KOREA

							Japan

   “The Land of the Rising
     Sun” (United Streaming 16:17)
Geography
-Consists of 4 main islands and thousands of
smaller ones
At the closest
point, the
islands are
120 miles
away from the
mainland
Takes up about 142,000 sq mi
(smaller than California)
Although it is
larger than
Italy
More than 70%
of the Islands
are
mountainous
Little land is
suitable for
agriculture or
living
Most people live along the coasts
Compare the latitudes to the US
Geography

 Japan lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire
 and therefore has experienced many
 earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and
 tsunamis
History
 First Inhabitants were the Ainu
 In the 700’s Japan developed an
 unique political system (similar to the
 medieval feudal system):
     Emperor – Figure head
     Shoguns- Powerful warlords ruled over the
     daimyo
     Daimyo-Wealthy landlords
     Samurai-Professional warriors who
     protected the Daimyo
History Cont.
 Traders came in the 1500s
 Fear of foreign ideas caused
 Japan to cut itself off between
 the 1600s and the mid 1800s
 1853 Commodore Matthew
 Perry arrived and opened trade
 Meiji Restoration (1868)
 Samurai overthrow last shogun
 and restored the Emperors
 power
 Japan begins to modernize and
 expand
The Japanese Empire 1942
Japan and WWII
 1940-Signs
 alliance with
 Germany and Italy
 Dec 7, 1941 The
 Japanese bomb
 Pearl Harbor in
 Hawaii
End of WWII
 1945 US drops
 Atomic bombs on
 the Japanese cities
 of Hiroshima and
 Nagasaki
Rebuilding Japan

 After WWII, Japan loses territories
 (the Korea Peninsula, Manchuria, SE
 Asia and many islands)
 Japan sets up a democratic
 government with a Prime minister and
 a diet (legislature) - -Emperor is
 symbolic leader
Japan’s Government

 chief of state:
 Emperor Akihito



head of government:
  Prime Minister
  Taro Aso
Other Facts

 Major religions:
   Shintoism
   Buddhism
Foods

 Rice is a major source of food
 (Kitsune:
 God of Rice)

Along with fish
Exchange Rate
 1 US Dollar = 95.1842 Japanese Yen
North and South Korea




 South Korea    North Korea
Just West of Japan
About the size of Utah
Geography

 Borders China along the Yalu and
 Tumen Rivers
 Borders Russia in the far NE
 Made up of mostly hills and low
 mountains
 Like Japan, the weather is greatly
 influenced by the Monsoons
Origins of Korean Cultural
Identity
 Struggled to successfully maintain
 cultural identity on the doorstep of
 China and the heel of Japan

 Language, formation myth, religion
 and shamanism much more closely
 related to inner Asia where Korea’s
 early people came from; not China
Chinese Contact

 108bc China invaded Korea

 Writing, technology, political
 centralization had already begun in
 Korea PRIOR to Chinese contact
“Borrows” from China
  Rice planting, bronze, iron making
  Trade goods
  Writing systems
  Architecture
  Political systems
  Music
  Printing systems
  Pottery making

****All were “Koreanized” versions of the
   original, very specific influences were chosen
   and cultivated
Korean Culture
 Like all agricultural societies, Korean life
 has always centered on tightly knot families
Religion of Korea

 Follow a variety of religious ideas
 and organized religions, including:
 Confucianism:
 Korea was already patriarchal, and
 became even more so with the
 importation of Confucianism--reinforced
 order and authority, family responsibility,
 respect of elders, hard work, protection
 of family, proper decorum
Buddhism

 Spread by travelers and monks

 Royal patronage allowed many
 magnificently decorated temples

 Unique to Korean Buddhism: a side
 chapel or shrine dedicated to a
 mountain spirit (old man with a tiger) a
 symbol of national shamanistic beliefs
Christianity

 Christianity is now a major religion in
 South Korea



 North Korea claims religious freedom,
 but the communist government
 controls religious activities
Modern History
 After WWII, the Korean Peninsula was split
 at the 38th Parallel with the USSR
 occupying the North and the US occupying
 the South until they withdrew in1949
 1950- North Korea invades South Korea
 and the UN sends in troops to defend
 South Korea - - - Korean War
 1953- armistice is signed. Countries still
 divided along the 38th Parallel
 DMZ is the buffer zone between the two
Government: North Korea
North Korea
 Capital:
 Pyongyang
 Government:
 Communist
 Leader: Kim Jong Il
 Currency: 1.00 USD
= 142.450 North Korea
  Won
Government: South Korea
 South Korea
   Capital: Seoul
   Government: Republic
   chief of state: President
   Lee Myung-bak

   head of government: Prime
   Minister Han Seung-soo

   Currency:1.00 USD
 = 1,259.70 South Korea Won
Other differences

 The GDP of South Korea is $26,000
 vs $1,700 of North Korea
 81% of South Korea is Urban vs 60%
 of North Korea
 Education in North Korea is more
 limited and there is a focus on
 communist ideology

  United Streaming: Rich and Poor: Exploring the Differences
  between North and South Korea (3:12)
Reunification?
 Talks of reunification continue
 Recently their relationship has improved
 and visits to North Korea have been
 allowed at times
 However, South Korea is afraid it would
 hurt their economy to join with one of the
 world’s poorest countries
 Also, there is the fear that North Korea has
 and may use Nuclear weapons