Study Abroad in South Korea
location in waters of the Sea of Japan, Korea Strait,
and Yellow Sea. Total land area of Korean Peninsula,
including islands, 220,847 square kilometers;
approximately 98,477 square kilometers (44.6 percent)
constitutes territory of South Korea.
After the dramatic split-up in the fifties, the South
has fared very well. It has become one of the richest
countries in East Asia and has managed to keep up a
rather frenetic pace of economic development.
This certainly does not mean Korea has lost touch with
its roots. Like Japan, it manages to combine the ultra
modern with the very traditional.
The climate of south korea is Long, cold, dry
winters; short, hot, humid summers with late monsoon rains,
flooding. Seoul's January mean temperature -5° C to
-2.5° C; July, 22.5° C to 25° C. Cheju Island warmer,
milder weather than other parts of South Korea. Annual
rainfall varies from year to year but usually averages
more than 100 centimeters; two-thirds of precipitation
falls between June and September. Droughts,
particularly in southwest; approximately one every eight years.
cities
The country’s largest city, national capital, and
chief industrial center is Seoul, located in the
northwest. Other major cities include Busan, the country’s
principal seaport, in the southeast; Daegu, the principal
commercial and manufacturing center of the south;
Incheon, the major port on the Yellow Sea, near Seoul;
Gwangju, the principal transportation and commercial
center of the southwest; and Daejeon, a transportation hub
for the west-central agricultural area and a center of
science and technology. Also significant is the
southeastern city of Gyeongju, which was the capital of the
Silla kingdom that established unified rule of the
Korea Peninsula in ad 668.
population
Korea's population is one of the most ethnically and
linguistically homogenous in the world. Except for a
small Chinese community (about 20,000), virtually all
Koreans share a common cultural and linguistic heritage.
Buddhism is the traditional religion and is followed
by 20% of the people. About 30% of the population are
Christian (predominantly Protestant). Confucianism
retains a following. The sense of hierarchy within society
is strong.
With an area of 38,211 square miles and population of
47 million (United Nations World Population Database),
the Republic is comparable in size and population
density to Britain. South Korea has a strong security
relationship with the USA, which is obliged under a 1954
treaty to ‘help Korea defend itself from aggression’.
The US keeps about 25,000 troops in the country in what
is considered a long-term presence.
economy
As one of the Four Dragons of East Asia, South Korea
has achieved an incredible record of growth. Three
decades ago GDP per capita was comparable with levels in
the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. Today its GDP
per capita is seven times India's, 16 times North
Korea's, and comparable to the lesser economies of the
European Union. This success through the late 1980s was
achieved by a system of close government/business ties,
including directed credit, import restrictions,
sponsorship of specific industries, and a strong labor
effort. The government promoted the import of raw materials
and technology at the expense of consumer goods and
encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The
Asian financial crisis of 1997-99 exposed certain
longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development
model, including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign
borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. By
1999 GDP growth had recovered, reversing the substantial
decline of 1998. Seoul has pressed the country's
largest business groups to restructure and to strengthen
their financial base. Growth in 2001 likely will be a
more sustainable rate of 5%.
currency
The basic unit of currency is the won (W). Notes are
available in denominations of W1,000, 5,000 and 10,000,
and coins are denominated as follows: W10, 50, 100 and
500.
education system
Education is central to Korean society both as an
avenue to improved socio-economic status, and as a
mechanism of social and national integration under the
education ideal - "Hongik Ingan" which means the extension
of human welfare.
The Education Law promulgated in 1948, provides the
legislative framework for the current education system
in Korea. The Education Law of 1948 was revised in 1998
with the introduction of further legislation and this
body of legislation now governs all matters relating
to schools and higher education in Korea.
The major structural characteristics of the Korean
education system are based on those of the United States.
This consists of six years of elementary (primary)
school, three years of middle (lower secondary) school,
three years of high school (upper secondary) school,
and four years of college (university).
The medium of instruction in schools is Korean.
English is a compulsory subject from the commencement of
middle school, and was introduced as a subject in the
third year of elementary schools in 1997. Pupils in their
third year of elementary schools (aged nine) are
taught English for two hours a week.
The current English curriculum emphasises the
instruction of grammar and vocabulary to the neglect of
functional English. Consequently although English is taught
at an early stage in schools, Korean students
generally have limited speaking and aural abilities, and
writing skills.
With the growing emphasis on functional English
language competency, the government is proposing to expand
the facilities for English language teaching and to
improve the skills of English language teachers in Korean
schools.
As pre- school education is not compulsory, Korean
families have not considered it as important and
necessary as elementary and secondary education. However,
there is emerging recognition of the significance of
pre-school education and the government has, since
September 1999, introduced free pre-school education for
children in rural areas and for low income families in
urban areas. Otherwise pre- school education is provided
by the private sector.
Elementary education is free and compulsory and
provides general rudimentary education.
Middle school education provides standard secondary
education. Since 1985, free and compulsory middle school
education has been provided to agricultural and
fishing communities and is incrementally being extended to
other areas.
High school education aims at providing advanced
general and specific functional education.
Fees are paid by students in all middle and high
schools except for gifted students admitted to special
schools. In 2000, there were 9,955 schools at all levels
in Korea, with 336,940 teachers and 7,951,998 students.
This includes 5,267 elementary schools, 2,731 middle
schools and 1,957 high schools.
Although middle and high school education is not
provided free, both enrolment and retention rates are very
high. In 2000, student enrolment in middle and high
schools were 1,860,539 and 1,324,482 respectively. In
the same year, net transition rates from elementary to
middle school and middle school to high school was 99.9
per cent and 99.5 per cent respectively.
Despite recent reforms to the education system, Korean
schools are structured on the basis of rote learning,
highly regulated, and almost exclusively centered on
college entrance examinations. Parents spend large
amounts of money on private tuition (kwawoe) to prepare
their children for college entrance examinations in
order that they can gain admission to a prestigious
university.
In an attempt to free up the draconian college
entrance system and shift the focus of high school education
away from exclusive preparation for college entrance
examinations, the government has broadened the testing
procedures for college entrance to include problem
solving and creative thinking skills.
Also, the government is moving towards further reforms
aimed at changing the traditional school culture and
introducing a more flexible and creative school
environment.
Entrance to Korean colleges (universities) remains
very competitive as emphasis is still placed on entering
a prestigious university rather than pursuing a
university study course on the basis of personal aptitude or
interest.
College students also spend much time and money on
extra-curricular education, particularly on English
conversation and computing to improve their prospects for
employment after graduation.
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