Learn the top five things you need to know about the society in South Korea
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| Tim: Hello, everyone. I’m Tim, and I’m joined in the studio by… |
| Debbie: Debbie! Hey everyone! |
| Tim: We’re happy to bring you part eight in our “All About” series. |
| Debbie: That’s right! |
| Tim: So Debbie, what is today’s topic? |
| Debbie: The categories we’ll be touching on today - major cities, family life, economy and generational trends. |
| Tim: It’s a very broad topic! |
| Debbie: That’s right, but don’t worry! We can make today’s lesson simple and interesting, right Tim? |
| Tim: Yes! Okay, let’s jump right in! |
| Debbie: First, let’s talk about the major cities of Korea. Tim, I have a quick question for you. When I give you the names of cities, then you have to tell me the first thing that comes up in your mind. Are you ready? |
| Tim: Yes! |
| Debbie: “Washington D.C, Tokyo and Beijing”. |
| Tim: Hmm... The first thing that comes to mind is…I don’t know! |
| Debbie: Well.. how about the listeners? Maybe they're smarter than Tim. |
| Tim: Hey, wait a minute... I just got an email from one of our listeners. He wrote, the answer is... they're all capitals!” ps.“Shame on you, Tim!"" Ehh? |
| Debbie: 하하..I’m sure he was just kidding. But, he's right! Washington D.C is the capital of the U.S., Tokyo is the capital of Japan, and Beijing is the capital of China. So, the first city we are going to talk about is… |
| Tim: Ah-ha! 서울 “Seoul!”- the capital of South Korea. |
| Debbie: Yes! By the way, what’s the population in Seoul Tim? |
| Tim: More than 10 million people are living in Seoul. |
| Debbie: What’s more, there are many satellite cities around Seoul, so Seoul has become the center of commerce, business and entertainment. |
| Tim: Public transportation is also very good. |
| Debbie: Good point! Public transportation such as buses and subways are very well-developed throughout the city, so it is very convenient to move around. By the way, Tim, do you like shopping? |
| Tim: Ah! Yes! Seoul is very famous for shopping as well. |
| Debbie: That’s right! Well, what’s the next city? |
| Tim: Hmm… I guess…Is it 부산 “Busan!?"" |
| Debbie: 딩.동.댕! Yes, Busan is the 2nd largest city in Korea. What’s its population, Tim? |
| Tim: Hmm…About 4 million people! Ah, Busan is located in the far southeastern part of Korea. Debbie, do you know what Busan is famous for? |
| Debbie: Of course. I know! It’s famous for “fresh seafood and beautiful beaches!” |
| Tim: That’s right! Debbie, have you heard about 해운대 “hae-un-dae”? |
| Debbie: Ah~~ 해운대 “hae-un-dae beach"" – the most famous and popular family destination in the summer. |
| Tim: Yes, every summer, 해운대 “hae-un-dae” is packed with thousands of people. |
| Debbie: “해운대 “hae-un-dae” in the summer!” Hmm…That sounds so exciting! |
| Tim: Okay, Debbie! What’s the next category? |
| Debbie: Second, “Family life!” |
| Tim: What about family life? |
| Debbie: Well, families in Korea are both traditional and liberal. |
| Tim: Korean society used to be much more traditional and conservative… |
| Debbie: But, today it has adopted many changes in the way of living and the way of thinking. |
| Tim: Yeah, it’s true, but many aspects and values still remain traditional. |
| Debbie: Like…? |
| Tim: Like the National Holidays. Almost everyone visits their parents and family and spends quality time together. |
| Debbie: Yeah, it’s true! What else? |
| Tim: This is pretty much common sense, but elders must be treated with respect. |
| Debbie: That’s true, too. However Tim, one thing that has changed a lot is that getting married at a young age is NOT a must. |
| Tim: No, you’re right! Today more and more people choose to get married much later. |
| Debbie: Right, for example in their late 20s or early 30s...or sometimes even later than that. So generally, we can say that Korean families now hold similar values as many Western families. |
| Tim: Now let’s talk about the next category. What’s next? |
| Debbie: Third, let’s talk about Korea’s economy. |
| Tim: Korea’s economy is ranked 13th in the world and… |
| Debbie: It is strong in shipbuilding, semiconductors and digital electronics. |
| Tim: Yes, some well-known Korean companies are Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and Kia. |
| Debbie: Hmm... What about the working hours in Korea? |
| Tim: Hmm… The average weekly working hours is 40 hours. |
| Debbie: It’s just the same as in Western countries. What about salaries? |
| Tim: The average salary ranges between 2,000 to 3,000 US dollar per month. |
| Debbie: Hmm...That’s not too bad. Okay, thanks for that bit of information, Tim. |
| Tim: Sure. What’s next? |
| Debbie: Generation trends. |
| Tim: Generation trends? What does generation trends mean? |
| Debbie: Generally speaking, the older generation and younger generation tend to do things differently. |
| Tim: Hmm… For example? |
| Debbie: The older generation tends to be loyal to their company, whereas… |
| Tim: Today’s generation tends to be more flexible with their jobs, right? |
| Debbie: Yes. Here's another thing - The size of a family used to be 3 to 7 or even more people, but....Today the size of family has dropped to 1 to 3… some young couples don’t even want to have kids at all. So I think it’s fair to say that like any country, the old and the young generation do things differently, especially in Korea. |
| Tim: 네 맞아요 “Yes, you're right.” |
| Debbie: Well, that’s all for today’s lesson. I hope many listeners have learned and got some general ideas about “Korean Society” throughout this lesson. |
| Tim: I think they did. 그럼 여러분 들어주셔서 감사합니다. Thank you for listening. |
| Debbie: Thanks for listening and see you next time. |
| Tim: Bye! |
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