Location |
Korea lies in the northeastern part of the Asian continent.
It is located between 33 degrees and 43 degrees in Northern
Latitude, and 124 degrees and 132 degrees in Eastern Longitude.
China, Russia and Japan are adjacent to Korea. Local time
is nine hours ahead of GMT.
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Climate |
Korea's climate is regarded as a continental climate from
a temperate standpoint and a monsoon climate from a precipitation
standpoint. The climate of Korea is characterized by four
distinct seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter.
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Food |
In the past, every Korean household would make their own
soy sauce, doenjang (soybean paste) and gochujang (red
pepper paste). These three are the most important seasonings
in the Korean diet, so preparing them well is an important
annual task along with making kimchi.
Each Korean household would keep a series of large and
small crocks or earthenware jars in their backyards to
contain soy sauce, soybean paste, red pepper paste, salt
and various types of kimchi.
Today, ready-made traditional seasonings are available
in markets, yet many households particularly in the countryside
still keep the old practice.
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 Kimchi
Well-fermented kimchi has anti-biotic functions as
lactic acid bacteria produced in the process of fermentation
that suppresses growth of harmful bacteria.
This bacteria not only gives a sourish flavor to matured
kimchi but also prevents excessive fermentation by restraining
growth of other bacteria in the intestines.
Not only that, substances in kimchi prevent hyperacidity
resulting from excessive intake of meat and other acidic
foods.
Most ingredients of kimchi are rich in water and low
in other nutrients.
However, lactic acid in kimchi restrains the growth
of harmful bacteria in intestines and helps relieve
intestinal disorders.
Kimchi is also known as the prevention of respiratory
illness SARS since Korea is the SARS-free area in Asia.
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Language |
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Han-gul
All Koreans speak and write the same language, which
has been a decisive factor in forging their strong national
identity. Koreans have developed several different dialects
in addition to the standard used in Seoul.
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However, the dialects, except for that of Jeju-do province,
are similar enough for native speakers to understand without
any difficulties.
The Korean alphabet, called Hangeul, was created by a
group of scholars under the patronage of King Sejong the
Great during the 15th century. Before its creation, only
a relatively small percentage of the population could
learn the Chinese characters due to their difficulty.
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Hello!
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안녕하세요?
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An Nyung Ha Sae Yo
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| Thank
you |
고맙습니다.
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Go Map Seum Ni Da
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| Excuse
me |
실례합니다.
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Shil Lae Ham Nee Da
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Currency |
Korea's currency unit is won which comes in 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 won bills, and 10, 50,100 and 500 won coins. You can exchange money at the airport or banks nearby. Generally, banks are open between 09:30-16:30 Monday to Friday. Automated teller machines are in operation 24 hours a day. Most larger stores, hotels and restaurants in Korea will accept major international credit cards. However, it is advisable to carry some cash, since many smaller establishments and stores are unlikely to accept any form of credit cards.
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Exchange rate (June, 2006) |
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Currency Name
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Buying Cash
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Selling Cash
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Basic Rate
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Exchange
Commission |
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| USD |
1,009.97 |
975.23 |
992.60 |
6.28 |
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| JPY100 |
873.37 |
843.33 |
858.35 |
1.97 |
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| EUR |
1,225.65 |
1,177.83 |
1,201.74 |
4.31 |
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| HKD |
130.55 |
125.47 |
128.01 |
5.90 |
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| CNY |
131.65 |
116.89 |
123.04 |
0.00 |
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