Tourism in Thailand

Tourism is a major economic factor in the Kingdom of Thailand, contributing an estimated 6.7% [1] to Thailand's GDP in 2007.

Overview
Among the reasons for the increase in tourism in the 1960s were the stable political atmosphere and the development of Bangkok as a crossroads of international air transportation. The hotel industry and retail industry both expanded rapidly due to tourist demand. It was also boosted by the presence of US soldiers who started to arrive in the 1960s for Rest and [2] Recuperation (R&R) during the Vietnam War period. Coinciding, international mass tourism sharply increased during the same period due to the rising standard of living, more people acquiring more free time and due to improvements in technology making it possible to travel further, faster, cheaper and in greater numbers, epitomised by the Boeing 747 which first flew [3] commercially in 1970. Thailand was one of the major players in Asia to capitalise on this thennew trend. Tourist numbers have grown from 336,000 foreign visitors and 54,000 R&R soldiers in 1967 to over 14 million international guests visiting Thailand in 2007. The average duration of their stay in 2007 was 9.19 days, generating an estimated 547,782 million Thai baht, around 11 [4] billion Euro. In 2007, Thailand was the 18th most visited country in the World Tourism rankings with 14.5 million visitors. France, comparable to Thailand in land area and population, [5] led the list with nearly 82 million foreign visitors. In 2008, Bangkok ranked 3rd behind London and New York in Euromonitor International's list of "Top City Destinations" with 10,209,900 visitors, Pattaya23rd with 4,406,300 visitors, Phuket 31st with 3,344,700 visitors, and Chiang Mai ranked 78th place with 1,604,600 [6] visitors. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, 55% of the tourists in 2007 came from the Asia Pacific region, Japanese and Malaysians forming the two biggest groups. The largest groups of Western tourists come from the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, the United [8] States and Scandinavia. The number of tourists arriving from Russia is on the rise. Around 55% of Thailand's tourists are return visitors. The peak period is during the Christmas and New Year holidays when Western tourists flee the cold conditions. In 2011, 1.7 million Chinese visitors traveled to Thailand. It is anticipated that the number for [9] 2012 should reach 2 million and generate approximately 50 billion baht revenue. Domestic tourism has also grown significantly in the past decade. Revenues from domestic tourism have gone from 187,898 million baht in 1998 to 380,417 million baht (approximately 7.8 [4] billion Euro) in 2007. Asian tourists primarily visit Thailand for Bangkok and the historical, natural and cultural sights in its vicinity. Western tourists not only visit Bangkok and surroundings but in addition many travel down to the southern beaches and islands. The North is the main region for trekking and adventure travel with its diverse ethnic minority groups and forested mountains. The region receiving less tourists is Isan in the north-east. To facilitate foreign visitors, the Thai government established a separate tourism police with offices in the major tourist areas and its own central [10] emergency telephone number.
[7] [2]

Sex tourism also contributes to arrival numbers. Although officially illegal, prostitution in Thailand is monitored and regulated by the government to stem the spread of STD's and to prevent excesses. Prostitution catering to foreigners is believed to be around 20% of the total prostitution scene in Thailand, and is concentrated in a few major red-light districts such [11] as Pattaya, Patpongand Patong Beach. Thailand has been receiving increased competition ever since Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam opened up to international tourism in the 1980s and 90s. Destinations like Angkor Wat, Luang Prabangand Halong Bay now contest Thailand's former monopoly in the Indochina region. To counter this, Thailand is actively targeting niche markets such as golf holidays, or holidays combined with medical treatment. Thailand has also plans on [12] becoming the hub for Buddhist tourism in the region. Around 2 million foreigners visiting Thailand for medical treatment are expected in 2009, more than 3 times the amount of tourist [13] visiting for that purpose in 2002. According to Lonely Planet, Thailand ranks second of "Bestvalue destinations for 2010" after Iceland; the latter having been hit very hard by the subprime [14] mortgage crisis.

ttractions

Phanom Rung is a Khmer temple complex set on the rim of an extinct volcano inBuriram Province

Thailand offers a great variety of attractions. These include diving sites, sandy beaches, hundreds of tropical islands, varied night-life, archaeological sites, museums, hill tribes, exceptional flora and bird life, palaces, a huge amount of Buddhist temples and several World Heritage sites. Many tourists follow courses during their stay in Thailand. Popular are classes in Thai cooking, Buddhism and traditional Thai massage. Thai national festivals range from the fun-for-all water splashing Songkran to the almost fairytale like quality of Loy Krathong. Many localities in Thailand also have their own festivals. Famous are the "Elephant Round-up" inSurin, the "Rocket Festival" in Yasothon and the curious "Phi Ta Khon" festival in Dan Sai. Thai cuisine has become famous worldwide with its enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices. Only the most austere ascetics can resist shopping when in Thailand. Bangkok is renowned for its mainshopping malls, offering an astounding variety of international and local brands. Towards the north of the city, and easily reached by skytrain or underground, is "Chatuchak Weekend Market". It is possibly the largest market in the world, selling everything from [22] household items to live, and sometimes endangered, animals. The "Pratunam Market" specialises in fabrics and clothing. The night markets in theSilom area and on Khaosan Road are mainly tourist orientated, selling items such as T-shirts, handicrafts, counterfeit watches and sunglasses. In the vicinity of Bangkok one can find several visually stunning floating markets such as the one in Damnoen Saduak. The "Sunday Evening Walking Street Market", held on Rachadamnoen road inside the old city, must be the shopping highlight of a visit to Chiang Mai up in northern Thailand. It attracts many locals as well as foreigners.

The "Night Bazaar" is Chiang Mai's more tourist orientated market, sprawling over several city blocks just east of the old city walls towards the river. [edit]Climate

Dawn at Patong beach, Phuket Province

Thailand predominantly has a tropical wet and dry or savannah climate while the South and the [23] eastern tip of the East have a tropical monsoon climate. Most of Thailand experiences three seasons: The cool dry season from late November till February is most excellent up north with temperatures in December for Chiang Mai averaging around 15 Celsius at night time and going up to around 28 Celsius during daytime with clear sunny skies. Higher up in the mountains, temperatures can even drop down to near freezing at night. In Bangkok and in the central and north-eastern plains of Thailand, midday temperatures during the cool dry season average around 30 Celsius and the humidity is much lower. The hot dry season from March till May can see daytime temperatures in the mid to high 30s. This is the time for holding festivals (such asSongkran and Rocket Festival) to mark the coming of the rainy season. The rainy season from May to October has daytime temperatures in the low 30s with nighttime temperatures in the mid to high 20s. Rain showers occur mainly late in the afternoon or early in the evening. It is also extremely humid.

Deeper south on the Kra Isthmus with its tropical monsoon climate, daytime temperatures the year round tend to hover around 31 Celsius with only a marked increase in rainfall during themonsoons. The west coast is affected by monsoon from May to October, the south-east [24] coast of the isthmus is affected from October to January.

Culture of Korea
The current political separation of North and South Korea has resulted in divergence in modern Korean cultures; nevertheless, the traditionalculture of Korea is historically shared by both states.

Traditional arts
Main article: Korean art [edit]Dance Main article: Korean dance

Jinju geommu

As with music, there is a distinction between court dance and folk dance. Common court dances are jeongjaemu () performed at banquets, and ilmu(), performed at Korean Confucian rituals. Jeongjaemu is divided into native dances (, hyangak jeongjae) and forms imported from Central Asia and China (, dangak jeongjae). Ilmu are divided into civil dance (, munmu) and military dance (, mumu). Many mask dramas and mask dances are performed in many regional areas of Korea. The traditional clothing is the genja, it is a special kind of dress that women wear on festivals. It is pink with multiple symbols around the neck area. Traditional choreography of court dances is reflected in many contemporary productions. Taekkyeon the traditional military martial art is central to the classic Korean dance. Taekkyeon being a complete system of integrated movement found its core techniques adaptable to mask, dance and other traditional artforms of Korea. [edit]Painting Main article: Korean painting
[5]

A scenery on Dano day

The earliest paintings found on the Korean peninsula are petroglyphs of prehistoric times. With the arrival of Buddhism from India via China, different techniques were introduced. These techniques quickly established themselves as the mainstream techniques, but indigenous techniques still survived.

There is a tendency towards naturalism with subjects such as realistic landscapes, flowers and birds being particularly popular. Ink is the most common material used, and it is painted on mulberry paper or silk. In the 18th century indigenous techniques were advanced, particularly in calligraphy and seal engraving. Arts are both influenced by tradition and realism. For exam ple, Hans near-photographic "Break Time at the Ironworks" shows muscular men dripping with sweat and drinking water from tin cups at a sweltering foundry. Jeong Sons "Peak Chonnyo of Mount Kumgang" is a classical [6] Korean landscape of towering cliffs shrouded by mists. [edit]Crafts

Lacquer drawer with mother-of-pearl inlay, at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul

There is a unique set of handicrafts produced in Korea. Most of the handicrafts are created for a particular everyday use, often giving priority to the practical use rather than aesthetics. Traditionally, metal, wood, fabric, lacquerware, and earthenware were the main materials used, but later glass, leather or paper have sporadically been used. Ancient handicrafts, such as red and black pottery, share similarities with pottery of Chinese cultures along the Yellow River. The relics found of the Bronze Age, however, are distinctive and more elaborate. Many sophisticated and elaborate handicrafts have been excavated, including gilt crowns, patterned pottery, pots or ornaments. During the Goryeo period the use of bronze was advanced. Brass, that is copper with one third zinc, has been a particularly popular material. The dynasty, however, is renowned for its use of celadon ware. During the Joseon period, popular handicrafts were made of porcelain and decorated with blue painting. Woodcraft was also advanced during that period. This led to more sophisticated pieces of furniture, including wardrobes, chests, tables or drawers. [edit]Ceramics Main articles: Korean pottery and porcelain and Celadon

A celadon incense burner from the Goryeo Dynasty with Korean kingfisher glaze

The use of earthenware on the Korean peninsula goes back to the Neolithic. The history of Korean Ceramics is long and includes both Korean pottery a later development after the traditional use of coils and hammered clay to create early votive and sculptural artifacts. During the Three Kingdoms period, pottery was advanced in Silla. The pottery was fired using a deoxidizing flame, which caused the distinctive blue grey celadon color. The surface was embossed with various geometrical patterns. In the Goryeo period jade green celadon ware became more popular. In the 12th century sophisticated methods of inlaying were invented, allowing more elaborate decorations in different colours. In Arts of Korea, Evelyn McCune states, "During the twelfth century, the production of ceramic ware reached its highest refinement. Several new varieties appeared simultaneously in the quarter of a century, one of which, the inlaid ware must be considered a [7] Korean invention." Neither the Chinese nor the Japanese had produced inlaid celadon, which was unique to Goryeo wares. William Bowyer Honey of the Victoria and Albert Museum of England, who after World War II wrote, "The best Corean (Korean) wares were not only original, they are the most gracious and unaffected pottery ever made. They have every virtue that pottery can have. This Corean pottery, in fact, reached heights hardly attained even by the [8] Chinese." White porcelain became popular in the 15th century. It soon overtook celadon ware. White porcelain was commonly painted or decorated with copper. During the Imjin wars in the 16th century, Korean potters were brought back to Japan where [9] they heavily influenced Japanese ceramics. Many Japanese pottery families today can trace their art and ancestry to these Korean potters whom the Japanese captured by the thousands [10][11][12] during its repeated conquests of the Korean peninsula. In the late Joseon period (late 17th century) blue-and-white porcelain became popular. Designs were painted in cobalt blue on white porcelain.

[edit]Lifestyle [edit]Homes Main article: Korean architecture

Traditional house, hanok()

Traditional farmer's house; Folk Village, Seoul

Korean traditional houses are called Hanok(Hangul:) .Sites of residence are traditionally selected using traditional geomancy. Although geomancy had been a vital part of Korean culture and Korean Shamanism since prehistoric times, geomancy was later re-introduced by China during the Three Kingdoms period of Korea's history. A house should be built against a hill and face south to receive as much sunlight as possible. This orientation is still preferred in modern Korea. Geomancy also influences the shape of the building, the direction it faces and the material it is built of. Traditional Korean houses can be structured into an inner wing ( , anchae) and an outer wing (, sarangchae). The individual layout largely depends on the region and the wealth of the family. Whereas aristocrats used the outer wing for receptions, poorer people kept cattle in thesarangchae. The wealthier a family, the larger the house. However, it was forbidden to any family except for the king to have a residence of more than 99 kan. A kan is the distance between two pillars used in traditional houses. The inner wing normally consisted of a living room, a kitchen and a wooden-floored central hall. More rooms may be attached to this. Poorer farmers would not have any outer wing. Floor heating (, ondol) has been used in Korea since prehistoric times. The main building materials arewood, clay, tile, stone, and thatch. Because wood and clay were the most common

materials used in the past not many old buildings have survived into present times. Today, however, people live in apartments and more modernized houses. [edit]Gardens

Hyangwonjeong, a garden in Gyeongbokgung, Seoul

The principles of temple gardens and private gardens are the same. Korean gardening in East Asia is influenced by primarily Korean Shamanism andKorean folk religion. Shamanism emphasizes nature and mystery, paying great attention to the details of the layout. In contrast to Japanese and Chinese gardens which fill a garden with man made elements, traditional Korean gardens avoid artificialities, trying to make a garden more natural than nature. The lotus pond is an important feature in the Korean garden. If there is a natural stream, often a pavilion is built next to it, allowing the pleasure of watching the water. Terraced flower beds are a common feature in traditional Korean gardens. The Poseokjeong site near Gyeongju was built in the Silla period. It highlights the importance of water in traditional Korean gardens. The garden of Poseokjeong features an abalone-shaped watercourse. During the last days of the Silla kingdom, the king's guests would sit along the watercourse and chat while wine cups were floated during banquets. [edit]Clothing Main article: Hanbok See also: List of Korean clothing

Hanbok

Hwarot, bridal robe

The traditional dress known as hanbok (, ) (known as joseonot [] in the DPRK) has been worn since ancient times. The hanbokconsists of a shirt (jeogori) and a skirt (baji). The traditional hat is called gwanmo and special meaning is attached to this piece of clothing. According to social status, Koreans used to dress differently, making clothing an important mark of social rank. Impressive, but sometimes cumbersome, costumes were worn by the ruling class and the royal family. These upper classes also used jewellery to distance themselves from the ordinary people. A traditional item of jewellery for women was a pendant in the shape of certain elements of nature which was made of precious gemstones, to which a tassel of silk was connected. Common people were often restricted to un-dyed plain clothes. This everyday dress underwent relatively few changes during the Joseon period. The basic everyday dress was shared by everyone, but distinctions were drawn in official and ceremonial clothes. During the winter people wore cotton-wadded dresses. Fur was also common. Because ordinary people normally wore pure white undyed materials, the people were sometimes referred to as the white-clad people. Hanbok are classified according to their purposes: everyday dress, ceremonial dress and special dress. Ceremonial dresses are worn on formal occasions, including a child's first birthday (doljanchi), a wedding or a funeral. Special dresses are made for purposes such as shamans, officials. Today the hanbok is still worn during formal occasions. The everyday use of the dress, however, has been lost. However, elderly still dress in hanbok as well as active estates of the remnant of aristocratic families from the Joseon Dynasty. [edit]Cuisine Main article: Korean cuisine

Bibimbap

Rice is the staple food of Korea. Having been an almost exclusively agricultural country until recently, the essential recipes in Korea are shaped by this experience. The main crops in Korea are rice, barley, and beans, but many supplementary crops are used. Fish and other seafood are also important because Korea is a peninsula. Fermented recipes were also developed in early times. These include pickled fish and pickled vegetables. This kind of food provides essential proteins andvitamins during the winter. A number of menus have been developed. These can be divided into ceremonial foods and ritual foods. Ceremonial foods are used when a child reaches 100 days, at the first birthday, at a wedding ceremony, and the sixtieth birthday. Ritual foods are used at funerals, at ancestral rites, shaman's offerings and as temple food. A distinguishing characteristic of Temple Food is that it does not use the common five strongflavoured ingredients of Korean cuisine--(garlic, spring onion, wild rocambole, leek, and ginger), and meat. Kimchi is one of the famous foods of Korea. Kimchi is pickled vegetables which contain vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, iron, calcium, carotene, etc. There are many types of kimchi including cabbage kimchi, string onion kimchi, cucumber kimchi, radish kimchi, and sesame kimchi. For ceremonies and rituals rice cakes are vital. The colouring of the food and the ingredients of the recipes are matched with a balance of yin and yang. Today, surasang (traditional court cuisine) is available to the whole population. In the past vegetable dishes were essential, but meat consumption has increased. Traditional dishes include ssambap, bulgogi, sinseollo, kimchi, bibimbap, and gujeolpan. [edit]Tea Main article: Korean tea Originally tea was used for ceremonial purposes or as part of traditional herbal medicine. Some of teas made of fruits, leaves, seeds or roots are enjoyed. Five tastes of tea are distinguished in Korea: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent. [edit]Festivals

of the lunar calendar

Main article: Korean calendar

Daeboreum

The traditional Korean calendar was based on the lunisolar calendar. Dates are calculated from Korea's meridian, and observances and festivals are rooted in Korean culture. The Korean lunar calendar is divided into 24 turning points (, jeolgi), each lasting about 15 days. The lunar calendar was the timetable for the agrarian society in the past, but is vanishing in the modern Korean lifestyle. The Gregorian calendar was officially adopted in 1895, but traditional holidays and age [13][14] reckoning are still based on the old calendar. Older generations still celebrate their birthdays according to the lunar calendar. The biggest festival in Korea today is Seollal (the traditional Korean New Year). Other important festivals include Daeboreum (the first full moon), Dano(spring festival), and Chuseok (harvest festival). There are also a number of regional festivals, celebrated according to the lunar calendar. See also Public holidays in North Korea and Public holidays in South Korea. [edit]Games

[13]

Yut board game

There are a number of board games played in Korea. Baduk is the Korean name for what is known as Go in English. This game is particularly popular with middle-aged and elderly men. It has a similar status as has chess in Western cultures. There is a Korean version of chess called janggi. Yut is a popular family board game enjoyed throughout the country, especially during holidays like Seollal. No longer commonly played, except on special occasions, Chajeon Nori is a traditional game involving two teams of villagers in a giant jousting match. Many folk games are associated with shamanistic rites and have been handed down from one generation to the next. Three rites are important with regards to folk games: Yeonggo, Dongmaeng and Mucheon. Yeonggo is a drumming performance to invoke spirits. Dongmaeng is a harvest ceremony, whileMucheon is dances to the heaven. These performances were refined during the period of the Three Kingdoms and games were added. Ssireum is a form of traditional wrestling. Taekkyeon adapted from the Military, became a fighting game played on Dano and other festivals. Other traditional games include pitching arrows into a pot, tuho and a game of stick-tossing (jeopo). There are also stone fights (seokjeon), swing riding (geunetagi), masked dance drama, and a ball game (gyeokku).

[edit]Beliefs Main articles: Korean shamanism, Korean Buddhism, and Korean Confucianism

Haeinsa.

The original religion of the Korean people was Shamanism, which though not as widespread as in ancient times, still survives to this day. Female shamans or mudang are often called upon to enlist the help of various spirits to achieve various means. Buddhism and Confucianism were later introduced to Korea through cultural exchanges with Chinese dynasties. Buddhism was the official religion of the Goryeo dynasty, and many privileges were given to Buddhist monks during this period. However, the Joseon period saw the suppression of Buddhism, where Buddhist monks and temples were banned from the cities and confined to the countryside. In its place a strict form of Confucianism, which some see as even more strict than what had ever been adopted by the Chinese, became the official philosophy. Throughout Korean history and culture, regardless of separation, the traditional beliefs of Korean Shamanism, Mahayana Buddhism andConfucianism have remained an underlying influence of the religion of the Korean people as well as a vital aspect of their culture. In fact, all these traditions coexisted peacefully for hundreds of years. They still exist in the more Christian [15][16][17] South and in the North, despite pressure from its atheist government.

World Heritage sites

There are a number of designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Korea. [edit]Jongmyo

Shrine

Main article: Jongmyo The Jongmyo Shrine was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1995 and is located in Seoul. The shrine is dedicated to the spirits of the ancestors of the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty. It is heavily influenced by Korean Confucian tradition. An elaborate performance of ancient court music (with accompanying dance) known as Jongmyo jeryeak is performed there each year.

When it was built in 1394 is was to be one of the longest buildings in Asia. There are 19 memorial tablets of kings and 30 of their queens, placed in 19 chambers. The shrine was burnt to the ground during the Imjin wars, but rebuilt by 1608. [edit]Changdeokgung Main article: Changdeokgung Changdeokgung is also known as the "palace of illustrious virtue". It was built in 1405, burnt to the ground during the Imjin wars in 1592 and reconstructed in 1609. For more than 300 years Changdeokgung was the site of the royal seat. It is located in Seoul. The surroundings and the palace itself are well matched. Some of the trees behind the palace are now over 300 years old, besides a preserved tree which is over 1000 years old. Changdeokgung was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997. [edit]Bulguksa Main article: Bulguksa

Seokguram Grotto

Bulguksa is also known as the temple of the Buddha Land and home of the Seokguram Grotto. The temple was constructed in 751 and consists of a great number of halls. There are two pagodas placed in the temple. The Seokguram grotto is a hermitage of the Bulguksa temple. It is a granite sanctuary. In the main chamber a Buddha statue is seated. The temple and the grotto were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995. [edit]Tripitaka

Koreana and Haeinsa

Main article: Haeinsa

Haeinsa is a large temple in the South Gyeongsang province. It was originally built in 802 and home to the Tripitaka Koreana wood blocks, the oldest Buddhist wooden manuscripts in the [20] world. The carving of these wood blocks was initiated in 1236 and completed in 1251. The wood blocks are testimony to the pious devotion of king and his people. The word Tripitaka is Sanskrit and stands for three baskets, referring to the Buddhist laws of aesthetics. The Tripitaka Koreana consists of 81'258 wood blocks and is the largest, oldest, and most complete collection of Buddhist scripts. Amazingly there is no trace of errata or omission on any of the wood blocks. The Tripitaka Koreana is widely considered as the most beautiful and accurate Buddhist canon carved inHanja. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995. [edit]Hwaseong Main article: Hwaseong Fortress

A frontal view of the west gate and watch tower.

Hwaseong is the fortification of the city Suwon south of Seoul in South Korea. Its construction was completed in 1796 and it features all the latest features of Korean fortification known at the time. The fortress also contains a magnificent palace used for the King's visit to his father's tomb near the city. The fortress covers both flat land and hilly terrain, something rarely seen in East Asia. The walls are 5.52 kilometres long and there are 41 extant facilities along the perimeter. These include four cardinal gates, a floodgate, four secret gates and a beacon tower. Hwaseong was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997. [edit]Gochang,

Hwasun and Ganghwa sites

Main article: Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites The sites of Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage in 2000. These sites are home to prehistoric graveyards which contain hundreds of different megaliths. These megaliths are gravestones which were created in the 1st century B.C. out of large blocks of rock. Megaliths can be found around the globe, but nowhere in such a concentration as in the sites of Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa. [edit]Gyeongju

Area

Main article: Gyeongju Historic Areas

The historic area around Gyeongju was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage in 2000. Gyongju was the capital of the Silla kingdom. The tombs of the Silla rulers can still be found in the centre of the city. These tombs took the shape of rock chambers buried in an earthen hill, sometimes likened with the pyramids. The area around Gyeongju, in particular on the Namsan mountain, is scattered with hundreds of remains from the Silla period. Poseokjeong is one of the most famous of these sites, but there is a great number of Korean Buddhist art, sculptures, reliefs, pagodasand remains of temples and palaces mostly built in the 7th and 10th century. [edit]Complex

of Goguryeo Tombs

Main article: Complex of Goguryeo Tombs The Complex of Goguryeo Tombs lies in Pyongyang, Pyong'an South Province, and Nampo City, South Hwanghae Province, North Korea. In July 2004 it became the first UNESCO World Heritagesite north of the 38th parallel. The site consists of 63 individual tombs from the later Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It was founded around northern Korea and Manchuria around 32 BC, and the capital was moved to Pyongyang in 427. This kingdom dominated the region between the 5th and 7th century AD.

K-pop
-pop (an abbreviation of Korean pop)
[1]

(Korean: kayo)

[1]

is a musical

genre and subculture originating in South Korea which comprises a wide spectrum of musical and visual elements. Although in a bigger scope K-pop may include any genre of South Korean popular music, outside of the country the term is more commonly used for songs sung by systematically trained K-Pop idols signed with management agencies such as SM [2] Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. In 1992, dance and rap music was brought into the genre by Seo Taiji & Boys, whose experimentation with a different variety of [2] musical sounds had ushered in the beginning of modern K-pop. Since the mid-2000s, the Korean Wave has driven a visible spread of K-pop across the Pacific Rim, before subsequently reaching out to theAmericas, Eurasia, and North Africa. According to the news agency Reuters, the success of PSY's single "Gangnam Style" has led to other K-pop artists positioning themselves for a similar breakthrough in the U.S. music industry, as Big Bang, G-Dragon and Girls' Generation made their debut on the Billboard 200 albums' chart and 2NE1's performance in New Jersey was selected by The New York Times as one of the [3][4][5][6] "Best Concerts of 2012". By tapping into social media networks, the ability of K-pop to reach a previously inaccessible audience via the Internet is driving a shift in the exposure and popularity of the genre

Overview

Search volume for K-pop since 2008 according to Google Trends

The hallmarks of K-pop are: Diversity of audiovisual content: Although K-pop mostly refers to South Korean popular music, some have considered it to be an all-encompassing genre comprising an entire spectrum of musical and visual elements. The French audiovisual organization Institut national de l'audiovisuel defines K-pop as a fusion of synthesized music, sharp dance routines and fashionable, colorful outfits combining bubblegum pop with the musical [8] elements of electro, disco, rock, R&B, and hip-hop. Systematic training of singers: The biggest management agencies offer binding contracts to children starting from age 9 to 10. Trainees live together in a tightly regulated environment and spend many hours a day learning music, choreography, foreign languages as well as communication techniques with fans and journalists. This "robotic" system of [9] training is often criticized by Western media outlets. In 2012, the cost of training a single member from SM Entertainment's nine-member band Girls' Generation averaged US$3 [10] million. Bands with numerous members and sub-units: Most K-pop bands are made up of five to ten members. In various parts of the world, they have become more popular than domestic musicians mainly because of the physical attractiveness of band members, many [11][12][13] of whom have undergone cosmetic surgery. The target audience is usually young [14] women and teenagers. Rapid distribution via the Internet: As the South Korean music industry is comparatively small, songs are released onto national television and simultaneously uploaded [15] onto YouTube to reach out to a worldwide audience. This is often preceded by a series of eagerly anticipated announcements and promotional activities referred to as a "comeback", which altogether generates a significant amount of hype and excitement before the official [16] date of release. Dedicated fanbase: Fan activities include translating Korean song lyrics and publishing them in English and other languages. An article by The Wall Street Journal indicated that Kpops staying power will be shaped by fans, whose online services have partly evolved into [17] "micro"-businesses and small-scale ventures. It is common for fans to organize flash mobs at prominent public areas via Facebook, performing and dancing to the latest K-pop [18] songs so that a concert would be held. Others have turned to other avenues such as [19] calling the local South Korean consulate or embassy to request a concert.

The Bank of Korea has attributed the rapid surge in cultural exports since 1997 to the increased worldwide popularity of K-pop.[20]

Support of government agencies: The South Korean government has acknowledged that an increased interest in South Korean popular culture will benefit the country's export [21] sector. According to government estimates, a US$100 increase in the export of cultural products results in a US$412 increase in the export of other consumer [22] goods. Government initiatives to expand the popularity of K-pop are mostly undertaken by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which is responsible for the establishment of dozens of Korean Cultural Centers worldwide. Embassies and consulates of South Korea have also participated in the planning and organization of K-pop concerts and related events outside [23] the country.

While the roots of K-pop run all the way back to the 19th century, it was mostly contained within the Korean Peninsula until the 21st century when it became an integral part of the Korean Wave; a newly coined term describing the rise and spread of South Korean culture first [24] across Asia, and then to the West and to other parts of the world. A 2011 survey conducted by the Korean Culture and Information Service revealed that the number of active members of Hallyu fan clubs worldwide totalled 3.3 million, with about 14% of fans orignating from [25] Western European countries such as France and the United Kingdom. [edit]History [edit]The

beginnings of Korean popular music

Oppaneun punggakjaengi ( )

MENU 0:00 A 1938 trot song by Kim Song Kyu and Park Yeong Ho. Sung by Park Hyang Rim.

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The history of Korean popular music can be traced back to 1885 when an American missionary, Henry Appenzeller started teaching American and British folk songs at a school. These songs were called changga in Korean, and they were typically based on a popular Western melody sung with Korean lyrics. The well-known song "Oh My Darling, Clementine" [note 1] was for example known as "Simcheongga". During the Japanese rule (19101945) popularity of changga songs rose as Koreans tried to express their feelings against Japanese oppression through music. One of the most popular songs was "Huimangga" ( , The Song

of Hope). The Japanese confiscated the existing changga collections and published lyrics books [26] of their own. The first known Korean pop album was "Yi Pungjin Sewol" (This Tumultuous Time) by Park Chae-seon and Lee Ryu-saek from 1925 and contained popular songs translated from Japanese. The first pop song written by a Korean composer is thought to be "Nakhwayusu" [26] (, Fallen Blossoms on Running Water) sung by Lee Jeong-suk in 1929. In the mid1920s, Japanese composer Masao Koga mixed traditional Korean music with Gospel music that American Evangelists introduced in the 1870s. This type of music became known as Enka in [27][28] Japan, and later in Korea as Trot (Korean: ""). These songs became extremely popular.
[26]

Later, in the 21st century K-pop singers rediscovered the genre of trot, for example singers [29][30] like Daesung from Big Bang and several members of Super Junior produced trot singles. [edit]1940s1960s:

American influence

After the Korean Peninsula was partitioned into North and South following its liberation from Japanese annexation in 1945, Western culture was introduced into South Korea on a small scale with a few Western style bars and clubs playing Western music. After the Korean War, which started on June 25, 1950 and lasted for 3 years, U.S. troops remained in South Korea for protection. With the continued presence of the U.S. military, American and world culture began to infiltrate South Korea. During this time, Western music became more accepted to a wider crowd of young adults.

Marilyn Monroe entertaining American soldiers in Korea in 1954

The United Service Organizations made it possible for several prominent figures of American entertainment, like Marilyn Monroe or Louis Armstrong to visit the soldiers stationed in Korea. These visits prompted attention from the Korean public. In 1957 the American Forces Korea Network radio started its broadcast, spreading the popularity of Western music. American music started influencing Korean music, as pentatony was gradually replaced byheptachords and [31] popular songs started to be modeled after American ones. Improvements in the recording systems encouraged the production of LP records in the 1960s, [32] which led to the pursuit of diverse voice tones. Many singers sang for the American troops in Korea at the time, usually in dedicated clubs, the number of which rose to 264. They performed various genres like country music, blues, jazz and rock & roll. Popular Korean singers earned a total of 1.2 million dollars a year which almost equaled the country's export income at the [31] time.

In the 1960s, the South Korean economy started blooming and popular music followed the trend. The appearance of the first commercial radio stations played a significant part in spreading popular music, Korean cinema began to develop. Korean musicians and singers formerly only performing at American clubs started opening up to wider audiences. When The Beatles fever reached the shores of Korea, the first local rock bands appeared, the very first is [note 2] [31] said to be Add4, founded in 1962. The first talent contest for rock bands in Seoul was [31] organized in 1968. Besides rock and pop, trot songs remained popular. Some of the Korean singers managed to gain international popularity. The Kim Sisters, Yoon Bok-hee and Patti Kim were the first singers to debut in such countries as Vietnam and United States. The Kim Sisters became the first Korean group to release an album in the United states, they performed various times in Las Vegas and appeared several times on Ed Sullivan's TV [33] show. Han Myeong Suk's 1961 song titled "The Boy in The Yellow Shirt" was covered by [31] French singer Yvette Giraud and was also popular in Japan. [edit]1970s:

Korean hippie folk pop

At the end of the 1960s and beginning of the 1970s Korean pop music underwent another transformation. Musicians now tended to be university students or graduates and made music for fun and self entertainment unlike the earlier generations. These young musicians were heavily influenced by American culture and lifestyle, unlike their predecessors who had to experience war and Japanese oppression. This generational conflict was well reflected in the reception of the folk pop music of the 70s. The audience consisted mostly of students following the American hippie style in fashion and music alike, with guitars and jeans becoming a symbol [32] of youth. These young people opposed the Vietnam war as much as American hippies did which resulted in the Korean government banning songs with more liberal lyrics. In spite of this, hippie folk pop remained popular among the youth so much so that the local television channel MBC organised a music contest for university students in 1977, which consequently led [34] to the foundation of several modern music festivals. One of the leading figures of the era was Han Dae-soo, raised in the United States, influenced by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and John Lennon. Han's iconic song "Mul jom juso" ( , Give Me Water) became a hymn for young people in Korea, his daring performances and unique singing style often shocked the public and later he was banned from performing in Korea. Han moved toNew York and pursued his musical career there, only returning to his [34] home country in the 1990s. Other notable singers of the period include Chang Sik Song, Young Nam Cho and Hee Eun Yang. In the 1970s, DJs also started to become popular, deeply impacting teenage culture. [edit]1980s:
[32]

The era of ballads

The 1980s saw the rise of ballad singers, the genre became popular after the 1985 release of Lee Gwang-jo's "Youre Too Far Away to Get Close to" ( , Gakkai Hagien Neomu Meon Dangsin). Lee's album sold more than 300,000 copies. Other popular ballad singers included Lee Moon-se () and Byun Jin-seob (), nicknamed the "Prince of Ballads". One of the most sought after ballad composers of the era was Lee Younghoon (), whose songs were compiled into a modern musical in 2011 [35] titled Gwanghwamun Yeonga ( , Gwanghwamun's Song). In 1980, the Asia Music Forum was launched. National singers from five different Asian countries competed in the event. Cho Yong-pil won first place and earned a high reputation as a [32] Korean singer in Japan. His first album, Chang bakkui yeoja ( , The Woman

outside the Window) was a hit and he became the first Korean singer to take the stage at the Carnegie Hall in New York. He won nearly all relevant awards at major events, including best composer and best song awards. He was invited to perform in Japan and Hong Kong, [35] among other countries. Cho's musical repertoire included rock, dance, trot and folk pop. [edit]1990s:

The turning point

DJ DOC, one of the popular hip hop trios of the '90s [36]

In the 1990s, early Korean pop musicians incorporated American popular music styles [37] like rap, rock and techno in their music. In 1992 the emergence of Seo Taiji & Boys brought a [38] true turning point in the history of K-pop. The trio debuted on MBC's talent show with their [38] song "Nan Arayo" ( , I Know) and got the lowest rating from the jury. However, the song and the album with the same title became so successful that, according to MTV Iggy, "K[39] pop music would never be the same" again: "Its New Jack Swing-inspired beats, catchy rap [39] lyrics and memorable choruses took Korean audiences by storm". The lyrics of Seo Taiji & Boys dealt with the problems of Korean society, which other entertainers of the era failed to [39] [39] do. Their sound paved the way for the "success format" of K-pop songs, and their footsteps were followed by a wave of successful hip hop and R&B artists like Jinusean, [38] Deux, 1TYM and Drunken Tiger. In 1995 Korean entrepreneur Lee Soo Man founded South Korea's largest talent agency and [40] record label, SM Entertainment. By the late 1990s, YG Entertainment, DSP Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and FNC Music had burst onto the scene as well and were [41] producing talent as quickly as the public could consume it. The success of Seo Taiji & Boys brought a new audience to K-pop: teenagers, which led to the [38] emergence of so-called idol bands: young boy and girl bands. H.O.T. is considered as the first K-pop idol boy band, they debuted in 1995. They were followed by bands like Sechs [38] Kies, S.E.S., Fin.K.L, NRG, Taesaja, Shinhwaor g.o.d. The 1997 Asian financial crisis prompted Korean entertainers to look for new markets: H.O.T. also released a Chinese [38] language album. The 1990s were also a successful period for underground music clubs, punk rock bands [38] like Pipi Band or Crying Nut managed to gain mainstream popularity. [edit]21st

century: The Hallyu wave

Main article: Korean wave See also: List of K-Pop concerts held outside Asia In the 2000s K-pop, as part of the global Korean wave, started expanding rapidly, mostly in Asia but also reaching the shores of the Americas and Europe. The first Korean singer to top [42] the Oriconin Japan was BoA, whose albums were sold in the million. This was also the time when Rain started to gain popularity and China, he held a concert with 40,000 people in [42] attendance in 2005 in Beijing. The decade saw the emergence of new generation idol bands like MBLAQ, TVXQ, SS501, Super Junior, Big Bang, Shinee, 2PM, Wonder Girls, Girls [42] Generation, KARA and 2NE1. These bands often collaborate with American and European [43] producers, 2NE1 for example worked with will.i.am, while Big Bang's 2012 Alive Tour was [44] directed by Laurieann Gibson.

In the 21st century the expansion of K-pop is driven by the Internet. As traditional media records are losing popularity among consumers, the significance of digital records have risen. K-pop performers prefer the shorter EP or single formats released more often to full length albums. Artists therefore are forced to capture the audience in a shorter time period, which led to the widespread use of so-called 'hooks'. Hook usually means the easy to memorize, catchy [42] chorus. In 2012 K-pop made a breakthrough in Western mainstream media through Psy's "Gangnam [45] Style" that went viral on the Internet and within a couple of months became the most viewed [46] video of all time on YouTube.

BoA became the first successful Korean to enter the Japanese market and top the Japanese Oricon Chart since World War II.

According to Mark James Russell from the global politics magazine Foreign Policy, K-Pop has now spread to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and parts of South America. He acknowledges that Korean popular culture "may not (yet) turn heads in Los Angeles or London" and claims that [47] "the West is actually late to the party". However, according to USA Today this may soon [48] change as K-Pop's influence continues to spread, finding more fans in the West. Since the late 2000s, several notable milestones have been attained by various K-pop bands and musicians: May 2007: With a solo concert in front of 40,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome, the South Korean entertainer Rain becomes K-pop's first music artist to perform at Japan's biggest concert [49] hall. October 2009: The Wonder Girls enter the American Billboard Hot 100 music charts with their single "Nobody", which was widely noted for its music video's viral spread after having [50] [51] surpassed 50 million views on YouTube. September 2010: SM Town holds its first concert outside the Asian continent with [52] its SMTown Live '10 World Tour in Los Angeles. This precedes two sold-out concerts [53] held a few months later at the Zenith de Paris in France.

August 2011: Billboard launches the Korea K-Pop Hot 100 music chart, which only takes [54] into account digital sales. November 2011: BIGBANG faces off competition from the American pop icon Britney Spears and the German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut to clinch the 2011 MTV Europe Music [55] Award for Best Worldwide Act. Shortly after, Google announces that its subsidiary [56] YouTube will launch its own K-pop channel. December 2011: The total number of YouTube views generated by K-Pop videos in 2011 surpasses the 1 billion mark. It had tripled from 800 million in the previous year to more [57] than 2.3 billion, spurred on by huge growths in Europe and the Middle East. In the same month, the United Cube Concert was held in Sao Paolo, Brazil, making it the first K-pop [58] concert in South America. March 2012: After becoming the first K-pop band to enter the American Billboard 200 music [59][60] charts with their album "Alive", BIGBANG kicks off theAlive Tour in 25 cities worldwide. November 2012: PSY's Gangnam Style peaks at the top of more than 30 national music [61] charts and becomes the most viewed YouTube video. It also competed against hit singles by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga to clinch the MTV Europe Music Award for Best [62] Video. According to an article from Kevin Evers published on the Harvard Business Review, Gangnam Style's widespread internet popularity had influenced Billboard's ranking methodology of its music charts. Instead of only taking into account radio airplay and physical purchases, a heavier emphasis was placed on digital sales and online music [63] streams. 21 December 2012: PSY's "Gangnam Style" becomes the first online video to be viewed over a billion times on YouTube. In 2012, the total number of views generated by K-pop videos excluding "Gangnam Style" had doubled from 2.3 billion in the previous year to more [64] than 4 billion, and the K-pop industry continued its double-digit growth by grossing US$3.4 billion in the first half of the year to become one of the top 10 largest digital music [65] markets in the world.

[edit]Characteristics According to a Rolling Stone author, "K-Pop... embraces genre fusion with both singing and rap, [66] and emphasizes performance and strong visuals." It is a mix of genres like pop, rock, hip [67] hop,R&B and electronic music. The BBC describes the K-pop bands Super Junior and the Wonder Girls as "highly produced, [68] sugary boy- and girl-bands with slick dance routines and catchy tunes." Dance is an integral part of K-pop. When combining multiple singers, the singers often switch their positions while singing and dancing by making prompt movements in synchrony. K-pop is also recognized for [69] [70][71] pretty-boys and girl groups that are young and considered attractive. More than 60 boy and girl bands are produced each year in Korea, making way of labeling K[67] pop as a "star factory". Many of these bands disappear after a few hits. K-pop is a fast paced and high-competition industry, according to the Korea Times it produces easily consumable and [72] disposable one-time hit songs that the audience downloads and then deletes. The majority of K-pop songs spend only a short time on music charts and it is rare for a hit to lead the charts for [73] several weeks. The basic format is usually built upon a catchy chorus part and a spectacular, easy to master dance to accompany the song - like "Sorry, Sorry" from Super Junior, "Gee" from Girls Generation or "Abracadabra" from Brown Eyed Girls. The songs are marketed for one or two months and then are usually forgotten as new ones take their [67][72] place. Singer Insooni complained that "the songs that we sang back in the day are still

sung today. But music these days - people perform for three months than [sic!] stop. Fans have [74] lost a sense of responsibility."

Girls' Generation; one of the most prominent K-pop bands

Visual experience is an integrated part of K-pop, which comprises the artist's physical appearance and clothing as well as the sophisticated visuals of concerts and music videos. Kpop videos are often vivid, colourful, strident, extravagant and compared to traditional pop [75][76][77] videos can even be shocking or incomprehensible. K-pop songs are often written by experienced songwriters, some of them born or raised in the [78] USA, like Teddy Park, but European and American songwriters and producers (such [79][80] as will.i.am or Sean Garrett) also give songs to Korean performers. Some of the K-pop idols compose and write songs themselves, for example Rain, Tablo, G-Dragon, the members [81] of CN Blue and Block B. [edit]Dance Dance is an integral part of K-pop. When combining multiple singers, the singers often switch their positions while singing and dancing by making prompt movements in synchrony. Since the debut of Seo Taiji & Boys, multiple singers began to switch their positions while singing and dancing, a strategy called "formation changing" (Korean: , Jari ba'ggum) and a turning point for the establishment K-pop choreography (Korean: , Anmu). [edit]Fashion K-pop also influences fashion, especially in Asia, where clothes and accessories worn by K-pop stars, as well as their hairstyles and the cosmetic brands they use are sought after by young [82] [83] listeners. Fashion brands release copies of clothing worn by idols. Some K-pop idols including G-Dragon from Big Bang have established themselves as a fashion icon by attracting the attention of Western fashion designers, most notably Jeremy Scott, who [84][85][86][87][84][88] expressed his interest in working with singer CL from 2NE1. In January 2012 Korean artists held a fashion show in Japan, which was attended by 33,000 [89] people. In Thailand authorities worry over the fashion items popularized by Korean pop, as Thai teenagers are willing to wear items unfit for local weather conditions (e.g. leggings) and [90] also use skin whitening products to look like Korean celebrities. In North Korea, despite strong governmental regulations, South Korean fashion is a topic of interest. K-pop popularized high-heel shoes, sleeveless tops and fashionable accessories, although such attire is forbidden [91] in the country.

[edit]K-pop

as an industry

[edit]Agencies

A billboard for the SMTown Live '10 World Tour in Times Square, Manhattan.

The three biggest agencies in terms of revenue are S.M. Entertainment, YG [92] Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, often referred to as the "Big Three", whose stocks are [93] traded at the Korea Exchange. In K-pop these record labels also function as agencies for the [92] [92] artists. They started operating as such at the beginning of the 2000s. They are responsible for recruiting, financing, training, marketing and publishing new artists as well as managing their activities and public relations. In terms of market share the biggest agency is S.M. [93] Entertainment. Their artists started the Hallyu wave in K-pop and managed to break into [93] Japan. The "Big Three" occasionally cooperate, for example Se7en, managed by YG [94] Entertainment received a song from JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young in 2012 and the representatives of the three agencies judged at the SBS reality talent show "K-pop [95] Star". The "Big Three", together with Star J Entertainment, AM Entertainment and Key East [96] founded the United Asia Management (UAM), which aims to spread K-pop globally as well as [97] facilitate the development of better artist recruitment and management processes. UAM [97] auditions are global and not restricted to Korean talents. Besides musicians, UAM also [97] manages actors, directors, stylists, hair and make-up artists. The merge was highly criticised as it might put pressure on content providers as well as further pressurize other Asian countries, like the Chinese market, which is unable to respond to and compete with the mass production of [97] Korean entertainment companies. [edit]Sales

and market value

The Korean music industry grossed nearly $3.4 billion in the first half of 2012, which amounts to [98] a 27.8% increase from the same period last year, according to Billboard. Before the digital market took hold, the South Korean music industry was nearly destroyed in the early 2000s by the large amount of illegal file sharing, a problem threatening other countries at the time as well. [99] In 2006, however, South Korea's digital music market surpassed the physical market, with [100] more than half of revenue coming from digital sales. K-pop's social media presence on Korean and English websites such as Facebook and Youtube have also had a major impact on [101] the size of its global market. Viki, the video and music streaming website, has influenced [102] global K-pop trends by providing translated subtitles for music videos. In 2011, 1,100 albums were released in South Korea. The hip-hop genre had the most among [103] them at two-thirds of the total albums. One-third of the albums were from other genres, [103] including rock, modern folk, and crossover. This shows that there is a variety of genres in [103] South Korea outside of what is produced by K-pop idols. Illegal downloads have pushed down prices significantly. In 2012, the average cost of obtaining a K-pop song in South Korea [104] amounted to US$0.10 for a single download, or $0.002 when streamed online. K-pop (in Korea) global music market rank

Year

Physical*

Digital

2005

27

[105]

2006

27

[106]

2007

32

[107]

23

[100]

2008

24

[108]

2009

24

[109]

14

[100]

2010

21

[110]

2011

11

[100]

2012

[111]

* includes albums, singles and DVDs sold

[edit]Cultural

technology and trainee system

See also: Slave contracts Cultural technology, or CT, is a concept popularized by Lee Soo-man, founder of the South [112] Korean music label and talent agency S. M. Entertainment. It is a 3-step process of exporting K-pop overseas as part of the Korean wave and consist of a tightly controlled training system. Joseph L. Flatley from the American news network The Verge described it as one of [113] the most "extreme" systems of pre-packaging K-pop bands, which are owned by a handful of [114] entertainment agencies. According to The Wall Street Journal, South Korean entertainment companies such as S.M. Entertainment have created a process to train singers and dancers in its groups. In many cases, idols enter the system at age nine or ten and live together in a house under tight rules. They attend school during the day and take singing and choreography classes [115] at night. Besides singing and dancing trainees are also taught foreign languages, most [116] notably English, Japanese and Chinese. According to the CEO of Universal Music's [92] Southeast Asian branch, the Korean idol trainee system is unique in the world. To guarantee the high probability of success of new talent, talent agencies fully subsidize and oversee the professional lives and careers of trainees, often spending in excess of $400,000 to [117] train and launch a new artist. [edit]K-pop [edit]Basic

culture

notions and conventions

[118]

Main article: K-pop idol K-pop uses a set of genre specific expressions. These include traditional Korean honorifics, used by both idols and fans. Besides this traditional social system, K-pop adds its own subculture. As much as age is important, the debut date and popularity of the artist also

matters. Younger artists or those who debuted later are called hoobae () and they must greet the older and earlier debuted colleagues (, sunbae, "senior") with an insa (), the traditional deep bow. Failing to do this have met with strong criticism from the industry and the [119][120] fans alike, for example in the case of girl group T-ara. Boy and girl groups in Korea are referred to as idols or idol bands. Idol bands have a strict hierarchy. Every band has a leader, chosen by either the members or the managing company based on age, personality and leadership qualities. The leader is a representative of the band [122] as well as responsible for group harmony. The youngest band member is called maknae (), which is a special position as it is traditionally regarded that the cuter the maknae the more potential a band has in terms of popularity. Idols are recruited and trained [124] in a trainee system regarded as exceptional in the pop industry. The Korean pop industry involves the so-called fan service, which is largely based on bromance of a non-sexual nature between band members of male idol groups. Fans pair their favourites into "OTPs" (one true pairing), who in turn reinforce the pairs by acting cute and brotherly with each other on television. The names of such bromantic pairs are contracted from the original stage names of the members, for example the G-DragonSeungri OTP is commonly referred to as "GRi". OTP pairs are called "ships", from the English term "relationship", and fans [125][126] of these "ships" are called "shippers".
[123] [121]

Popularity and impact

K-pop being played during the 2011Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin in Germany

South Korea is emerging in the 21st century as a major exporter of popular culture. K-pop has been embraced by the South Korean government as a tool for soft power abroad, [155] particularly towards youth. K-pop has come from humble beginnings to gain a huge fan base [156] not just in Asia but also other parts of the world, and is considered by some to be South [135] Koreas greatest export because of its popularity and growing influence. As South Korea continues to develop its IT infrastructure, K-pop music is being shared over the internet and [157] through mobile devices more rapidly than ever. One of the biggest examples of the globalization of KPOP is the emergence of PSY's "Gangnam Style" on the market. In October [158] 2012, Psy became the first South Korean artist to hit the number 1 spot on top UK charts. US President Barack Obama has noted the rapid surge and spread of Korean pop culture. During an official visit to South Korea in March 2012, he praised South Koreas youth for their [159] tech-savviness and optimism, and remarked :

[154]

Its no wonder so many people around the world have caught the Korean Wave -hallyu

Prior to the rise of social media networks, K-pop concerts and related events outside East and Southeast Asia were mostly unheard of. However, with the growing acceptance of Youtube during the late-2000s as a popular music sharing plattform, K-pop has since become increasingly well known in many parts of the world, including the [160] West. According to The New York Times, "attempts by K-pop stars to break into Western markets had largely failed prior to the proliferation of global social networks." However, K-pop artists are now gaining more international exposure through social media networks such as [161] YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, making it easier for them to reach a wider audience. In 2011, Billboard launched the Korea K-Pop Hot 100 chart and YouTube created an official [163][164] K-pop channel. K-pop music videos were viewed more than 2 billion times during 2011, [165] almost three times the 800 million views in 2010. In 2012, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Wonder Girls and Big Bang have been nominated for [166] "World's Best Group" at the 2012 World Music Awards. [edit]Asia
[162]

2NE1 at a concert in Clarke Quay, Singapore

According to the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, K-pop has been a successful export of Korean culture in Asia. On its "Korean Wave" index, the top country in 2010 was Japan, in a list that also [167] included Taiwan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and thePhilippines. Following the lifting of import/export restrictions between South Korea and Japan which were in place since World War 2, the album Listen to My Heartby BoA was the first album by a Korean artist to debut at the top of the Japanese Oricon charts and become an RIAJ-certified million[168] seller in Japan. On January 16, 2008, TVXQ (known as Tohoshinki in Japan) reached the top of the Oricon charts, with their sixteenth Japanese single "Purple Line". This made them the [169][170] first foreign and Korean male group to have a number-one single in Japan. Afterwards, [171] the Japanse music market has seen the influx of Korean pop acts including SHINee, Super [172] [173] Junior, Big Bang, KARA, Girls' Generation, After School, 2PM, andBrown Eyed [174] Girls. In 2011, it has been reported that the total sales for K-pop artists' has increased 22.3% during 2010-2011 in Japan. Some artists have been in the top 10 selling artists of 2011 in [175] Japan.

K-pop has yet to make a major impact in China but there has been considerable success. In [42] 2005 Rain held a concert in Beijing with 40,000 people in attendance. The Wonder Girls won an award in the 5th annual China Mobile Wireless Music Award for having the highest digital [176] sales for a foreign artist with five million digital downloads in 2010. Super Junior and their sub-group Super Junior M have had successful results on the Kuang Nan Record, CCR and Hit [177] Fm Taiwan music charts. The BBC reported that in the Indian state of Manipur in the north-east part of the country where separatists have banned Bollywood movies, people have been turning to Korean entertainment recently as South Korea's influence continues to be filtered down into fashion and hairstyles [178] in India. In Kathmandu, Nepal, South Korean pop music, dramas and fashion has overtaken [179] the place of Bollywood. [edit]United

States and Canada

Xiah Junsu on stage at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, 2012

One of the first significant K-pop events to be held in the United States were Rain's 2006 soldout concerts in New York City and in Las Vegas 6 months later. In 2009, the Wonder [180] Girls became the first K-pop artist to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. They also joined the Jonas Brothers in the Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009. In 2010 they toured 20 cities in the United States and Canada, and were named House of Blues "Artist of the Month" for [181] June. In 2010 SM Entertainment organized SMTown Live '10 World Tour, touring in Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo and New York. In May 2012, SM Town returned to California again with the SMTown Live World Tour III in Anaheim. In 2010, during the 8th Annual Korean Music Festival, K-pop artists made their first [182] appearances at the Hollywood Bowl. Notable K-pop concerts in the United States in 2011 include the 2011 KBS Concert at the New York Korea Festival, the 2011 K-Pop Masters Concert in Las Vegas, and theKorean Music Wave in Google, the latter held [183] at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California.

At the start of 2012, Girls' Generation performed the English version of "The Boys" on the late night talk show Late Show with David Letterman and on the daytime talk show Live! with Kelly, becoming the first Korean musical act to perform on each show, and the first Korean act to [184] perform on syndicated television in the United States. In the same year, the group formed their first sub-unit, entitled Girls' Generation-TTS, or simply "TaeTiSeo", composed of members Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun. The subgroup's debut EP, Twinkle, peaked at #136 [185] on the Billboard 200, becoming the highest charting K-Pop album on the chart. In December 2011 2NE1 won MTV Iggy's Best New Band award. In August 2012, as part of their New Evolution Global Tour, 2NE1 held their first American concert in the New York [187] Metropolitan Area at the Prudential Center of Newark, New Jersey. In November 2012, as part of their Alive Tour, Big Bang held their first solo concert in America going to the Honda Center in Los Angeles, California and the Prudential Center in Newark, New [188] Jersey. The tickets sold out in only a few hours, thus additional dates were added. On November 13, 2012, the American singer-songwriter Madonna and a few of her backup dancers performed "Gangnam Style" alongside PSY during a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. PSY later told reporters that his gig with Madonna had "topped his list [189] of accomplishments". [edit]Latin
[186]

America

In the first Latin America K-pop Competition in 2010, 92 teams from 10 countries participated. In [190] 2011 they were joined by more countries for the second Latin America K-pop Competition. In 2011, the United Cube Concert was held in So Paulo, Brazil. In March 2012, the boyband JYJ performed in both Chile and Peru. When JYJ arrived at the Jorge Chvez International Airport in Peru for the JYJ World Tour Concert, the band was escorted by airport security officials through a private exit due to safety reasons concerning the [191] large number of fans. At the Explanada Sur del Estadio Monumental in Lima, some fans [192] camped out for days in to see JYJ. In Colombia, Caracol TV and Arirang TV made a K-pop reality show in April 2012.
[193]

In September 2012, Junsu became the first K-pop idol to perform in Mexico and Brazil, the [194] concerts sold out well in advance. Since 2009, about 260 fan clubs with a total of over [195][196] 20,000 and 8,000 active members have been formed in Chile and Peru respectively. [edit]Europe

Beast performing at the Beautiful Show in Berlin

In London, Beast and 4minute performed during the United Cube Concert. The MBC Korean [197] Culture Festival was also held in London. When SHINeearrived at the London Heathrow Airport for a concert at the Odeon West End, part of the airport became temporarily overrun by frenzied fans. The reservation system of Odeon West End crashed for the first time one minute [198] after ticket sales began as the concert drew an unexpectedly large response. In 2011, the Korean boyband Big Bang flew to Belfast and won the Best Worldwide Act during the 2011 MTV [156] Europe Music Awards inNorthern Ireland. In May 2011, Rain became the first K-pop artist to perform in Germany during [199] the Dresden Music Festival. later followed by JYJ performed in Berlinand Barcelona. In February 2012, the boyband BEAST held the Beautiful Show in Berlin. A fan commented that although he does not understand the lyrics of K-pop, "their (Beast's) music is good and thats [200][201] what counts." The Berliner Zeitung also adds that fans who attended the Beautiful [202] Showcame not just from Germany, but also bordering countries.

K-pop fans in Warsaw holding a S.Korean-Polish flag as well as banners of various boy bands

The SMTown Live '10 World Tour was held in Paris, followed by the Super Junior Super Show 4 Tour, also inParis. In February 2012, the Music Bank World Tour drew more than 10,000 fans to [203] the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy In 2012, Big Bang won the Best Fan category in the Italian TRL Awards.
[204]

K-pop is becoming increasingly popular in Poland. In 2011, the K-pop Star Exhibition was held in the Warsaw Korean Culture Center, as well as a K-pop party which attracted fans all across Poland. Fans told The Warsaw Voice; "we want to express our admiration for Korean [205] music and our hope that some day they will perform in Poland. There have also been K[206][207] pop flash mobs in other European cities including Prague, and Warsaw. The Russian music TV channel Muz-TV has recently indicated an interest in adding K-pop to its programme. High school and college students who fell in love with K-pop through the Internet [208] and YouTube have been making calls or sending letters asking to air K-pop-related content. During the 2011 K-pop Cover Dance Festival, 57 Russian dance teams took part to win a trip [209] to South Korea. During the second round of the competition, the boyband SHINee flew to Moscow as judges of the competition and they also performed in front of the Russian fans [210] and participated in a flash mob. [edit]Middle

East and Africa

In Turkey, Korean culture is catching on quickly and Internet-savvy generation of Turks are using their computers and phones to explore cultures around the world and a large chunk of the

pre-teen demographic is flocking to South Korean culture. In 2012, the total number of active [212] members in K-Pop fan clubs across Turkey surpassed 100,000 members. The boyband ZE:A appeared for a meet and greet session for fans in Dubai and a concert [214] in Abu Dhabi. In Israel, local K-pop fans met South Korea's Ambassador to Israel Ma Youngsamin July 2011. Israeli fans traveled to Paris for the SMTown Live '10 World Tour in [215] Europe. In Cairo, hundreds of K-pop fans came to Maadi Librarys stage theater to see the final round of the K-POP Korean Song Festival, organized by the Korean Embassy. Fans drew [216] banners in Korean and many were screaming along to the Korean songs. [edit]Oceania Concerts in Australia include the 2011 K-Pop Music Festival, at the ANZ [217] Stadium in Sydney, featuring Girls' Generation, TVXQ, B2ST, SHINee, 4minute, miss A, 2AM, and MBLAQ. While, in New Zealand, a K-pop Festival is planned to take someplace sometime during the summer of 2012/2013, starring Girls' Generation, 2PM and Kara and the South Korean Embassy will be backingNew Zealand's first national K-pop [218] competition. NU'EST visited Sydney in August 2012 at Sydney Harbour and at the University of New South Wales, as they were judges of a major K-pop concert that was being held [219] there. Psy toured Australia in October 2012, after his single 'Gangnam Style' reached [220] number one in Australia on the ARIA charts. [edit]YouTube
[213]

[211]

views

Psy, whose music video for "Gangnam Style" became the first video to reach more than a billion YouTube views worldwide.[221]

Of the 2.28 billion worldwide K-pop YouTube views in 2011, 240 million came from the United [165] States, which was more than double that of 2010 (94 million).

List of most viewed K-pop music videos on YouTube

Rank

Artist(s)

Title

Year

Notes

Views
(millions*)

PSY

"Gangnam Style"

2012

1,247

PSY feat. Hyuna "Oppa Is Just My Style" 2012

262

Girls' Generation

"Gee"

2009

96

Girls' Generation "Mr. Taxi" (Dance Ver.) 2011

Japanese version

71

Girls' Generation

"The Boys"

2011

67

2NE1

"I Am the Best"

2011

63

Girls' Generation

"Oh!"

2010

61

BIGBANG

"Fantastic Baby"

2012

61

Wonder Girls

"Nobody" performance 2008

Live on M! Countdown

59

10

Super Junior

"Mr. Simple"

2011

58

* rounded to the nearest million Last update: January 31, 2013

[edit]Criticism In 2002, Time reported that television producers were arrested for "accepting under-the-table payments guaranteeing TV appearances to aspiring singers and musicians. According to Seoul District Prosecutor Kim Kyu Hun, the arrests of Hwang Yong Woo and Kim Jong Jin were just the first in a wide-ranging investigation into systemic corruption in South Korea's music [41] business". Companies investigated included SidusHQ, SM Entertainment and others. K-pop companies are also criticized for taking advantage of their "idols" through overworking [222] and restrictive contracts that were described as "slave contracts" in a BBC report. In July

2009, SM Entertainment was taken to court by TVXQ and a Super Junior member alleging that [223][224] working conditions had caused adverse health effects and other problems. Court decision in the TVXQ lawsuit determined their contract void and as a result the fair trade commission [222] released contract templates to regulate conditions. The Korean entertainment industry has also been struggling with sexual harassment cases of [225][226] trainees and artists, some of whom have committed suicide. In April 2012 the CEO of Open World Entertainment was arrested for sexually harassing several trainees and allegedly [227] forcing members of various male idol groups to do the same. Regarding the quality of music, K-pop has been criticized for its heavily manufactured character, which involves the "pre-packaging" of idol bands and songs produced for fast consumption. The genre is also labeled to have copied Western patterns, lacking originality and lyrics were noted to be shallow. Repeated song patterns and formats as well as the use of Autotune is also sometimes considered to be a negative aspect of K-pop. It has also been regarded as [67][72][228][229][230] "artificial", where visuals matter over singing ability. K-pop has been criticized for overtly relying on American sound and being "copycats" of Western music patterns. Some Korean artists have even been involved in accusations [228][231] [134] ofplagiarism. New York magazine calls K-pop songs "catchy but derivative". The [39][67] genre is often called bubblegum pop. Lyrics have been criticized for being shallow and [229] lifeless and for containing meaningless or non-existing English words. Despite its growing popularity, some commentators have remained doubtful of K-pop's ability to break into Western music markets. CNN published an article written by freelance journalist [232] Esther Oh, who wrote that big music markets "simply don't care". The New Yorker's staff writer John Seabrook described Girls Generation as being a dominant girl group positioned to "conquer the West", but also added that some analysts in the music industry consider Kpop's idol groups too robotic to become mainstream.

Jeju Province
Jeju Province (officially the Jeju Special Self-governing Province is one of the nine provinces of South Korea. The province is situated on and coterminous with the nation's largest island, formerly transliterated as Cheju or known as Quelpart to Europeans. Jeju Province lies in theKorea Strait, southwest of South Jeolla Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946. Its capital is Jeju City. The island contains the natural World Heritage Site Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.
[2] [1]

Early history

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall on Jeju Island.

Waves crashing on Jeju seashore.

Halla Mountain in Jeju.

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall in Jeju.

According to legend, three demi-gods emerged from Samsung-hyeol which is said to have been on the northern slopes of Mt. Halla and became the progenitors of the Jeju people who founded the Kingdom of Tamna.

It has also been claimed that three brothers including Ko-hu who were the 15th descendants of Koulla, one of the Progenitors of the Jeju people, were received by the court of Silla at which time the name Tamna was officially recognized, while the official government posts of Commander, Prince and Governor were conferred by the court upon the three. However, there is no concrete evidence of when the "Three Names" (Samseong-Ko, Yang and Pu) appeared nor for the exact date of when Ko-hu and his brothers were received by Silla. It may be supposed that the founding Period by the "Three Names" occurred during the Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) period on the mainland of Korea. Taejo, founder of Goryeo, attempted to establish the same relationship between Goryeo and Tamna as Tamna had had with Silla. Tamna refused to accept this position and the Goryeo court dispatched troops to force Tamna to submit. Ko ja-gyeon, chief of Tamna, submitted to Goryeo in 938 and sent his son, Prince Mallo, to Goryeo's court as a de facto hostage. In 1105 (King Sukjong's 10th year), the Goryeo court abolished the name Takna which had to this time been used and from that year on, the island was known as "Tamna-gun" (district) and Goryeo officials were sent to handle the affairs of the island. Tamna-country was changed to Tamna-county in 1153 during the reign of King Uijong and Choi Cheok-kyeong was posted as Tamna-Myeong or Chief of Tamna. In 1121 during Huijong's reign, Tamna was renamed "Jeju" and the posts of Judiciary were established on the island. In 1271, General Kim Tong-jeong escaped with what remained of his Sambyeolcho force from Jindo and built the Hangpadu Fortress at Kwiil-chon from where they continued their fight against the combined Korean government-Mongolian army but within 2 years, faced by an enemy army of over 10,000 troops, the Sambyeolcho was annihilated. [edit]Modern

history

[edit]Jeju Uprising, 1948 Main article: Jeju Uprising On April 3, 1948, against a background of an ongoing ideological struggle for control of Korea and a variety of grievances held by islanders against the local authorities, the many communist sympathizers on the island attacked police stations and government offices. The brutal and often indiscriminate suppression of the leftist rebellion resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of both villagers and communist radicals and the imprisonment of thousands more in [3] internment camps. While claims have been made that the US government oversaw and supported "anticommunist" activities administratively if not openly in the field, validation remains to be made. It is a fact the US was heavily involved in counter insurgence operations across Korea at this time leading up to the Korean War and UN involvement. Similarly, the Northwest Youth League, a Korean government sponsored watch-dog group made up of refugees who had fled northern Korea, actively repressed any and all "communist sympathizers" with an ardent campaign of shooting anyone on sight entering or leaving the president's "enemy zone", raping/violation, torturing, and killing hundreds of islanders using open armed violence and what would be labeled today as terrorist activities. Intolerance by mainland Korean officials of islanders in general at the time, government and organization sponsored isolation of the island, and rumored cover up of evidence linking the rebellion's suppressors with foreign powers and people who have today gone un-prosecuted is believed to be the primary cause of public ignorance, hedging on denial, over the April 3, 1948 genocide on Cheju-do. A documentary by

the BBC and PBS, Korea: The Unknown War and many activities and publications, including Sun-i Samch'on by Hyun Ki Young, by organizations and persons from within Cheju-do and around the world continue to attempt shedding the light on this event. The provincial administrative building was burned to the ground in September 1948 and a new building was completed in 1-do, 2-dong in December, 1952. [edit]Construction of a naval base Further information: Jeju-do Naval Base In June 2007, the Korean government selected Gangjeong, a village on the southern coast of [4] the island, as the site of a $970 million naval base. The base is to house twenty warships, [5] including submarines. In January 2010, the South Korean Navy signed two contracts with two construction firms to [4] [5] build pier facilities.; construction began in January 2011. By August, about 14 percent of the contract had been spent on initial construction work, but significant progress had not been made [4] due to local resistance to the base. Trying to prevent dredging and bulldozing, residents of Gangjeong have been living in tents in and near areas where construction is planned or ongoing. In addition to protests, the villagers [6] have filed lawsuits to try to block construction, and have widely publicized their opposition. [edit]Historical

names

Historically, the island has been called by many different names including: Doi (, , literally "Island barbarian") Dongyeongju (, ) Juho (, ) Tammora (, ) Seobna (, ) Tagna (, ) Tamna (, ) Quelpart (q.v. gyulbat, , , literally "orange fields")

Before the Japanese annexation in 1910, the island was usually known as Quelpart to Europeans. The name "Quelpart" apparently came from the first European ship to spot the island, the Dutch "Quelpaert", which sighted it after being blown off course on its way to the Dutch trading base in Nagasaki, Japan, from Taiwan (then the Dutch colony of Formosa). When Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910, Jeju then became known as Saish, which is the Japanese reading of the hanja for Jeju. Before 2000, when the Seoul government changed the official Romanization of Hangul, Jeju-do was spelled Cheju-do. Almost all written references to the island before that use that spelling.

[edit]Geography

Aerial photograph of Jeju Island.

Jeju Island is a volcanic island, dominated by Halla-san (Halla Mountain): a volcano 1,950 metres (6,400 ft) high and the highest mountain in South Korea. The island measures approximately 73 kilometres (45 mi) across, east to west, and 41 kilometres (25 mi) from north [7] to south. The island was created entirely from volcanic eruptions approximately 2 million years ago, during the time period extending from the Tertiary to the beginning of the Quaternary period, and consists chiefly of basalt and lava. The eruptions took place in the Cenozoic era. It has a humid subtropical climate, warmer than that of the rest of Korea, with four distinct weather seasons. Winters are cool and dry while summers are hot, humid, and sometimes rainy. There is a crater lake which is the only crater lake in South Korea.
[citation needed]

An area covering about 12% (224 square kilometres or 86 square miles) of Jeju is known [8] as Gotjawal Forest. This area had remained untouched until the 21st century, as its base of A lava made it difficult to develop for agriculture. Because this forest remained untouched [9] for a long time, it has a unique ecology. The forest is the main source of groundwater, the main water source for the half millon people of the island, because rainwater penetrates directly into the groundwater aquifer through the cracks of the A lava under the forest. Gotjawal forest is considered an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention by some [10] researchers because it is the habitat of unique species of plants and is the main source of water for the residents, although to date it has not been declared a Ramsar site

Historical
In 1273, Mongolian Yuan Dynasty established a military governor on the island and this was to last almost one hundred years with the island almost completely under the control of these governors. During the Joseon Dynasty, all of the administrative rights and systems of Jeju island, which had maintained some independence until this time, were absorbed into the centralized form of government established by Joseon. In 1402, the titles of Commander and Prince were abolished. In 1416, the island was divided into three major administrative districts: The area lying generally north of Mt. Halla was headed by a 'Moksa' or county magistrate, while the eastern area of Jeongui-county (today's Seongeup Folk village) and the south western area of Daejeong-county (today's Moseulpo, Daejeong-eup and Mt. Sanbang) were each headed by a Hyeon-gam (also county magistrate).

In August 1864, both Jeongui and Daejeong hyeons were removed from the control of the 'moksa' north of the mountain in today's Jeju-si area and were renamed 'Gun" (county) and came under the direct control of the Gwanchalsa (governor) of Jeolla province. Because of strife between these 'Guns' and the Jeju 'moksa', the system was abolished in January, 1880 and the two 'Gun' reverted again to 'hyeon'. In 1895, Jeju-mok was redesignated as Jeju-Bu with a governor (Gwanchalsa) and Vicegovernor (Chamsagwan) and a police agency was newly established, while in both Jeongui and Daejeong the offices of 'Gunsu' (county chief) were again established. The very next year, the office of 'Gunsu' was abolished and the old system was restored. Then in 1906, abolishing the Moksa system altogether, the Gunsu or County chief system was adopted. In 1910, Jeongui and Daejeong were included in Jeju gun while Chuja-myeon was placed under the jurisdiction of Wando-gun, part of South Jeolla province. [edit]Modern Japan took Korea over forcefully in 1910. In 1915 the gun or county system which had been adopted in 1906 was abolished and Jeju island was designated as part of the 'island' system and called Jeju myeon under South Jeolla province. In 1931, Jeju-myeon was raised to the status of Jeju-eup or 'township' which gave the island one township (today's Jeju-si area) and 12 'myeon'. On September 1, 1955, Jeju Township was elevated to city status with 40 administrative wards which on January 1, 1962, were reduced to 14 wards. On July 8, 1956, Seogwi, Daejeong and Hallim-myeons were raised to the status of townships while the southwestern portion of Hallim Township was separated and newly designated as the Hankyeong district(myeon) which gave the province one city, two counties, three townships and 10 myeon or districts with 14 wards in Jeju City. May 23, 1979 saw the restructuring of the Jeju-si wards and the addition of three more, giving 17 wards. In March, 1980, the construction of a new provincial office was started in Yeon-dong of Jeju-si and in December of that year the four myeon of Aewol, Gujwa, Namwon and Seongsan were elevated to the status of townships giving the administrative area one city, two counties, seven townships, six districts and, within Jeju-si, 17 wards. In 1981, the development of the Jungmun Tourist Complex brought about the unification of Seogwi township and Jungmun-myeon (district) into one as Seogwipo-si consisting of 12 wards (dong) giving the province two cities, two counties, six townships, five districts and 29 wards.

Former flag of Jeju-do

On October 1, 1983, Jeju-si's Samdo ward was divided into two wards to give a total of 30 wards in the province. Yongdam ward in Jeju-si was restructured into Yongdam ward one and Yongdam ward two on October 1, 1985. On April 1, 1986 Jocheon myeon (district) was elevated to the status of Township and Yeonpyeong-ri Gujwa township was raised to the status of Udo district (myeon). The provincial area now administered 2 cities, 2 counties, 7 townships, 5 districts and 31 wards, the status of the province as of 3 December 1996. [edit]Current Until 2005, Jeju Province was divided into two cities (si), Jeju and Seogwipo, and two counties (gun), Bukjeju (North Jeju) and Namjeju (South Jeju) respectively. The two cities were further divided into thirty-one neighbourhoods (dong), while the two counties were divided into seven towns (eup) and five districts (myeon). The seven towns and five districts were in turn divided into 551 villages (ri). In 2005, Jeju residents approved, by referendum, a proposal to merge Bukjeju County into Jeju City, and Namjeju County into Seogwipo City. Effective 1 July 2006, the province was also renamed Jeju Special Autonomous Province with two nominal subdivisions, Jeju and Seogwipo city. In addition to changes in name, the province has been given extensive administrative power that has been reserved for the central government. This is part of plans to turn Jeju into a [16] "Free International City". Jeju, on 1 July 2006, was made into the first and only special autonomous province of South Korea. Naming In Korean, do is the phonetic trancription of two distinct hanja (Chinese characters) meaning "island" () and "province" (). However, Jejudo generally refers to the island, while Jejudo refers to the government administrative unit. The table below also includes the name of Jeju City, the provincial capital.

English Name

Korean Name

Hangul

Hanja

Jeju Island

Jejudo

Jeju Province

Jeju-teukbyeoljachido

Jeju City [edit]Cities

Jeju-si

Map

Name

Hangul Hanja Population (2010)

City

1 Jeju

401,192

2 Seogwipo 130,713

[edit]Symbols Provincial flower: Rhododendron (Rhododendron Weyrichii / Max (Chamkkot)) Provincial tree: Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora siebold / Noknamu) Provincial bird: Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos quelpartensis)

[edit]Society

and culture

Dol hareubang.

Because of the relative isolation of the island, the people of Jeju have developed a culture and language that are distinct from those of mainland Korea. Jeju is home to thousands of local legends. Perhaps the most distinct cultural artifact is the ubiquitous dol hareubang ("stone grandfather") carved from a block of basalt. Another distinct aspect of Jeju is the matriarchal family structure, found especially in Udo and Mara, but also present in the rest of the province. The best-known example of this is found among the haenyeo ("sea women"), who were often the heads of families, because they controlled the income. They earned their living from free diving, often all year round in quite cold water, without scuba gear, in order to harvest abalones, conchs, and a myriad of other marine products. It is thought that women are better at spending all day deep-water diving because [17] they resist cold better. However, because of rapid economic development and modernization, [18][19] few haenyeo are still actively working today. Bangsatap Bangsatap are small, round towers made of many stones. There are many Bangsataps and you can see them near the countryside in Jeju. People usually pile up many stones, making a shape like a tower in order to protect themselves from the bad luck in their village. They have built Bangsatap according to the theory of divination because they believe that geography is very important in choosing the right place for them. It is also a good example to demonstrate

religious belief in Jeju island because it is an object that people can rely on putting rice paddle inside the Bangsatap to gather as much money as possible and also putting an iron pot to overcome a disaster and fight fire in their village. Nobody knows that when the Bangsatap was built in the past year. [edit]Sports [edit]International

competition

Jeju-do served as one of the host cities of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, with matches hosted at Jeju World Cup Stadium. [edit]Football Jeju United is the only professional sports club on Jeju-do. Jeju United was runner-up in the KLeague in 2010. Jeju-do has a famous high school football tournament which begun from 1971. [edit]Cuisine

Jeonbokjuk, abalone porridge

Jeju Island is the southernmost and largest island isolated from the Korean peninsula. Due to its lack of fresh water, paddy farming is only done on a small scale on the island, with the cultivation of cereal crops such as millet, barnyard millet, buckwheat, and barley being the main feature of agriculture. Therefore, the traditional Jeju meal generally consisted of japgokbap which is a bowl of steamed multiple grains as a main dish, with various salted [disambiguation needed][20][21] dried fish called jaban as banchan (side dishes), and a soup based on doenjang (soybean paste) such as baechuguk made withNapa cabbage, kongnipguk made with soybean leaves, or muguk made with daikon. Jeju dishes are made with simple ingredients, and the taste is generally salty. Raw seafood called hae is commonly consumed as a part of the meal. The warm weather affects Jeju cuisine in that gimjang, preparing kimchi in late autumn for winter consumption, is not necessary to Jeju locals unlike the other provinces. Only a small amount of kimchi is pickled by Jeju locals. Representative main dishes in Jeju cuisine are porridge made with fish, seafood, seaweeds, or mushrooms. Examples [22] include jeonbokjukmade with abalone, okdomjuk made with Red tilefish, gejuk made with [23] crabs, gingijuk made with small crabs called bangge (Helice tridens), maeyeoksae juk made [24] [25] with young wakame, and chogijuk made with shiitake.

Gamgyul is a type of orange similar to the Mandarin orange or tangerine, commonly harvested in Jeju island. Black pig is a delicacy on the island as well. Black pigs are famous for their black hair and their meat for its chewy texture. The meat is chewy and nutritious, but does not have the unique smell of pork. Black pigs other notable features are their long faces, narrow snouts and small ears that stand up. [edit]Myths

and legends

The myth of Seulmundae Halmang is well known in Jeju. According to this myth, Seulmundae Halmang (Grandmother Seulmundae) could reach from Sung San Ill Chul Bong to Guan Tal island at Aeweol in a single stride, and with both feet to Mount Halla. She was very strong, had 500 children, and built Mount Halla with seven scoops of earth. One day, Seulmundae Halmang was making soup for her sons while her sons were out hunting. While they were gone, she fell into the pot and drowned. On their return, they hungrily ate the soup, without knowing that it contained their mother. However, the youngest son knew. He told the truth to the rest of the sons, and the whole family cried, and eventually turned into 500 stones. [edit]Economy

Jeju FIFA World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo

The Jeju economy has traditionally been supported by primary industry, agriculture and fishing, but tourism has taken a more and more important role as the island receives upwards of six million visitors per year. These are mostly Korean mainlanders but through the opening of the 2010 decade hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists have been arriving and the number is increasing. In 2006, the GDP of the province was projected at 8.5 trillion won (about US$8.5 billion), approximately 15 million won per capita. The provincial government's budget for 2006 was projected at 1.1 trillion won, an increase of 10% over 2005. Jeju is also a home for key functions of Daum Communications, site, and sole owner of Lycos.
[26]

a leading Korean internet

Jeju is also famous for hosting many conferences and international meetings, including the World Scout Conference in July 2008. Jeju has its own international convention center called ICC Jeju. The ASEAN-KOREA Commemorative Summit 2009 was held at ICC Jeju.

[edit]Main

sights

Jeju Stone Statue Park Statue.

Tourism commands a large fraction of Jeju's economy. Jeju's temperate climate, natural scenery, and beaches make it a popular tourist destination for South Koreans as well as visitors from other parts of East Asia. The most popular tourist spots on the island are Cheonjeyeon and Cheonjiyeon waterfalls,Mount Halla, Hyeobje cave, and Hyeongje island. There is a variety of leisure sports that tourists can take part in Jeju including golf, horse riding, hunting, fishing, mountain climbing, etc. Depending on the season, Jeju hosts many festivals for tourists including a penguin swimming contest in winter, cherry blossom festival in spring, the midsummer night beach festival in summer, and Jeju horse festival in autumn, among others. For most tourists, traffic to and from the island is mainly taken through Jeju International Airport and transport within the island by rental cars. Some local products are popular to tourists, including Jeju's special tile fish and mandarin oranges, aside from souvenirs and dutyfree shopping. Jeju was chosen as one of the 28 finalists of the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign by the New7Wonders Foundation. [edit]Tourist
[27]

attractions

Hallim Park is one of the oldest and most popular tourist attractions on Jeju. It is located on the west coast of the island. There is an annual fire festival on the island that stems from a custom of removing harmful insects and old grass in villages every winter. The fire festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month each year. Dal-gip(to pile up much wood) is burned when the moon rises while praying for good harvests and making good wishes. Jeju traditional food is all eaten at the site of the festival. This festival was held 13 times until 2009. The ""Jeju Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival"" started in 1997 and become a leading festival of Jeju. This takes place in Saebyeol Oreum located in Bongseong ri, Aewol Eup. It takes up 25 minutes from Jeju International Airport by car. Jeju citizens do their utmost to prepare the Fire Festival so as to pass down, develop and ultimately develop branding for the unique folk culture resources of Jeju. Saebyeol oreum has a characteristic of a complex volcano. It has the horseshoe shaped crater that is both very wide and slightly split. Also, it is rising high with the little peaks making oval from the south peak to northwest. The scale is above the sea level 519.3m, height 119m, circumference 2,713m, area 522,216. Saebyeol oreum, which is the middle size among the 360 oreums in Jeju island. It's named after the saying "it brightens like a star".

Olle is a word in the local dialect which refers to the paths between houses and public roads." The Jeju Olle Trail, called Jeju Olle Gil or simply, jejuolle in Korean, is a long distance footpath on Jeju Island, an island off the southwest coast of South Korea. The course, mostly following the coastline, consists of 21 connected numbered main courses, 5 major spurs, and a short spur that connects to Jeju Airport. The courses have an average length of 16 km and all together total 404 km. The exact length and locations change over time as trails are modified or re-routed. The courses pass through small villages, cross beaches, wind through farms and orchards, twist through forests, climb oreums (low parasitic volcanoes), and provide a good look at the lives of average Islanders and the unique natural beauty of Jeju Island.
[29]

[28]

Manjanggul is one of the longest lava tubes in the world. Manjang Cave, situated at Donggimnyeong-ri, Gujwa-eup, North Jeju, 30 kilometers east of Jeju City, was designated as Natural Monument No. 98 on March 28, 1970. The annual temperature inside the cave ranges from 11 to 21, thus facilitating a favorable environment throughout the year. The cave is also academically significant as rare species live in the cave. Created by spewing lava, "the lava turtle", "lava pillar", and "Wing-shaped Wall" look like the work of the gods. It is considered to be a world class tourist attraction. The Geomunoreum lava tube system is the most impressive and significant series of protected lava tube caves in the world and includes a spectacular array of secondary carbonate speleothems (stalactites and other formations). And it overwhelms other lava tubes with its abundance and diversity. The Geomunoreum Lava Tube System, which is regarded as the finest such cave system in the world, has an outstanding visual impact even for those experienced with such phenomena. It displays the unique spectacle of multi-colored carbonate decorations adorning the roofs and floors, and dark-colored lava walls, partially covered by a mural of carbonate deposits. In addition, lava tube caves are like those in limestone karst in scale, shape and internal decoration, but completely different in origin. Lava tube caves are known from basaltic terrain in most of the world's volcanic regions. The lava tube caves of the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System are, however, regarded as internationally important due to their length, massive volume, intricate passage configuration, well preserved internal lava features, abundant and spectacular secondary carbonate formations, ease of access, and their scientific and educational values. Another feature making Geomunoreum Lava Tube System globally significant and distinctive is the presence of carbonate deposits and formations. Very small deposits of calcite are common in lava tube caves, and are more significantly developed as speleothems in Duck Creek cave in Utah, USA. However, in abundance, density and diversity they are far less impressive than those of Yongcheongul and Dangcheomuldonggul Lava Tubes in Jeju, and the scale of these decorations within the lava caves of Jeju Island far exceeds any other comparable examples. The nomination is supported by the Commission on Volcanic Caves of the International Union of Speleology - the world's most authoritative scientific body on volcanic caves, which regards Jeju's lava caves as being of the highest international ranking. Yongcheongul Lava Tube has been discovered subsequently and is of equivalent value

Sangumburi volcanic crater

Sangumburi Crater is the crater of an extinct volcano. Unlike its brethren Halla-san and Songsan Ilch'ubong, this one exploded quickly, but did not spew much lava nor did it form much of a surrounding cone. This phenomenon is called maru in Korean, and Sangumburi is the only one of its kind in the country, making it Natural Monument #263. The remaining crater is 100 meters deep and an average of 350 meters across. Over 400 species of plants and animals live inside the crater. Visitors can walk around part of the rim (the rest is private property and fenced off), but they cannot venture down inside the crater. A well-paved path leads from the parking area to the viewing area which has a small pavilion and several vista points. Also on the grounds are numerous grave sites made in traditional Jeju fashion: a wide, trapezoidal stone wall surrounding the burial mound. Several of the sites also have small stone figures that guard the mound from evil spirits. At the park entrance are several large rocks from the crater. During the eruption, molten rock flew from the volcano into the air and cooled into many exotic shapes. Mt. Halla is the mountain of one of the three gods and is a notable mountain. It stands at the center of Jeju Island, spreading east and west. The east face is steep, the north side is gentle, and the east and west form a flat, wide highland. Mount Halla is a dormant volcano created by volcanic activities during the quaternary period of the Cenozoic era.It is primarily covered with basalt. On its top is a crater Baeknok Lake. This mountain is a home to alpine plants and houses as many as 1,800 species of flora. It also boasts luxuriant natural forests and vast grasslands. In addition, precipitous cliffs and slopes, and unusual rock formations standing along valleys produce magnificent scenic views. The community of azaleas also adds to the beauty of Mount Halla. Mount Hallas autumnal tints and snow-covered scenes have been selected as the best of the best. The 43-km long Road 5.16 crossing the eastern waist of the mountain from Jeju City to Seogwipo City is considered to be one of the excellent tourist roads in Korea. Along this road, there are many tourist attractions such as Sancheondan and Seongpanak, and people can enjoy the royal azalea blossoms in spring, lush, green woods in summer, colorful foliage in fall, and a glistening landscape of snow in winter. While enjoying the scenes, the road takes you to Seogwipo City and brings a scenic view of many different beaches. The 37 km-long Road 110 crossing the western waist of the mountain from Jeju-si to Jungmun runs through a high ground which is 110m high above the sea level, and it passes by Eoseungsang Reservoir that is a source water for Jeju islanders and 99 Passes where, a legend says, neither a king nor a tiger are born because it is one short to 100 passes. It also passes closely by Youngsil Giam (Youngsil Grotesque Rocks). It is possible to climb up to Wetse Oreum along Eorimok Trail and Youngsil Trail and to the top along Seongpanak Trail and Kwaneumsa Temple Trail. [edit]Utilities The island's power-grid is connected to mainland plants by the HVDC Haenam-Cheju, and electricity is also provided by generators located on the island. As of 2001, there were four power plants on Jeju, with more under planning and construction. The most notable of these are the gas-fired generators of Jeju Thermal Power Plant, located in Jeju City. The present-day generators of this plant were constructed from 1982 onwards, replacing earlier structures that [32] dated from 1968. As elsewhere in Korea, the power supply is overseen by the Korea Electric Power Corporation, or KEPCO. In February 2012, the governor of the state of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, and the director of the Electricity Market and Smart Grid Division at the Korea Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Choi
[31]

[30]

Kyu-Chong, signed a letter of intent to share information about Smart Grid technology. The Jeju Smart Grid was initially installed in 6,000 homes in Gujwa-eup, and is being expanded. South Korea is using the pilot program of the Smart Grid on Jeju Island as the testing ground in order [33] to implement a nationwide Smart Grid by 2030. [edit]Media There are five local newspapers on Jeju Island: the Cheju Daily [34] [35] [36] [37] [38][39] News, Jeminilbo, Hallailbo, Seogwipo-News, Jejumaeil. The Jeju Weekly is the [40] only English language newspaper on the island. TV and radio stations include Jeju Free International City Broadcasting System (an affiliate of SBS), KBS Jeju, and Jeju MBC.