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Brief Introduction of Korea
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Korea, usually called
"Land of Morning Calm", rapidly changing country in
terms of all sectors like industry, trade, commerce, and culture.
In the other hand, it has also a old tradition which has
formulated for almost 5,000 years. Belows are simple explanations
about national symbols.
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National
Flag
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The national flag, called "tae-gk-gi",
depicts the philosophy of balance ,Yin/Yang(negative and
positive), and the concept of Ohaengsol (five directions).
In the central circle, the red portion represents positive Yang,
while the blue portion represents negative Yin. It is an ancient
symbol of oriental philosophy representing balance and harmony. |
The combination of bars in each
corner also symbolizes opposites and balance. The set in the upper left
corner symbolizes heaven, spring, east, and gentility. The upper right
corner symbolizes the moon, winter, north, and wisdom. The lower right
corner symbolizes the earth, summer, west, and justice. The lower left
corner symbolizes the sun, autumn, south, and courtesy.
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Language
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The Korean language
belongs to the Ural-Altic family of languages which also includes Turkish
and Mongolian. Although the language contains many words derived from
Chinese and printed media still use Chinese ideographs to represent many
of those words, structurally the two languages are very different. Korean
is closer to the Japanese language linguistically. |
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Currency
Korean currency is the won (W). In some areas
for tourist, commercial outlets may accept U.S. dollars or Japanese yen.
The exchange rate will be better a little than the official rate. Most banks and
hotels can exchange money, and most will also take travelers checks. Very
few ATMs allow cash advances on non-Korean credit cards. Many
international banks have offices in Seoul, and a few have branches in
Pusan. Metro Bank has a branch in Seoul, located near Namdemun
Market. |
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