South Korea is a country where all the world’s major religions peacefully coexist. There is no national religion in Korea and freedom of religion is constitutionally guaranteed.    Buddhism and Confucianism have been the most influential in the cultural heritage.  Shamanism (belief in gods, demons, and ancestral spirits) continues to exist along with other religions. 

Rituals mark life-cycle milestones and are extremely important in the observation of holidays and ancestral rites. The most important passages in a person’s life are the completion of a baby’s first 100 days, marriage, and the 61st birthday. Ancestral rites are performed to honor them on death anniversaries and on major holidays. Two of the most important holidays are Skollal (Lunar New Year) and Chusok (Harvest Moon Festival), often thought of  as  Korean Thanksgiving are observed according to the lunar calendar.  Families gather in the ancestral hometown or at the home of the head of the family. Traditional elements of holiday celebrations include the respectful greeting of elders, the preparation and eating of special foods such as special rice cakes and the wearing of traditional dress called hanbok. There are many fascinating holidays and festivals that center around well being and agriculture.  Families light thousands of lanterns along the Nam River for health and prosperity during the Jinju Lantern Festival.   It is one of the oldest festivals in South Korea.  The Boryeong Mud Festival consists of people gathering together once a year to enjoy dancing, sliding and wrestling in the mud.  It originated as a therapeutic festival and is now full of fun.

Self-image in Korea is very important, and dress is Western-style but conservative and respectful.  Koreans like to dress up for every occasion.  For modern Koreans, the traditional hanbok is the formal clothing worn during Korean holidays or on special occasions. Children wear hanbok on their first birthday and adults wear it for their wedding ceremony or major events within the family. For women, the hanbok has a slim top and wide bottom skirt like a bell which makes the wearer appear to float on air. For men, the hanbok consists of a vest, top jacket, and a pair of pants.

Koreans have links with the people of Central Asia, Siberia and Mongolia and have inhabited the area for at least 7,700 years.

The population of South Korea is almost completely ethnically Korean but there is a small minority of ethnic Chinese.  There is only a 3% foreign resident population.