Hills and valleys cover 70 percent of Korea's landscape making it one of the most mountainous regions in the world. The sprawling landscape draws you from the mountainous coast in the east to the agriculturally based coastal plains in the south and the west. Due to this pristine backdrop, the Koreans are usually found in the open air enjoying their beautiful country.

CULTURE
The warm and welcoming nature of the Korean people is illuminated by the chungsachorong, Korean lantern that welcomes visitors with genuine goodwill. The most important tenets of Korean society rest on Confucianism, a system of values cultivated in China in 500 BC. The major emphasis of Confucianism is placed on respect and devotion to families and friends. Also highlighted are peace, justice, equality and humanitarianism. Koreans are convinced that the tenets of Confucianism are the basis for their countries success. The belief in these principles are illuminated in human interactions. Relationships of unconditional respect exist between father and son, old and young, husband and wife, and between friends.

Almost every form of art has been practiced in Korea. There are many categories of traditional dance. Monk dances, spiritual cleansing dances, mask dances, and drum dances where the participants wear masks around their necks. Often these dances are accompanied by traditional folk music.

HISTORY
The first Kingdom in Korea was in 2333 BC, and several tribes migrated from southern Manchuria. In the first century AD the county was split into three kingdoms while the political system, religion, and culture developed. The country was unified under the Silla Kingdom in 676 AD. This Kingdom declined in 935 due to contention between nobility. For the next 500 years Goryeo Dynasty was in control, this is when Buddhism reached it's peak of popularity. In the 14th century, the Joseon Dynasty was formed, and Confucianism became the state ideology. This influenced the development of the basic fiber of Korean culture. The Korean alphabet was also created during this period. For a brief 30 year period Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, until the end of WWII. In 1945 Japan withdrew from the Korean Peninsula, and Korea was divided into the north and south. Now the Republic of Korea is in place in the South. In December 2000, President KIM Dae-jung won the Noble Peace Prize for his lifelong commitment to democracy and human rights in Asia. He is the first Korean to win a Nobel Prize.

ATTRACTIONS

Seoul
Seoul is mega-modern and appealingly ancient. Flattened in the Korean War, most of the city has been rebuilt since the 1950s. Peeking out from among the 12-lane freeways, overshadowed by high-rises, Seoul has a hidden history of centuries-old temples, palaces, pagodas and pleasure gardens.

Korean Folk Village
Korean Folk Village is a very tasteful way to immerse oneself in rural Korean life. The village has examples of traditional peasants', farmers' and civil officials' housing styles from all over the country, as well as artisans' workshops, a brewery, a Confucian school, a Buddhist temple and a market place. This is a real village, not just a tourist show - the people you see working here live here all the time. There are regular dance performances and parades held every day.

Seoraksan National Park
Seoraksan National Park is spectacular. It is a land of high craggy peaks, lush forests, tremendous waterfalls, boulder-strewn white water rivers, beaches and ancient temples. Autumn is the best time to visit, when the changing leaves make the mountains a riot of color.

Gyeongju
Gyeongju is an open-air museum masquerading as a small, provincial town littered with ancient rubble. Those keen on Silla culture or archaeology will be in heaven, fossiling through the remains of temples, tombs, shrines, palaces, pleasure gardens and castles, but more ordinary folk will probably find Gyeongju only has a day's-worth of entertainment.

Songnisan National Park
Songnisan means 'remote from the mundane world mountains', and indeed it is. The place is a magnet for hikers, with heaps of excellent walks. The thing that really drags them in by the busload, though, is Beopjusa, one of the largest and most magnificent temple sites in Korea. Even more impressive than the five-storey pagoda is the temple's 33m (108ft) high Buddha, a one-piece bronze monstrosity and the largest standing figure in the Orient.