Specific Purpose Statement
To inform my audience about the South Korea Central Idea: South Korea is more modern and more like the United States than people think. Organizational Pattern: Topical Order
Introduction
There are many things that are interesting about South Korea like their geography, history, economy, and culture. After South Korea gained their freedom from Japan in 1945 the United States was influential in the development of the country.
Body
South Koreas geography is similar to Indiana.
The capital is Seoul. B. South Korea is slightly larger then Indiana. Population is approximately 48 million. 1. Indiana’s population is 6. 5 million. 2. That is 7. 3 times the amount of people in roughly the same area. The population of South Korea is comparable to Texas, Illinois, and Ohio combined. It is the 25th largest country in the world. South Korea is mostly surrounded by water and has approximately 1500 miles of coastline. The coastline borders the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the Sea of Korea. Has four seasons just like the United States
The history of South Korea
South Korea was established on August 15th 1948. Their First president was Syngman Rhee. He was born on March 26th 1875 and died July 19th 1965 b. He was elected for times in 1948, 1952, 1956, and 1960. South Korea divided from North Korea after Japan’s surrender in World War II in 1945. The 38th parallel was proposed by U. S. president Harry S. Truman on August 15th 1945. The reason the 38th parallel was established is because the United States didn’t want the Soviet Union to have complete control over the entire Korean peninsula. The 38th parallel is also known as the Korean Demilitarized zone or DMZ. . It is approximately 2? miles wide and runs east coast to west coast across the peninsula and is heavily guarded on both sides. The Korean War took place from 1950 to 1953. 1. The inability to hold free elections deepened the division between North and South Korea. North Korea wanted Communism and South Korea wanted Capitalism. On June 25th 1950 75,000 North Korean soldiers invaded South Korea, which was the beginning of the Korean War. D. Unlike the Vietnam War and WWII the Korean War didn’t get much media attention. 1. The TV series M*A*S*H is the most famous representation of the Korean War. The first republic collapsed in 1960. Now on its sixth republic. F. It used to be one of Asia’s poorest countries and now is one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
Economy in South Korea
The GDP per person is $32,100 compared to North Koreas GDP of $1,800 and U. S $49,000. South Korea made approximately $559 billion in 2011 on exports. 1. Wireless telecommunications is an export in South Korea 2. Motor Vehicles is an export in South Korea. Steel is an export in South Korea. South Koreas unemployment rate was 3. % in 2011 compared to the United States unemployment rate in 2011 of approximately 9%. South Koreas Economy is ranked 15th in the world by there GDP.
Culture can mean many things but here are a few examples of South Koreas culture. There dominant religion is Christianity 1. 19. 7% is protestant and 6. 6% is Roman Catholic. Buddhism is the runner up with 23. 2%. Korean is spoken by 99% of the people Life expectancy of males is 76, the same in South Korea and the United States. Life expectancy in for South Korean women is 82 while the United States is 81.
Literacy rate is 97. 9%
Conclusion
South Korea is not the poor nation like most people would think it is. With the influence of the United States it has become one of the wealthiest nation in the world. For a Country that is less than 70 years old that is quite an accomplishment. Learning about South Koreas geography, history, economy and culture has hopefully helped you have a different perspective of South Korea. Visual Aid: I plan on having a PowerPoint that has several pictures depicting South Koreas culture, geography, current events, and history.
Bibliography
- Hancocks, Paula. “North Korea: Ready to go to war with U. S. , South Korea. ” CNN News. 27 February 2012. Web. 4 September 2012.
- Central Intelligence Agency. “The World Factbook. ” September 1012.
- East & Southeast Asia: Korea, South. Web. 4 September 2012.
- “Facts about South Korea. ” Destination 360. 2012. Web. 4 September 2012. “History of South Korea. ”
- Wikipedia. 2 September 2012. Web. 4 September 2012.
- “Syngman Rhee. ” Encyclopedia Britannica facts matter. 2012. Web. 17 September 2012.
- “2012 in South Korea. ” Wikipedia. 13 July 2012. Web. 4 September 2012.
