b) Introduction on the culture chosen by the group

Korea, is a historical country in East Asian and it has been divided into 2 distinct
sovereign states since 1945 which is North Korea and South Korea. Korea is a mountainous
peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides. It shares its northern borders with China and
Russia, and its closest southern neighbor is Japan, which lies across a narrow strait. The Korean
peninsula measures approximately six hundred miles from its northern tip to its southern end.
The traditional culture of Korea refers to the shared cultural heritage of the Korean
Peninsula. Since the mid-20th century, the peninsula has been split politically between North
and South, resulting in a number of cultural differences however they still share some of the
traditional culture value. First, the language, Hangul is the name of the Korean alphabet.
Although the spelling, alphabet and vocabulary differ slightly between the two countries,
Korean is the official language of both South Korea and North Korea. Linguists believe the
Korean language is a member of the Altaic family of languages, which originated in northern
Asia. There are five major dialects in South Korea and one in North Korea. Despite differences
in the dialects, speakers from different areas can understand each other.

Korean traditional dance, where there is a distinction between court dance and folk
dance. Common court dances are jeongjaemu performed at banquets and ilmu, which
performed at Korean Confucian rituals. Jeongjaemu is divided into native dances and forms
imported from Central Asia and China. On the other hand, Ilmu are divided into civil dance
and military dance. For the dancing performance, the traditional clothing is the genja, it is a
special kind of dress that women wear on festivals. It is pink with multiple symbols around the
neck area. Props used in the dances include the long billowing silk scarf of pure white used in
the Salpuri dance, drums, hats, swords and others. The props may be peripheral or central to
the story of the dance. In the Ghost dance, the entertainer has a joyous reunion with a deceased
spouse, only to endure the heartbreak of reseparation, and there may few or no props.
For their traditional music, there is a genre distinction between folk music and court
music. Korean folk music is varied and complex, but all forms maintain a set of rhythms are
called “Jangdan” and a loosely defined set of melodic modes. Korean folk musics are Pansori
performed by one singer and one drummer. Occasionally, there might be dancers and narraters
and Pungmul included the drumming, dancing and singing. Samul Nori is a type of Korean
traditional music based on Pungmul, and Sanjo that is played without a pause in faster tempos.
Korean court music can be traced to the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty in 1392. Korean court
musics include A-ak, Dang-ak and Hyang-ak. Korean music is still played and sung a lot.
A lot of travelers love their traditional clothing while visiting there this is because their
traditional dresses are unique. The traditional dress known as hanbok and it has been worn
sine the ancient times. The hanbok consists of a shit and a skirt. Back to the ancient times, the
clothing will determine their social status, and therefore making clothing an important mark of
social rank and the costumes were worn by the ruling class and the royal family. These upper
classes also used jewellery to distance themselves from the ordinary people. A traditional item
of jewellery for women was a pendant in the shape of certain elements of nature which was
made of precious gemstones, to which a tassel of silk was connected.
Next, is the Korean cuisine. Rice is the staple food of Korea, having been an almost
exclusively agricultural country until recently, the essential recipes in Korea are shaped by this
experience. The main crops in Korea are rice, barley, beans and Gochujang but many
supplementary crops are used. Fish and other seafood are also important because Korea is a
peninsula. Bibimbap, also known as hot stone rice pot, is a Korean dish, and the name of
Bibimbap also means “mixed rice”. Bibimbap is served as a bowl of a raw or fried egg and
sliced meat with white rice and topped with different sauce and seasoned vegetable and then
the dish is stirred together thoroughly just before eating. Kimchi is sliced cabbage, fermented
with red chili sauce and anchovy paste. It is pungent, spicy, and sour. Koreans love it and eat
it with every meal (side dish) though they also use it as an ingredient in countless other dishes.
During the ancient time, Koreans traditionally make enough kimchi to last for the entire winter
season, as fermented foods can keep for several years. These were stored in traditional Korean
mud pots known as Jangdokdae although with the advent of refrigerators, special Kimchi
freezers and commercially produced kimchi, this practice has become less common due to the
evolution of the era. Kimchi is sumbolic of Korean culture, it having the meaning of strong,
distinctive and defiant.
 Belief, is an idea or principle which people judge to be true. Korean people was
Shamanism, which though not as widespread as in ancient times, still survives to this day.
Female shamans or mudang are often called upon to enlist the help of various spirits to achieve
various means. Buddhism and Confucianism were later introduced to Korea through cultural
exchanges with Chinese dynasties. Throughout Korean history and culture, regardless of
separation, the traditional beliefs of Korean Shamanism, Mahayana Buddhism and
Confucianism have remained an underlying influence of the religion of the Korean people as
well as a vital aspect of their culture.