Korea is a nation with about five thousand years of history and rich cultural heritage. It is a country which realized stunning economic growth and democratic development in a very short span of time. In addition, Korea has recently been put on the proverbial global map, propelled by the Korean wave which hit the world, yet the country is still far from well-known across the world. What is Korea really like? In fact, it is not easy for both Koreans and non-Koreans to answer to this question. This query is where the idea of this book was first created. This book is designed to increase understanding about Korea for people around the world and to present Korean society and culture in a thoughtful manner to foreigners who are not familiar with it. While a great deal of information about any country can be accessed through the internet, this book provides a broad range of information in an organized and systemized collection that is portable and easily accessible to many people. This bilingual publication is presented in both English and Korean in hopes that the information and appreciation of Korea can be shared with people around the world. This book mainly consists of three parts. The first part (pp. 1-32) offers a brief introduction to Korea with reliable barometers in many aspects of Korean identity. The main part (pp. 33-446) of this book reveals Korea by eight categories: geography, history, politics, economy, society, culture, religion and religious culture, and scientific technology and industry. Two special commentaries on the North-South relations and East-West cultural differences are to help readers better understand Korea as a "divided country" with "Confucian culture." Finally, the last appendix section contains statistical information for the reader's convenient reference.weiterlesen