South Korean Cultural Profile

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Cultural Profile Patrick M. Carroll Indiana Wesleyan University Cultural Profile The cultural profile of South Korea, as explained by the Federal research division, is as such: Formal Name: Republic of Korea (Taehan Min’guk) Short Form: South Korea (Han’guk, the term South Koreans use to refer to their country). Term for Citizen(s): Korean(s) (Han’gugin). Capital: Seoul. Major Cities: The largest cities are Seoul (11 million), Pusan (3.9 million), Taegu (2.5 million), Inch’en (2.4 million), Kwangju (1.4 million), and Taejon (1.3 million). Location: The Republic of Korea occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula on the northeastern corner of the Asian continent. North Korea lies to the north, and Japan is located to the southeast, across the Korea Strait. Size: South Korea occupies nearly 45 percent of the land area of the Korean Peninsula, or 98,190 square kilometers of land area and 290 square kilometers of water area. Population: In July 2004, South Korea’s population is estimated to be 48,598,175. The official growth rate estimate is 0.6 percent, and this rate is expected to decline to zero by 2028. In the twentieth century, there has been significant emigration to China (1.9 million) and the United States (1.5 million), and about 1 million Koreans live in Japan and the countries of the former Soviet Union. More than 80 percent of all South Koreans live in urban areas. Population density is very high, with approximately 480 persons per square kilometer. Ethnic Groups: With the exception of a very small minority of ethnic Chinese (about 20,000), the Korean population is homogeneous. Language: Korean is the national language and is spoken in a variety of local dialects generally coinciding with provincial boundaries. The Seoul dialect is the basis for modern standard Korean. Religion: Just more than 50 percent of
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