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Introduction to Korea
Korea is located between China and Japan on the Korean peninsula. The peninsula is approximately 1030 km long and 220 km wide. The population of Korea is about 49 million and almost a quarter of that population lives in Seoul. Other major cities in Korea include Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Incheon, Ulsan and Kwangju.
About 70% of Korea is mountainous making for some great hiking, scenery and photography. In addition, there are also beautiful beaches and islands around the country, ancient temples and breathtaking natural scenery. The best seasons for traveling around the country are the fall and winter when the weather is pleasant and the scenery is the nicest.
Koreans are friendly and endlessly fascinated by English and Western culture. Koreans do tend to be shy when you first meet, usually due to the language difference, but they warm up very quickly once you get to know them (or after a few drinks). Most Koreans are able to speak English at least at a basic level and an increasing percent of the population speaks English fairly well due to the pressure to learn English and increased international travel among Koreans. The level of English is much better in the cities and drops off as you get into the countryside.
Koreans are very generous and love to play host. They will often insist on paying the check when you go out (read more about dining customs here). Koreans are also happy to share about their country and any effort you make to learn Korean is always appreciated. I recommend any new teacher to the country to go out and make friends with Koreans as this is the best way to get to know about Korea.
