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South Korea
Relevant information about South Korea.
South Korea has many attractions for tourists, from beautiful landscapes to a very rich culture. This is also a land very well known for its multi colour traditional festivals and events. It is also highly appreciated by tourists that are fond of technology, due to this innovative field in the country.
For sure, South Korea stands out for its population, which is more than 10 times the world average population, amounting 48.61 millions in 2008. According to statistics, the capital city of Seoul had a population of 9.8 million inhabitants, becoming the world's second largest metropolitan zone. A relevant characteristic of the South Korean society is that it is the world’s most homogenous society, with more than 99% of residents having Korean ethnicity. Another thing to point out is that South Korea's birthrate is the world's lowest, and consequently its population is expected to decrease by 13% to 42.3 million in 2050. When it comes to South Korean culture, there is a key style that reflects how unique it is. It is the Han style, which is reproduced through Hansik, Korean cuisine; Hanguk Eumak, traditional music; Hanbok, the Korean traditional attire; Hanji, the paper unique to Korea; Hanok, Korea's homegrown typical architecture. Han Style offers a look into some of Korea's most unique cultural assets, whose value has only increased with time. There are Hanbok, the Korean traditional attire; Hanji, the paper unique to Korea; Hanok, Korea's homegrown traditional architecture; Hansik, Korean cuisine and Hanguk Eumak, traditional music, among other things. Starting by the every day life Korean meal, Hansik is composed of steamed rice with vegetables, soup, stew and meat or fresh fish. In the local cuisine, spices and condiments are a key part of making a dish. On the contrary to other oriental countries, Koreans are used to use spoons and chopsticks made of metal to eat. And if you are fond of meat, don’t worry, you will find in South Korea some bulgogi, which is known as a Korean style barbecue. Some of the meat you may find comes from beef, pork, chicken, lamb, squid and octopus. Hanbok is an item highly appreciated by tourists who are curious for this traditional attire of Korea. It is defined as by a two-piece outfit without pockets and buttons that is closed with strings, belts or cords. It was used distributed into daywear and ceremonial wear, with a few differences between each age, gender and season of the year. For example, in summer people would wear Hanbok made of either sambe or mosi, which allowed air to circulate and dry sweat. During the last years, and thanks to widespread campaigns to revitalize Hanbok, there have been contemporary and modern designs of Hanbok created. As regards the Hanok, it is the traditional Korean architecture that remained relatively unchanged from the Three Kingdoms Period in South Korea. There are some characteristics that make a Hanok, such as a house where people spend time on the floor, instead of making use of chairs and beds. In spite of the limited space, the usage of each space can easily be changed just by moving the furniture around. To complete an ideal Hanok, it is suggested to have a mountain behind it, a river in front of it, a wide front porch and rooms well equipped with the floor heat named ondol. When it comes to talk about Hanji, it is something well known worldwide, especially through decorative items. It is a form of paper made of mulberry bark. There are lots of goods made of Hanji, such as lamps, instruments, furniture, etc. Hanji also finds a good use as a wrapping paper. Currently, even designers have been inspired to make clothing such as dresses, underwear, jeans and socks made of this special paper. But if music is your field, you will find in Hanguk Eumak a very interesting music. It is usually played at traditional festivals and events along South Korea. Music is also related to mask in this country, through shaman ritual music or muak, and theater music used for mask dance or talchum.
South Korea government has recently expressed its intention to dominate the global display market by controlling at least 45% of the global market share in 2017. Among the most important industries in South Korea there are automobiles, digital electronics, construction and shipbuilding. The country is home of seven of the world's top 10 shipbuilders, such as Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, STX Shipbuilding and Hanjin Heavy Industries. The Korean mobile handsets and LCDs have also become the most advanced and best sellers in their fields worldwide. As regards Samsung Electronics, it is the world's biggest computer memory chip maker and Hynix Semiconductor is currently world's number one DRAM, and number three NAND Flash Memory producer. And the construction industry is big in South Korea. In fact, the main contractor for the construction of Burj Dubai, which is the current tallest building in the world, is one of Soouth Korea's leading local builders: Samsung Engineering and Construction. And in every day life, it is common to be using some South Korean tech product, most of them with advanced technology but good prices. In fact, the country is the world number one manufacturer of liquid crystal displays LCDs and plasma displays.
Tourism in South Korea has been getting stronger during the past years. It actually has many attractions and sites to visit, even counting with natural landscapes considered by the UNESCO's as World Heritage List. The first stop should be the city of Seoul. It is a commercial spot, with picturesque surroundings such as the Changdokkung Palace. The Secret Gardens nearby to Chongmyo Shrine is situated in wooded grounds, containing the ancestral tablets of the Kings of the Joseon Dynasty. Another attraction for lovers of history, is the Museum of Modern Arts, next to the Toksukung Palace, a former royal village that has an interesting contrast with the surrounding skyscrapers. On the other hand, Kyongbokkung Palace is the most impressive palace, and the most appreciated symbol of Seoul along with the Great South Gate. Seoul is also a wonderful place to see performances of Korea’s attractive performing arts. And for those who cannot help shopping, there are traditional souvenirs and antiques. For those who enjoy nature, to the North of the capital city there are beautiful forests and cliff top, especially around temples of Pukansan National Park. There is also an incredible huge theme park, a zoo and a speedway-racing track. Other attractions are the Haegang Ceramics Museum, and the Incheon, home of troops during the Korean War. Nearby there are also many shopping malls and parks, with waterfront attractions at the Wolmido area. And the colours of Eastern Korea give an impressive landscape of mountains, perfect for winter sports. Around there are also villages of fishermen near the beaches. The beaches are actually beautiful, and highly recommended. National Parks are popular in South Korea. There are Soraksan, Odaesan and Chuwangsan, which have the most beautiful landscapes with rugged peaks, waterfalls and forests. At these locations, exclusive resorts can be found to satisfy the most demanding tastes. For the ones that love history, there is a lot to see around South Korea. The famous Popchusa Temple has an impressive pagoda, and a number of art treasures such as an immense standing Buddha. And you shouldn’t miss visiting the museum known as the “museum without walls”, Kyongju. It is certainly a piece of ancient Korean history and Buddhist culture, and of course has been designated by UNESCO as one of the 10 most historically significant places in the world. To the South, there is Busan, the country’s largest sea port. There are great views, and a wide good range of hotels and restaurants. Other attractions are sightseeing boat tours and the nearby medicinal hot springs.
South Korea as a medical tourism destination counts with classy physicians, modern technology, and exclusive caring. It is also very attractive to tourists the fact that this country has some of the world's best spa resorts. Hospitals have high tech equipments, and count with a wide range of translators to almost any language, so that diagnosis can easily be made. And medical tourism has turned so important to South Korea, that it has launched the Council for Korean medicine overseas promotion, in order to boost the professional activity. Another advantage of having a surgery or medical treatment is this country, is that it is much more affordable than the average charge of other countries. South Korea has also pointed out stem cell treatments, which is a quite rare and delicate procedure. A good aspect that many tourists enjoy is the low wait times to access to a treatment. Among the most common procedures made in South Korea are: ophthalmology; neurology; rehabilitation; sports medicine; nephrology; neurosurgery; cardiology; orthopaedics; oncology; fertility treatment.
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