South Korea Cultural MergingSouth Korea Cultural Merging

Map Creator: Nicholas Angelin ’21, Japanese Studies

At the Convention and Exhibition Center in Seoul of 2019, the yearly Korea-Japanese festival was held to continue the celebration of the nations peaceful relations. Going strong since 2005, the festival is held in both Seoul and Tokyo to share the unique cusinies, clothing, traditions, and performances that each country wishes to promote and celebrate with the other. When viewing Japan and South Korea’s relations from this point of view, it appears very prosperies, but it was only a little more than a century ago when Japan had the Korea penisula as it’s colony, forcing change on it as it did with Gyeongbokgung Palace. So whats the history of the change? From the late 20th-21st century, exchange of foods, foreign business, and pop culture has lead to the now strong and constant cultural mergeing of the two unique countries.