Title: Life in Korea
URL: http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Information/index.cfm
This site is useful to those who are looking for a brief overview of Korean contemporary culture. The General Information subpage consists of short paragraphs about each topic with links to additional information. The tab that leads to Culture and Language also contains information about today’s Korea.
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Images/Buddhism/Kidm026.jpg.
Title: About Korea
URL: http://user.chollian.net/~jis0523/korea.htm
Unlike many flashy, multimedia Web sites, this site is comprised of a series of articles about Korea, including culture, geography, and ethnicity of its population.
Title: Korea Tourism E-Books
URL: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/GK/GK_EN_2_7_4.jsp
The Korea Tourism Organization has compiled a large number of e-books, primarily for tourists, but of interest to those who want to be informed about contemporary Korea. Each e-book is magnificent in its presentation, with many images and in-depth articles. The Cultural Insights book has 140 pages on Korean aesthetics, lifestyles, thought, and other pertinent areas.
Title: Korea Society K–12 Resources
These curriculum materials from the Korea Society are organized by subject area. Each lesson plan designates the appropriate grades and the materials needed for the lesson. They are presented in pdf format.
https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/143-rhythms-to-make-the-heart-beat-faster.
Title: Korea.net
URL: http://www.korea.net/korea/korea.asp
This is a subpage of the Korea.net site, whose homepage is somewhat cluttered. This subsidiary page has a layout that is easier to navigate. The sections featured here include Culture, Korean Life, and Society.
Title: PBS: Hidden Korea
URL: http://www.pbs.org/hiddenkorea/index.htm
PBS produced a show about Korea, and these Web pages amplify the sections of the video. The main topics include geography, history, and culture. Each section is concise and contains links for additional information.
http://www.pbs.org/hiddenkorea/history.htm.
Title: The Shaping of Korean Popular Music from 1945 to 1960
URL: http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/6/8/4/5/pages168459/p168459-1.php
This academic presentation traces the development of Korean popular music and the relationship of traditional music, Japanese music, and American popular music in Korea.
Title: The English Teacher’s Guide to Korea
URL: http://atek.or.kr/images/stories/rokstories/ETG2K-Members.pdf
This 368-page pdf document was published by the Association of Teachers of English in Korea. It was written in 2009, and it has a great deal of information about contemporary Korea with topics that include food, daily life, travel, and the education system.
Title: A Study on the Relationships Among Hallyu, National Image, and Corporate Brand Equity
URL: http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/3/1/7/8/pages231782/p231782-1.php
Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, is the term used to define the spread of Korean pop culture. This paper was presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association; it examines the effects of hallyu in Southeast Asia and North America.
Title: South Korea’s pop-cultural exports: Hallyu, yeah!
URL: http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15385735
The Economist published this article in January 2010, making it quite current. It gives a brief overview of hallyu, its beginnings, and its development. For some, reading the comments affixed to the article may be more interesting than the article itself.
Title: Culture Shock—MIT Web Magazine
URL: http://web.mit.edu/cultureshock/fa2002/jin_1.htm
URL: http://web.mit.edu/cultureshock/fa2006/www/essays/koreanbeauty.html
These are two articles written by MIT students about encounters with their Korean heritage as they spent time in Korea. Both students had unexpected reactions upon their visits to Korea.
http://web.mit.edu/cultureshock/fa2006/www/index.htm.
The Asia Society has many articles about Korea. The following three are among the most pertinent for learning about Korean Popular Culture.
http://www.asiasociety.org.
Title: Contemporary Youth Culture in Korea
URL: http://www.asiasociety.org/style-living/contemporary-youth-culture-korea
A forty-year-old Korean mother writes about the lifestyle of her fifteen-year-old daughter and her contemporaries compared to her own. She points out the differences, especially in the use of technology and career choices. There are similarities in the junior high and high school experiences.
Title: The Value and Meaning of the Korean Family
URL: http://www.asiasociety.org/countries-history/traditions/the-value-and-meaning-korean-family
This essay is part of the Traditions section of the Asia Society’s look at Korea. It discusses the core values of the Korean family, now and in the past. The last third of the essay is devoted to changes in the Korean family since 1960.
Title: The Geography of the Koreas
URL: http://www.asiasociety.org/countries-history/traditions/the-geography-koreas
In addition to a description of the geography of Korea, the climate, the natural resources, and the population are discussed. For a brief view of Korea before the twentieth century, and then after the Korean War, there is a related article here: http://www.asiasociety.org/countries-history/traditions/korean-history-and-political-geography.