Gregory Chu; Jongnam Choi; Chul Sue Hwang; Doug Andersen; Kenneth H. Keller; Michael Robinson; Kelly Swanson · 2016
This article introduces the second edition of The National Atlas of Korea, published in December 2014 by the National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) of South Korea in both Korean and English, and explores its value as a resource for teaching Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG) in the United States. The atlas comprehensively covers South Korea's geography and its social, economic, political, global, and historical attributes, and includes a section on demographic, urbanization, and economic data for North Korea collected by South Korea's Ministry of Unification in 2014—information nearly impossible to obtain from any other source, including the CIA World Factbook. The atlas is divided into five chapters: Territory, Government and Local Autonomy, Transformation and Development of the Land, Korea in the World, and Map of Korea. Chapter 3 serves as the geographic and social studies core, detailing the extensive planning and policy decisions behind South Korea's land use and development since the 1953 armistice, with hundreds of maps, charts, and photographs covering topics such as population growth, settlement patterns, migration, economic growth, regional development, resources and energy, transportation, urbanization, education, health, environment, culture, and quality of life. The article emphasizes effective classroom use of the atlas, distinguishing between map reading (extracting information) and map analysis (visualizing patterns and generating new questions), and systematically introduces spatial thinking techniques including visualization and pattern recognition, asking "what if" questions, analyzing geographic attributes, establishing spatial associations, and hypothesis generation, illustrated with specific atlas maps such as commuter growth in the Capital Region. The authors also present four ready-to-use lesson plans and an AP Human Geography Curriculum Articulation document linking atlas resources to the new APHG curriculum, all freely downloadable from the NGII website. The atlas is described as a treasure trove of geographic data, maps, statistics, and photographs that U.S. geography and social studies teachers can utilize to create customized lesson plans, promoting cultural diversity and spatial thinking at no cost.
정재준; 황철수 · 2017
Jeong Jae-joon and Hwang Chul Sue describe the Korean- and English-language three-volume National Atlas of Korea published in 2014–2016. Volume I covers territory and history, Volume II the natural environment, and Volume III the human environment. They credit the edition with broader thematic coverage, explanatory text alongside maps and graphics, more varied single-page and double-page layouts, and mapping techniques including cartograms and three-dimensional thematic maps. In their assessment, these changes improved readability and information delivery. They also identify limitations: the books’ size and weight reduce portability and accessibility, while restricted page space and a fixed classification scheme constrain responses to different readers and emerging social issues. On this basis, they recommend a more extensive, gazetteer-like print series, a digital atlas information system, regular online updates with explicit metadata, and permanent staffing and legal provisions for atlas production. These are proposals for future development.
Gregory H. Chu; Chul Sue Hwang; Jongnam Choi · 2018
The authors describe using The National Atlas of Korea I to develop four U.S. Advanced Placement Human Geography lessons on Sejong’s development, cultural diffusion, population, and development indicators. They regard the volume’s thematic maps and accompanying graphics, photographs, and statistics, freely available online, as suitable resources for teaching spatial thinking. Four experienced teachers developed the lessons, supplemented by a document linking atlas resources to the APHG curriculum. The lessons were delivered 19 times in secondary classes and twice at university level, reaching more than 800 students. Teachers reported that students could interpret maps of varying complexity with occasional assistance and improved in collaborative learning and critical thinking. These assessments rested on teachers’ qualitative observations, without a standardized questionnaire or rubric across the lessons.
