South Korea Discussion: Country Background

Diana Spears, one of our beloved book club members had a great idea—to summarize background info on each country we read. This not only provides some great context for the books we read, but can also provide modern day info which can expand our understanding especially in contrast to older books.

This month, Diana has compiled the background below on South Korea to match our South Korean read, Flowers of Mold (view on Amazon) which is “one of the best translated short story collections of 2019.”

South Korea Country Background by Diana Spears

South Korea is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea.  Its capital, Seoul, is a major global city.

Population, Language, Religion, Education, and Culture:  South Korea has over 51 million people and is the world's 3rd most densely populated country.  Korean is the official language.  More than half of the population declare themselves as not affiliated with any religious organization.  Of the people who are affiliated, most are Christians and Buddhists.   Favorite foods include bulgogi (marinated beef barbeque) and kimchi (fermented vegetables).  South Korea is one of the top-performing OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries in reading literacy, mathematics and sciences.   It has one of the world’s best educated labor forces—because education is held in very high regard.   The culture has a traditional Confucian foundation.   However, Seoul and other urban areas are strongly westernized.    Most recently, it’s notable that South Korea’s response to the coronavirus has been exemplary. 

Government, Economy, and Industry:  South Korea is a Presidential Republic, and its government's structure is determined by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.   It’s a highly-developed country and has the world's 11th largest economy by nominal GDP.  Its citizens enjoy the fastest Internet connection speeds, the longest years of tertiary education,  and the 3rd highest life expectancy in the world.   The country is very high-tech.  It is a global leader in many technology and innovation-driven fields.   Every year since 2014 (i.e., 6 consecutive years), South Korea has been named the world's most innovative country by the Bloomberg Innovation Index.  

Geography, Climate, and Nature:  South Korea's terrain is largely mountainous, and most of it is not arable.   Two-thirds of the country is forested.  About 3,000 islands, mostly small and uninhabited, lie off the western and southern coasts.  South Korea has a humid continental/subtropical climate, although winters can be quite cold.  Animal wildlife is similar to that of northeast China. 

Interesting or noteworthy facts about South Korea:

  • South Korea's birthrate was the world's lowest in 2009.

  • Sympathizing with Kim Jong-Un is illegal in South Korea.