the added components that the Korean language has on offer one can describe colors by how they make the viewer feel rather than just as they appear, something absent in English.13

The Korean language might also be viewed as less ego-centric than English, not simply in the fact that from a grammatical perspective the subject is frequently omitted without detriment to meaning, but also in the way certain expressions are framed An example of this is when you visit someone’s home and it is referred to

as “our house” rather than “my house,” or when you are introduced

to someone’s wife and she is referred to as “our wife”14 (not to be taken literally)

Cultural perspective informs much of the language It is interesting to note that when a Korean gestures to indicate their mind, they will usually point to where their heart is located

12 Chang, Suk In, Hong Kyung Pyo and Ihm Ho Bin, Korean Grammar for International Learners, New Edition, Seoul:

Yonsei University Press, 2001, p 199 – 212.

13 Baxter, David, The Korean Language, p 126 This is an interesting observation given that Hangul is often praised

for being such a highly rational system.

14 Baxter, p 127.