Korean Kulture Trivia Quiz

Answer: T'aekwondo

T'aekwondo has a national membership of over 3.5 million and the World Federation is located in Seoul. It became a fully recognised sport at the 2000 Olympic Games. Ssirum is a form of wrestling that has been popular in Korea since the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC - 668 AD). In most contests the winner receives a large bull.

Answer: hanbok

The man's basic outfit consists of a chogori (jacket), paji (trousers) and turumaji (overcoat). The jacket has loose sleeves and the trousers are roomy and tied with straps at the ankles. Women also have a chogori with two long ribbons tied to form the otkorum (bow) and has long full sleeves and a full lenth, high waisted wraparound skirt called the chima. White cotton socks with boat shaped shoes of silk, straw or rubber are worn as well.

Answer: 81,340

The entire Korean Tripitaka was carved twice during the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392), on wooden blocks. The carving of the first set of blocks was completed in 1087. However, it was burnt in the invasion of the Mongolians in 1232. In 1236, King Kojong (r. 1213-1259) ordered them to be recarved. Sixteen years later, the present-day Korean Tripitaka was produced in 1251.

The blocks were made from white birch trees and were wholly submerged in seawater for three years, then cut into planks and boiled in seawater before being dried in the shade.

The logs were smoothed and the letters were painted on before being carved. There are 52,382,960 characters which were carved by 30 people, each character being carved after bowing to the Buddha. There is not a single mistake in the entire collection.

It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Answer: True

It was invented in 1234 AD, which preceded Gutenberg by two centuries.

Answer: a performer or craftsman

The Office of Cultural Properties realised that for Korea to protect its culture and heritage it needed to recognise committed individuals and masters to pass on their artistry to future generations. Each person has a number, and covers categories such as music, dance, games, rituals, martial arts and crafts etc. There are approximately 180 'living treasures'.

Answer: a spicy vegetable dish

Kimchi is comprised of celery cabbage heads, turnips or cucumbers, seasoned with salt, garlic, onions, ginger, red pepper and shellfish.

Answer: True

Like all agricultural societies, Korean life has always centered on tightly knit families. Large families have been prized, and over many centuries families intermarried within the regions of Korea to form large clans. Family names reflect this. A dozen family names predominate, especially Kim, Park, Lee, Kang, and Cho.

But Kims from the city of Pusan in the south are not the Kims from Seoul and all the Kims know exactly which group they belong to. In order to know who is who, families and clan keep detailed genealogical records that might go back many hundreds of years. Even in today's westernized Korea many people can still recite the glorious history of their clans and take pride in them.

Answer: it is a celebration that the baby has reached one year old without dying

Although the mortality rate has dropped dramatically, a child's first birthday, 'Tol' is considered a special event because the infant has survived a whole year. The custom is still practiced today. The first birthday is celebrated with special foods all having a particular significance including: the white steamed rice cake which symbolizes a pure and clean spirit; honey cakes to ward off evil spirits; stuffed rice cakes shaped like a half-moon that are steamed on a layer of pine needles for the child to be blessed with good things to eat throughout life; jujubes and fruit for the child's descendants to multiply and prosper; and noodles for a long life. Various objects such as money, a bow and arrow, and a writing brush, ink-stone and ink stick are placed on the table to foretell the future of the child depending on the first object that is picked up.

For example the child would become rich if he or she picked up money, a scholar if a writing brush, and a courageous person if the bow. If the child is a girl, colored paper, a ruler, and thread are placed on the table since sewing skills are highly valued in a woman.

Answer: False

Shamanism is the oldest religious ideal in Korea and performed mostly by women. There are beliefs that the natural world is filled with spirits both helpful and harmful that can be addressed by shamans. Herbal medicines, dances, chants and other ceremonies mark the work of shamans. Though few people believe in the religious ideas today, they do accept old ideas about the natural world and use many ancient herbal remedies.

Answer: Lunar New Year's Day

Sol-nal is New Year's Day for Koreans. Family ties are renewed and on New Year's Eve, people place straw scoopers, rakes or sieves on their doors and walls for protection from evil spirits in the New Year. Next day, everyone dresses in new clothes, symbolizing a fresh beginning, and gathers at the home of the eldest male family member. Ancestral rites are held, and the younger generation bows deeply to their elders, wishing them good health and prosperity.

The elders often give gifts of newly minted money after the bows are performed. Rice cake soup (ttokkuk) is served in the belief that it will add one year of age.

In fact, Korean age is calculated at the New Year, however most people now celebrate their birthdays on the actual date they were born. Ch'usok - The Harvest Moon Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month honours ancestors and there are offerings of newly harvested food. Songp'yon, crescent-shaped rice cakes stuffed with sesame seeds, chestnut paste or beans are a favourite. Families visit the graves of their ancestors to bow and clean the area for the coming winter. Community activities include masked dancing, an ancient circle dance, tug-of-wars and the tortoise game, in which two men dress as a tortoise and tour the village dancing and performing for food and drink. Mostly it is a time to give thanks for the autumn harvest and reaffirm familial and community ties. Ch'ilsok - The 7th day of the 7th month One night each year the constellations Altair and Vega cross a bridge made of magpies to meet in the summer sky. Rain in the evening means the two lovers have met and are shedding tears of happiness. Rains the next morning are the lovers' tears as they are forced to separate again. Rural villagers make offerings of newly harvested rice at the local shrine. Women and children clean the area around the communal well and light candles in a well rite and pray for the well being of children. Taeborum The first full moon is on the 15th day of the first lunar month. And is the beginning of the agricultural cycle. Koreans rise early, eat nuts and drink a cup of cold wine.

It is believed that the nuts will strengthen the teeth and the wine will sharpen the ears, which is thought to clear the ears for good news. A special 'five-grain rice' of millet, glutinous rice, beans and sorghum and dried vegetables is also eaten to ward off heat in the summer. Rural communities honour local spirits, hoping for a good harvest, and kites emblazoned with the word song-aek, 'good riddance to evil,' are flown, then released in hopes of good fortune through the year.