Traditional and Modern Korea Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

Actually, the origin of the Korean language is in question as it pertains to the other Asian
languages, although it does have similarities with Japanese and the Altaic languages, of
which Mongolian is an example. The Chinese language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan (or
Tibeto-Burmese) language family, unrelated to Altaic, Korean or Japanese.

Answer: True

Although the Chinese and Korean languages are unrelated, the
Koreans borrowed from the Chinese language extensively for terms related to
government, scholarship, abstract concepts and other relatively complex concepts. This
is not to say that the Korean language does not contain native concepts that are complex,
but only that Chinese words have very successfully infiltrated and superseded the native
words, largely because of the massive influence of Chinese philosophy, education and the
like.

Answer: China

This may come as a surprise to many. There are approximately 1.8 million Koreans in China, 1 million in the
United States and 700,000 in Japan. The Koreans claim that the ancient Koguryo kingdom extended well into territory now claimed by China.

Answer: Chokpo

In Korea, the family
genealogy is of the utmost importance. This relates to the Confucian tradition, imported
from China. South Korea may in fact be the most Confucian of any nation today, very
carefully retaining the essential genealogy records required for ancestor worship.

Answer: Kisaeng

Kisaeng were professional
entertainers, like Geishas, and should not be thought of as prostitutes. Rather, a Kisaeng
is more of a well-educated and highly talented escort, capable of playing musical
instruments, reciting poetry and other such things. Today, however the Kisaeng have
been reduced to what would essentially be considered the status of a prostitute.

Answer: Marrying within one's clan

Traditionally, Korean men who were wealthy were welcome to take on a
second wife, aka a concubine. Marriage arrangement has always been acceptable in
Korea, and still is today although it is not as prevalent. In the traditional Korean family,
once a girl married in, she became the property, essentially, of the husband and his
family. Under the thumb of a demanding mother-in-law, life could thus be a living hell!
One major taboo in Korean culture is to marry someone of the same family name and
clan, even frowned upon up to the modern day...which is tough considering how few
major family names (important: there's more than one clan for each family name) there
are in Korea!

Answer: Cho Kwang-jo

Cho lived from 1482-1519 and
created a Confucian 'village code' which became the basis for law in the many small
villages throughout Korea.

Answer: Ondol

The Ondol was a
serpentine channel created with rocks and clay that passed underneath the home, from
the kitchen oven to the chimney. Traveling through the Ondol, the heat from the kitchen
fire was enough to warm the entire house, creating a comfortable environment for a
Korean family even in the cold winter months. By the way, the Ondol system is still used
in many Korean homes!

Answer: Meeting place for men

For relatively wealthy
Koreans, the sarangbang was a place of refuge for men to entertain their friends and male
relatives. Women were traditionally not allowed in the Sarangbang for any reason.

Answer: Scholar-officials

The Yangban are the traditional elite ruling class of Korean society,
and some Yangban families to this day retain a relatively high level of status in Korean
society!