Welcome to BuySouthKorea.com

The contemporary culture of South Korea developed from the traditional culture of Korea, but since the 1948 division of Korea, it has developed separately from North Korea's culture.

The industrialization and urbanization of South Korea have brought many changes to the way Korean People live. Changing economics and lifestyles have led to a concentration of population in major cities, especially the capital seoul, with multi-generational households separating into nuclear family living arrangements.

Printing and Literature
One of Korea's great achievements was the 15th-century invention of Hangul, the Korean phonetic alphabet. Hangul is relatively easy to learn, with 24 letters that are combined into blocks of syllables. The accessibility of Hangul has contributed to Korea's high literacy rate. Another great Korean innovation was the first use of movable metal type, in 1234.

Korea's long literary history grew not only from its innovations in printing, but through the tradition of telling folk tales and legends at festivals and other gatherings. These stories outlined the kingdom's mythical origins and stressed Korean values. The National Folklore Museum in Seoul preserves an extensive collection of Korean cultural and folklore relics.

Painting
Korea's first paintings, found on the walls of tombs in Manchuria, are 17 centuries old! Traditional painting has tended to celebrate nature or religious themes, although in the 18th century some artists branched out into depicting the dramatic landscape or daily life.

During the Japanese occupation (1910–45), Korean artists were introduced to Western oil painting. Contemporary South Korean artists have continued to produce work in this vein as well as rediscovering classical Korean styles and themes, producing work of genius and originality.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art houses a large collection of 20th-century Korean and Western art. A growing number of art galleries also offer examples of fine art in South Korea.

Sculpture, Metal Craft, and Ceramics
The introduction of Buddhism in the 4th century spurred the development of sculpture in Korea. Artisans carved graceful, intricate Buddha images and pagodas in bronze, stone, and wood. (The best example of 8th-century Buddhist sculpture can be seen at Sokkuram Grotto shrine near Kyongju.) Buddhist sculpture declined in the late 14th century, when Confucianism became ascendant over Buddhism, and has not enjoyed a resurgence until recently. Schools of modern sculpture have been quite active since the 1960s, and examples are abundant in city streets, parks, and plazas as well as in museums.

Metalcraft has an ancient and honorable history in Korea. Decorated bronze figures dating from the Bronze Age have been found all over the country. Shilla artisans (57 BC–AD 935) crammed the tombs of the aristocracy with gold and jade. They also produced beautiful, intricately carved bronze bells, some of which are huge. The largest of these, the Divine Bell of King Songdok, or the Emille Bell, dates from the 8th century.

Ceramics may be the most famous of Korea's three-dimensional art forms. The technology for producing blue-green celadon vases came from China, but by the 12th century Korean artisans had made the technique their own. They added the innovation of inlaid designs, following motifs from nature.

Many ceramic materials are hard, porous, and brittle. The study and development of ceramics includes methods to mitigate problems associated with these characteristics, and to accentuate the strengths of the materials as well as to investigate novel applications.

Seoul, the flourishing capital of South Korea, was moulded way back in the 14th century during the Joseon dynasty. At first glance, it is a big, crowded, noisy mega city full of glass and concrete sky scrapers and traffic clogged multi lane highways. The sleek skyscrapers scattered throughout the city combines with the old palaces and shrines, leaving such a sight to behold.

Seoul is by far the largest city in South Korea and the unquestioned economic, political and cultural hub of the country. An ever growing population of nearly 10 million people, making it the fifth largest city in the world.

Seoul is located in the northwest corner of the country. It border with North Korea is only about 40km from the city centre. Seoul was given its present name in 1945, and was chosen to be the capital of the Republic of Korea in 1948.

Experiencing everything Korean, from the bawdy red light districts to the calm traditional teahouse any time of the day makes Seoul an adventure worth taking.

To experience the traditional culture of Korea while remaining in the heart of the city, try Insa dong. With art galleries, traditional craft stores, antique art dealers, traditional tea houses and traditional restaurants it is simply the place for tourists wanting to experience traditional Korea. The area is especially good for finding antiques in old paintings, ceramics, wooden vessels, and antique furniture can all be found in abundance at Insa dong. The 70 or so art galleries in the area also make Insa dong ideal as a cultural space.

Modern design and technology can be witnessed simultaneously in the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art which opened last October. Designed by a trio of daring western architects, it features a childrens museum by Rem Koolhaas, a contemporary art gallery by Jean Nouvel and Mario Bottos terracotta twin towers tamped to the brim with Buddhist relics. The museum will even lend you a palmtop computer to guide you round the childrens museum and entrance to the exhibitions is free

There are plenty of places to shop.

A temperate climate in the summer months of June to September you should expect temperatures of around 20 degrees. Autumn lasts from September to November and you should expect warm days and cool nights. In the winter months of December to March you should expect temperatures to very low with an average of 0 degrees.