Korean History
A brief timeline of Korean history information. Korea is a peninsula surrounded by water on all sides.
In 1910-1945, Japan took over Korea as a colony.
In 1948, the democratic South Korea and Communist North Korea were divided at the 38th parallel.
In the Korean war of 1950-1953, North Korea invaded South Korea.
Throughout the ancient history of Korea, Koreans were constantly subjected to defending themselves from outside invaders instead of venturing out to conquer new territories.
South Korea History
South Korea was able to flourish as a democratic economy after the end of the Korean War. Because of it's history, South Koreans have a fierce sense of national pride and are often distrustful of other foreign cultures.
South Korea's societal order, education system and the way of conducting business are all based on Confucian principles.
In this modern era, South Koreans are starting to do away with the stubborn old-school ways of dating and marriage customs.
Modernization of South Korea
In recent years, South Korea has been highly influenced by foreign cultures eg United States, Japan. Many Koreans enjoyed the freedom and openess of western cultures.
Many Koreans now enjoy Western and other Asian food eg pizza is one of the favorite foreign foods among South Koreans although it tends to differ from the west.
Many Western hamburger, chicken, coffee, and ice cream chains are also very popular in Korea.
South Korean fashion is also heavily influenced by western styles.
