A typical South Korean meal consists of soup, rice, rice water and a number of side dishes or banchan that can number anything from 3 to 20. The banchan or side dishes are all served at the same time and these may be dishes of chicken, fish, pork, beef and dog meat as well as several varieties of vegetables and greens. Kimchi, which is a spicy pickled vegetable and Deonjang, or soy paste that has been fermented are also served along with South Korean meals and these items add flavour to the meal with their tangy and salty taste and high nutritional content.

South Korean food can be very spicy and most of the side dishes and soups are known to have red peppers in them. The banchan and the main meal are served together and the food is eaten with chopsticks, while soups can be eaten with a spoon. The table settings in a typical South Korean meal follow a fixed pattern depending on the kind of food that is served.

Some of the most popular dishes in South Korean cuisine include the Bibimbap, which is a kind of boiled rice that is mixed with various vegetables and peppers, Bulgogi, a marinated beef barbecue dish that is charcoal-broiled and served with onions and mushrooms and Grilled Gal bi, a speciality dish consisting of seasoned short ribs. Another dish that is very popular throughout South Korea is the Haemultang which is a kind of seafood stew. All these dishes are common throughout the region but there are some regional specialties like Dakgalbi, a spicy chicken dish that is part of Chuncheon city cuisine.

The most famous dish of all in South Korea is Kimchi (also sometimes spelt Kimchee). This side dish in effect is pickled cabbage and which also comes with spices, garlic and a few other ingredients. It can perhaps be compares to a roast dinner for British people, or to pasta for Italian. Mention the word Kimchi to just about any Korean person and see their face light up.

In general, Korea food is very often spicy and often involves a lot of garlic and rice. It can take a little while to get used to, but once you do, it can be very addictive and offers some great tastes.

In Korea, there are two types of undecorated buk used in traditional folk music. The sori-buk, which is used to accompany pansori music, has a tacked head, while the pungmul-buk has a laced head and accompanies pungmul. While pansori music and its drums feature satires and love stories, pungmul music has its roots in the collective labor of farming culture, although today it is also used in political protests. The sori-buk is played with both an open hand and a drumstick simultaneously, while the pungmul-buk is with only a single stick. Both types of music and the drums that go with them can be seen in cultural festivals in modern Korea.

The folk music of Korea, which makes such thorough use of drums, is quite varied. However, its songs are generally simple and bright, although those of certain regions are more complex than those of others. Folk music is still popular in Korea today, posing a striking contrast to the classical court music, which has nearly died out. Today, it can usually only be heard through performances associated with government-sponsored organizations.

Another prominent type of drum in Korea is the janggu, sometimes called seyogo. This instrument, like the talking drum of Africa, is shaped like an hourglass and had heads on both sides. These heads produce sounds of different pitch, although unlike those of its African cousin, once the drum is made, these pitches cannot be altered. When the two sides and pitches are played simultaneously, it can often represent a harmony between opposing or different forces, such as man and woman. This instrument, like the buk, has existed in Korea for at least two thousand years. Historical records indicate that it was used both in the field, like the pungmul-buk, as well as in the royal court of ancient Korea. This variety of use is in keeping with the instrument’s flexible nature and potential for complex rhythm. The janggu can be played with sticks, bare hands or both at once.

As previously mentioned, there is a wide variety of drums in traditional Korean music, far beyond the buk and the janggu. The galgo for example, is similar in shape to the janggu, having two heads and mimicking an hourglass, but it is played with two sticks and its heads are thinner. There are also many different kinds of buk, ranging from the jingo, the largest of the barrel drums, to the yonggo, which has a dragon painted on its shell and is commonly used in traditional Korean military music, to the sakgo, a long barrel drum suspended from a wooden frame.