Culture and religion
In Korea the languages spoken are Korean and English. Family is very important in Korea and traditionally the male is the key provider. In Korea the family is more important than the individual Another important cultural concept is that of Kibun which is like pride or face. Maintenance of a smooth peaceful life and relationships is very important, as is showing respect. In Seoul the religion consist 31.6% being Christians (24% are Protestant, and 7.6% Roman Catholic), 24.2% Buddhist, others or unknown have 0.9% and 43.3% follow no religion. The Economy During the last 40 years the South Korean economy has experienced massive growth. It is now a high tech industrialized economy involved in foreign investment and importation as well as exports. Issues for the economy now include the ageing population, the inflexible work force and the dominance of income from exports. The gross domestic product (GDP) for 2014 was 1.78 trillion. The key industries for Seoul are the car industry, shipbuilding, steel, electronics and telecommunications. Officially the unemployment rate in South Korea is 3.5% but there is a high labour under-utilization rate that suggests that there is a higher unemployment rate than that which is reported. Population 82.5% of the South Koreas population is urban, leaving only 17.5% rural. 37.1% of the population is dependent including the youth and elderly. |