South Korea: A student's view of his homeland South Korea first came into being in 1953, following a armistice that divided the Korean peninsula into a demilitarized zone. From 1961 to 1979, the new country saw rapid economic growth and held its first presidential election in 1987 (The World Factbook, 2013). Since then, the country has become a successful and functioning democracy, still somewhat tormented by its Northern counterpart with various attacks on ships and islands, as well as alleged nuclear tests in 2012 and 2013. While much of South Korea's identity lies amid hostility toward North Korea, its economic and military presence has flourished over the past four decades. (The World Factbook, 2013). Hyebin Joo, a student at the University of North Alabama, is originally from South Korea and came to the United States to study abroad. In her interview, Hyebin explains South Korea's economic status from a personal perspective and delves into the perception of "freedom" in her home country, as well as access to media versus information here in the United States. This essay will attempt to report, explain, and analyze Hyebin's thoughts on his country, as well as express his thoughts on the United States. Among the first questions in her introduction, Hyebin explains that her family is upper-middle class in the South. Korea, as his father works at CitiBank and his mother sells insurance for a company called Prudential. According to their website, CitiBank Korea boasts over 200 branches and the title of the first foreign bank in South Korea (CitiBank, 2014). Prudential, a world-renowned life insurance company, advertises that it has been present in South Korea since 1989 (Prudential, 20...... middle of paper ......, as there was still a lot underlying government control between Overall, Hyebin provided a very thorough and knowledgeable description of his country, correlated with many official resources, and his comparison between South Korea and the United States was honest and intriguing when comparing our freedom and our economy. Works Cited Asia Pacific: Korea (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2014, from http://www.citigroup.com/about/countrypresence/korea.htmlPrudential (n.d.). global.prudential.com/globalpru/worldwide.htmlThe World Factbook (2013, South Korea: Central Intelligence Agency, 2013). Retrieved April 4, 2014, from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the -world factbook/docs/contributor_copyright.html