- (Republic of Korea) a state in East Asia, occupying the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and adjacent islands; it borders in the north with the DPRK (see Democratic People's Republic of Korea), in the west it is washed by the Yellow Sea, in the east ... ... Geographical encyclopedia
South K. occupies the south. part of the Korean Peninsula. Pl. 98.5 thousand km2. Hac. OK. 41 million people (1984). The capital is Seoul. B adm. relation is divided into 9 provinces; in dep. adm. units are highlighted in years. Seoul and Busan. Monetary unit won. General ... ... Geological encyclopedia
Noun., Number of synonyms: 1 country (281) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary
SOUTH KOREA- Territory 99.6 thousand square kilometers, population 42 million people (1990). It is a developed industrial agrarian country. Rice is cultivated on irrigated lands, on rainfed barley and wheat. Pig breeding and cattle breeding prevail in animal husbandry ... World sheep breeding
Coordinates: 36 ° 00'00 ″ s. NS. 128 ° 00'00 ″ in. d. / 36 ° N NS. 128 ° E etc ... Wikipedia
South Korea- South Korea … Russian spelling dictionary
See article KOREA ... Collier's Encyclopedia
South Korea at the Olympic Games IOC code: K ... Wikipedia
South Korea at the Olympic Games IOC code: KOR ... Wikipedia
IOC code: KO ... Wikipedia
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- South Korea, Oleg Kiryanov. Is it true that South Koreans eat dogs and, if not, what do they eat, what are the features of South Korean cinema, are there many names in Korea, why is plastic surgery so popular there, and how by eye ...
- South Korea, Kiryanov O .. Is it true that South Koreans eat dogs and, if not, what do they eat, what are the features of South Korean cinema, are there many names in Korea, why is plastic surgery so popular there, and how by sight ...
For many, the Korean language seems mysterious and super complicated, because it is so different from ours. In front of you 8 interesting facts about the Korean language to help you understand it a little better.
- The Korean alphabet has only 24 letters.
Many people imagine the Korean alphabet is very complex with a lot of characters, but it only has 24 letters. Moreover, 10 of them are vowels.
As an example, recall that there are 5 vowels in English, but most of them have several sounds. So in different words the letters can be read differently. But each Korean vowel has only one sound.
It turns out that there are only 14 consonants in the Korean alphabet, and many sounds that exist in English or Russian are simply not there (for example, "Z" or "F" from English).
2 . The Korean alphabet (HANGIL) can be learned in just 90 minutes.
The Korean alphabet was invented for the specific purpose of making it easy to learn. All consonants are shaped to help you memorize using just one lip shape. The spelling of the vowels is also easy to remember.
3. 80 million people worldwide speak Korean
Most of them, of course, live in South and North Korea, and in addition, one of the provinces of China uses the Korean language. You will find people who speak Korean in Japan, USA, Russia and other countries.
4. D The regions in Korea are very different from the standard Korean language.
The Korean spoken in Seoul is called "Standard Korean"... It is used by the media, important government statements are made on it. But since Korea is a country of mountains, many regions are highly isolated from each other. Because of this, the language in different areas can be very different. This is why many Seoulians have a hard time understanding a person from Busan.
5. Korean has a lot of loan words.
Most of the loan words come from English or directly from Japan. So for example, the word "motorbike" — "Oto-bai" from the word "Auto-bike".
Other languages can also be found in Korean, for example "Bbang"(bread) from Portuguese, and "Arubaituh"(part-time job, part-time job) from German.
6. Many of the remaining words have Chinese roots.
At one time, Chinese culture made a huge contribution to the formation of an active vocabulary of the Korean language.
7. There are two counting systems in Korea
One of the counting systems was created on the basis of the Korean language, the other has Chinese roots, the numbers here have a similar sound to the Chinese ones. Korean language learners often get confused about the practical application of each of these systems. But don't give up or despair!
8. The North Korean language is gradually becoming an independent language.
Despite the fact that there was a great difference in pronunciation and dialects even before the Korean War, languages became truly foreign after the separation. The significant influence of foreign languages on South Korean and the isolation of North Korea has led to the fact that now many words with the same meaning, on one side and the other, have become completely different. For example the words Ice cream, rainbow, friend, lunchbox- they sound completely different in the two Koreas.
Which of the facts seemed the most interesting to you? What unusual facts about the Korean language do you know?
Many tourists are terribly frightened by the language barrier. Travelers are more daring, they should not be afraid of something. However, when it comes to Asian countries, doubts plague the faces of travelers.
When you are going to that region, be it to China, Japan, Korea, India (North Korea in particular, although the memorized phrase that you are from a "Soviet country" is salutary) you must be aware that you are going to another peace. The planet is the same, ours, people are the same two-legged, cars are the same four-wheeled, you can't get poisoned with food. But the world is still different.
Asian languages are built on different principles than European ones, structurally belong to a different category of languages, and syntactically (just like that, oddly enough) are more figurative, thus form a certain type of thinking, a way of expressing, and, accordingly, have an impact on the perception of the environment and its broadcast to other human beings.
The wonderful thing about the Korean language is that you will start learning hieroglyphs only when you speak it fluently, and you can read it fluently. You will need them to read scientific texts, fiction and highly artistic poetry.
Otherwise, as I already wrote, this language consists of words that consist of letters that correspond to the sounds that are so clear to us.
The Korean alphabet, Hangul, was born in 1443 - its creation began under the supervision of the government, under the patronage of King Sejong. Sejong, the most famous character in Korean history and mythology, a popular image, the king even got on banknotes. The legend tells how Sejong personally walked with a magnifying glass, examined the positions of the speech organs when pronouncing certain sounds, and created letters that repeat the contours of these positions.
In fact, everything, perhaps, was not so, but it is this legend that is shown to all first-year foreigners who came to Seoul to learn the language. There are, of course, other legends, there are many of them, as well as versions, antiquity after all.
According to the rules of Korean, a consonant is always followed by a vowel, which easily and naturally makes the language very euphonic. A tangible part of the vocabulary is borrowed from Chinese, the syntax coincides with Japanese - this fact reflects not so much the similarity, but rather speaks of a close cultural connection in the region itself and, of course, is manifested not only in languages; affects all cultural layers. In general, the Korean language is more closely associated with art, be it painting or cinema.
An interesting fact is that in the northern version of the Korean language there are borrowings from Russian (the influence of Soviet support for the regime); the South Korean language absorbed and pretty much deformed English words (again, due to American influence). However, do not rush to rejoice: it is not so easy to understand these words, interpreted by Korean morphology.
It is very important to understand the “hierarchy” of the Korean language, which is embodied in it at the syntactic and lexical levels. There are three degrees of politeness, depending on which you will use this or that construction, as well as many words-appeals, and, most curious of all, individual verbs (for example, the verb to sleep or eat, which in relation to grandmother will be different than for a conversation with younger sister) for an extremely respectful appeal to someone.
Korean uses two counting systems, Chinese with one name for the numbers (an adaptation of the Chinese language itself) and Korean. Interestingly, albeit insanely scary, in response to the question about the time, you will call the hours in Korean numbers and the minutes in Chinese.
You can remember a lot of such nuances, this language is difficult to learn, it is interesting to learn, although, probably, in order to learn it, you need to be in love with it, just like with Korea and Asia itself.
However, below is a list of words written in Korean that may be useful to a traveler in Seoul.
Airport - 공항 (kongkhan) Metro - 지하철 (chihacheol) Metro station - 지하철역 (chihacheol yok) Shop - 편의점 (pyonyjom) Pharmacy - 약국 (yakguk) Restaurant - 식당 (siktan) Coffee shop - 커피 숍 (khopi shop) Taxi - 택시 ( taeksi) Bank - 은행 (Eunhyun) Hospital - 병원 (pyongguan) Bar - 술집 (sulchib) Alcohol - 술 (sul) Toilet - 화장실 (huajansil) Park - 공원 (kongguan) Museum - 박물관 (pagmulguan) Right - 오른쪽 (rynjog) Left - 왼쪽 (wenjog) Straight - 바로 (paro or tokparo)
For many people in Europe, and even more so for the United States, North Korea is only a "socialist country" with all the ensuing consequences. For most educated people, North Korea is a country with an ancient culture and traditions, which has a large number of attractions, unique nature, mountains, rivers with waterfalls, long beaches on the seashore, as well as hot and mineral springs. North Korea is a mysterious country, which, by the way, is very safe for tourists.
Geography of North Korea
North Korea is located in East Asia in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. In the northeast, North Korea borders with Russia, in the north with China, and in the south with South Korea. In the east, North Korea is washed by the warm waters of the Sea of Japan, and in the west by the Yellow Sea. The total area of the country is 120,540 sq. km, including islands, and the total length of the state border is 1,673 km.
Mountains and hills occupy about 80% of North Korea's territory. Plains are found mainly in the coastal regions of the country. The highest peak is Mount Pektusan, whose height reaches 2,744 m.
For 790 kilometers, the Amnokkan River flows through North Korea, separating the country from China.
Capital
The capital of North Korea is Pyongyang, which is now home to over 4.2 million people. Korean legends claim that Pyongyang was built more than 3 thousand years ago, but historians believe that this city was actually founded at the beginning of our era.
Official language
The official language in North Korea is Korean, which belongs to the Altaic languages.
Religion
About 65% of the North Korean population consider themselves atheists. Another 16% of North Koreans profess the so-called. Korean shamanism, about 5% is Buddhism, and about 1.7% are Christians.
State structure of North Korea
The official name of North Korea is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. According to the current Constitution of 1972, the DPRK is a socialist republic. Its head is the President and Chairman of the Defense Committee.
Legislative power belongs to a unicameral parliament - the Supreme National Assembly (consists of 687 deputies). The deputies of the VNS appoint the Cabinet of Ministers.
Climate and weather
The climate in North Korea is temperate with four seasons. Summers (June-August) are warm, while winters (December-February) are cold, with little snow.
Based on weather conditions, the best months to visit North Korea are in the spring - April and May, in the summer - June, and in the fall - September and October. But we recommend going in August-September, when the Arirang festival is taking place in the DPRK.
In Pyongyang, the highest average air temperature is observed in July and August (+ 29C), and the lowest in January (-13C).
Sea in North Korea
In the east, North Korea is washed by the warm waters of the Sea of Japan, and in the west by the Yellow Sea. The total coastline is 2,495 km. In August, the water off the coast of North Korea warms up to + 26C.
Rivers and lakes
Several large rivers flow through the territory of North Korea - Amnokkan (790 km), Tumangan (521 km) and Taedongan (397 km). There are waterfalls of amazing beauty on many rivers. Lakes in the DPRK are not very large, but very beautiful. In the Paektu Mountains in the northeast of the country, there is Cheongji Crater Lake. For Koreans, the waters of this lake are considered sacred.
North Korean history
As such, the history of North Korea begins in 1948, when previously united Korea was divided into two states - the DPRK and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
In 1950-53, a war was going on between the DPRK and South Korea, in which external forces (the USA, UN, China and the USSR) took an active part. A peace treaty between these countries has not yet been signed, and their border is divided by the so-called. Demilitarized Zone.
Only in 1991, North Korea was admitted to the UN.
The culture
North Korean culture was almost eradicated during the occupation of Korea by Japanese troops in the 20th century. The Japanese tried to assimilate the Koreans, depriving them of their history, traditions, religion and language. However, forced assimilation made Koreans even more eager to preserve their cultural treasures.
In ancient times, the life and traditions of Koreans were greatly influenced by religion (Buddhism and Confucianism). Even now, under the socialist system, the influence of Buddhism and Confucianism in North Korea is very strong. Most of the holidays and festivals in the DPRK have religious roots. The most popular of them are Buddha's Birthday and Arirang Festival.
For tourists, we recommend visiting North Korea during the Arirang Festival, which starts in mid-August and lasts a whole month. You will have the opportunity not only to travel to amazing North Korea, but also to see the Arirang festivities, which no longer exist in any other country in the world.
Kitchen
North Korean cuisine is based on old Korean culinary traditions. Of course, North Korean cuisine cannot be suspected of sophistication and luxury, but, nevertheless, despite its simplicity, it is very appetizing and delicious.
In addition, North Korean cuisine is healthier than American cuisine, for example. In North Korea, the population is not obese, as, for example, in the United States, where 65% of Americans are overweight.
The staple food in North Korea is rice, from which dozens of dishes are made. Rice is usually eaten with a variety of snacks (the most popular of which is "kimchi", sauerkraut or pickled cabbage).
Traditional soft drinks in the DPRK are rice and barley broth, as well as decoctions and infusions from various herbs and spices (from ginseng, cinnamon, ginger).
As for alcoholic beverages in the DPRK, ginseng vodka, rice wine, and soju rice liqueur are popular there.
North Korea landmarks
In North Korea, there are now several thousand historical, architectural and archaeological sites. Moreover, many of them belong to the socialist era. Whether they should be referred to as historical and architectural monuments is a controversial issue. Therefore, we will highlight only the ancient sights in the DPRK. The top ten attractions in North Korea, in our opinion, may include the following:
- Ruins of Anhakku Palace in Pyongyang
- Tomb of King Tangan
- Anak tomb
- Fortress gate at Mount Nam
- Volyongsa Temple near Nampo
- Mausoleum of Queen Kongmin in Kaesong
- Fort on Mount Xiangsan
- Kaesong Yongbok Temple
- Pohyunsa Buddhist Temple
- Mahayon Buddhist Temple
Cities and resorts
The largest cities in North Korea are Chongjin, Hunnam, Chongjin, Hamheung, Sinuiju, Wonsan, Kaesong, and of course Pyongyang.
There are several beach resorts in North Korea, but foreign tourists are rare due to the political situation. Most often, residents of China come to the DPRK. In the south of North Korea, in the Geumgangsan mountains, there is the Diamond Mountains tourist region, where many South Korean citizens have come in recent years.
The most famous beach resort in North Korea is Wonsan, located in the northeast of the country.
There are many hot and mineral springs in the DPRK, so it is not surprising that balneological resorts have been developing in this country in recent years. Among them, one should highlight Vekymkan, located near the Sea of Japan. In general, according to official information, there are 124 hot springs in the DPRK.
There are balneological resorts with hot springs in the vicinity of Pyongyang itself (for example, the Kumgan hot springs). In addition, there are thermal and mineral springs in the Kuvolsan rock massif and in the Kumgangsan mountains.
Souvenirs / shopping
O. M. Shevandronova
on some lexical differences in the modern Korean language of the DPRK and the Republic of Korea
Today, on the Korean Peninsula, we are observing how different political regimes and attitudes can influence the development of the spiritual and material culture of a previously united nation - a people with one history, culture and language. At the same time, the language, in contrast to literature, which can be an expression of the urgent problems of society that concern the citizens of the country, already reflects an objective reality, which is more or less obvious for every speaker of a given language. In this respect, the South Korean version of the language is very interesting, namely the use of loan words that came mainly from the American version of the English language. The ways of linguistic perception of some everyday realities in the ROK and DPRK are also different.
It can be assumed that due to the closed nature of the country and official puristic attitudes towards their native language, North Koreans "rethink" unfamiliar phenomena and select suitable language options from the lexical units already at their disposal.
In this work, we will briefly turn to vocabulary, since it is the most mobile part of any language.
Due to the above reasons, today there are significant discrepancies in the Korean vocabulary of the North and South. This is especially true of neologisms and terms1. Due to the significant penetration of American culture into the daily life of the Republic of Korea, a large number of Americanisms are used in the country, while in the DPRK, words borrowed directly from the Russian language or other languages through Russian prevail. This can be seen especially clearly from the different nominations of the same concepts2.
In South Korea, the rules of word formation using Korean lexical units are quite successfully applied to loan words. So, for example, the root morpheme ^ / pan / is widely used in the meaning of any premise when word formation based on the basic structure in combination with root morphemes of native Korean or Chinese origin, as well as from other languages: / chhekpan / - a small bookstore; / noreban / - room, like
the same at karaoke; PC ^ / pisiban / - computer games salon, Internet cafe; DVD ^ / dibidiban / - a salon where you can watch rented DVDs; ^ / khonsol-ban / - a salon in which only computer consoles (English playstation) are played, from English. ransole "control panel, keyboard"; / kharaokeban / - kara-
oke bar where you can order a special service.
The names of these establishments are a consequence of the emergence of phenomena new to Korean culture3.
© O. M. Shevandronova, 2009
The concept of DPRK RK
Russia / russia / russ. RUSSIA & | L1 / Russia / eng. RUSSIA
Meter / Metho / English METER through jap. / mitho / eng. METER
Energy / energigi / rus. ENERGY / enoji / eng. ENERGY
Percentages S3 / phyro / port. PROCENTO ^ / phosentkhy / eng. PERCENT
Tractor / tractor tractors / Russian. TRACTOR / thyrektho / eng. TRACTOR
Tank / ttankhy / Russian. TANK / tkhenkhy / eng. TANK
Asia / asea / whale. / asia / eng. ASIA
Varnishing / rakhy-chkhil / Russian. LAK ^^ ■ Sh / rekho-chil / eng. LACQUER
Another reason for the formation of differences between the two variants of the language in spelling and sounding is the fact that in North Korea foreign words are borrowed, as a rule, with the help of tracing * foreign-language lexemes. As for South Korea, direct borrowings are widely practiced there, primarily from Western languages, especially English4. Let us compare, for example, the following lexical pairs of borrowings with the meaning "tunnel" and "ice cream cake": ^ e / tonol / (tunnel) - RK; 7<§£ /кэнъдо/ (букв. подземный ход) - КНДР; Я1°1
3 / aisy kkheikhy / (ice-cake) - RK, / oryn kvadzha / (literally ice sweet
ty) - DPRK.
A number of specific South Korean borrowings from the English language, which, with some reservations, can be defined as quasi-borrowings, are also interesting. A very striking example is the concept of a silbothaun.
(English silver town), meaning a nursing home for fairly wealthy people. It is interesting to note that this concept does not have a similar literary meaning in the original language. For Koreans themselves, the "nursing home" is a new phenomenon that has come into traditional culture along with other cultural and social
* Calculation - the construction of lexical units on the model of the corresponding words of a foreign language by accurately translating their significant parts or borrowing individual meanings of words.
values. This concept carries in its semantics two connotative meanings at once with elements of metaphor: silver color, as a symbol of gray hair, is old age, and silver, that is, an expensive metal. Thus, Koreans "borrowed" a term that reflects the new reality of modern Korean society, but is absent from this meaning in the borrowing language.
Unfortunately, at present there are great difficulties in obtaining access to familiarization with North Korean colloquial speech, which inevitably entails difficulties in describing the vocabulary of the modern Korean language of the DPRK.
1 Kim G. N. Where did the Korean language come from and how did it develop. IIH: http://korea.nm.ru/korea/63/ 54.html
2 Skorbatyuk I. D. Word formation of names in the Korean language in the light of sociolinguistic events held in the DPRK // Languages of the Foreign East: Sat. Art. / Ed. N. A. Syromyatnikova. M., 1977.S. 144-151.
32 ^ 4 ^. DLD4, 2001.
5 Conversational speech of native speakers.
