Over half a million years ago, in the 1st century BC, Korea was once a great nation. Three kingdoms ruled. They were the Guguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The entire peninsula and part of Manchuria were at their beck and call, but as time has changed throughout history, it is now said that Korea was once a large nation as a whole, but has now become two separate countries with many changes that were much appreciated. Those much-welcomed changes are the foundation that guide the two countries, but the one that has changed the most is South Korea. South Korea is now influenced by Western culture. What is observed is that South Korea is being led from its past towards a brighter tomorrow. What was once a great nation, now divided in two, sits on an East Asian peninsula between China and Japan. In 1948, soon after the end of World War II, Korea officially split at the 38th parallel, becoming known as North Korea and South Korea. The reason the entire nation split was that of a war. Not long after, North Korea was learned about, but the country that people see as being affected is South Korea. South Korea from the beginning was ruled by the Chinese empire. China had given an identity to South Korea. The identity given to South Korea was that of East Asian culture. East Asian culture is centered on the Chinese Confucian tradition. As well as having the phenomenal quality of being homogeneous. Which is another way of saying that they are a homogeneous people. Confucianism is loyalty to family, company and nation. Confucianism derives from ethnic Chinese and Hinduism. South Korea had no idea how to live for them, so the Chinese helped them by giving them an identity that matched their... half of the paper... which a way of life in the world and Korea from the South have demonstrated that, while maintaining their original identity given by the Chinese, they also relied on their own values ​​in order to have a place in the world. South Korea has learned that all human beings are worth something and have value through the influence of the West, and that daughters and women in general are just as good as men. The West has influenced South Korea for the better through its customs and ideals about the roles of women and men, as well as giving them more meaning in their lives as a people. Works Cited http://www.hurights.or.jp/archives/focus/section2/1998/03/cultural-values-and-human-rights-the-korean-perspective.html? http://www.asanet.org/images/members/docs/pdf/special/asr/ASR_65_1_Article_1_Inglehart_Baker.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernization_theoryhttp://www.learnkoreanlingual.com/Korean-Culture .html