South Korea: A Student's Insight on Her Homeland

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South Korea: A Student’s Insight on Her Homeland

South Korea first came into existence in 1953, following an armistice that split the Korean peninsula at a demilitarized zone. From 1961 to 1979, the new country saw fast economic growth, and held its first Presidential election in 1987 (The World Factbook, 2013). Since then, the country has become a functioning and successful democracy, still somewhat plagued by Northern counterpart with various attacks on ships and islands, as well as alleged nuclear testing in 2012 and 2013. While most of South Korea’s identity does rest with the hostility with North Korea, their economic and military presence has flourished in the last four decades. (The World Factbook, 2013). Hyebin Joo, a student at the University of North Alabama, is originally from South Korea, and has come to the United States to study abroad. In her interview, Hyebin explains South Korea’s economic status from a personal standpoint, and goes in depth on the perception of “freedom” in her home country, as well as media access when compared to information here in the United States. This essay will seek to report, explain, and analyze Hyebin’s thoughts on her own country, as well as express her thoughts on the United States.

Among the first few questions in her introduction, Hyebin explains that her family is middle to higher class in South Korea, as her father is employed at CitiBank and her mother sells insurance for a company called Prudential. According to their website, CitiBank Korea boasts over 200 branches and the title of the first foreign bank in South Korea (CitiBank, 2014). Prudential, a life insurance company known worldwide, advertises having had a presence in South Korea since 1989 (Prudential, 20...

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..., as there was still a lot of underlying government control amongst the media. Overall, Hyebin gave a very insightful and knowledgeable description of her country that correlated with many official resources, and her comparison of South Korea with the United States was both honest and intriguing when comparing our freedoms and economy.

Works Cited

Asia Pacific: Korea. (n.d.). Citi. Retrieved April 4, 2014, from http://www.citigroup.com/citi/about/countrypresence/korea.html

Prudential. (n.d.). Global Presence - Worldwide. Retrieved April 4, 2014, from http://global.prudential.com/globalpru/worldwide.html

The World Factbook. (2013). South Korea. Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2014, from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world factbook/docs/contributor_copyright.html

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