A Glimpse into the Korean Culture

South Koreans have a lot in common with North Koreans in terms of culture. However, since the division of the two Koreas in 1945, South Koreans and North Koreans have developed rather different modern ways of life. In South Korea for example, traditional arts are emphasized through government funding and education programs by the South Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Various forms of Korean ceramics, paintings, sculptures and metalwork have spread all over the Korean Peninsula. Nowadays, Western influences, American in particular, have had obvious impact in the Koreans' everyday life. After the Japanese occupation, the government banned all imports from Japan until 1999. Today, trading between Korea and Japan has increased. But there is still a strong sense of anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea.