Korea has an extremely beautiful landscape covered in mountainous peaks and surrounded by the sea and lovely beaches. There are four seasons in Korea, and each is marked by different wildlife, plants and festivities. For most of its history, Korea has been a relatively isolated country, with its people sharing a common language, culture and ethnicity. Because of this, a lot of Korean culture today is deeply tied to its environment. Although Korea's service and technology industries dominate their economy these days, Korea is still undoubtedly tied to its landscape.
Although it's a small peninsula, Korea has a unique environment. Hwacheon in particular is located in an extremely mountainous region. Although the mountains aren't all that tall, they do make driving difficult sometimes! We also have a large river running through town. Many Korean cities are located near the ocean and have large beaches and fishing cultures. There are plenty of animals native to Korea, and Hwacheon is proud of its mountain trout and otters.
While a lot of wildlife has been destroyed in recent years due to human activity, the DMZ has actually become a wildlife haven. Many plants have begun thriving again there and many wild migratory birds have found sanctuary there.
