85 days and counting.

E-Mart.

South Korea is a country with a long history of occupation and war. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the Korean peninsula fell under Japanese imperialist rule. Japan's occupation ended as a result of WWII. A few years later, the Korean peninsula found itself, yet again, in a state of turmoil as the North and the South battled in the Korean War. After the armistice brought fighting to a halt in 1953, the capitalistic South Korea (Republic of Korea) put development into fast forward, in an effort to catch up to the modern world.

Today, South Korea is an increasingly powerful force in the global economy and it's citizens enjoy the many comforts of a consumer culture. Children as young as six have their own touch screen cell phones, large flat screen TV's can be found anywhere from classrooms to small restaurants, and a digital SLR camera is slung across every fifth shoulder. E-Mart, once owned by WalMart, is one of a handful of large grocery/department store chains prevalent in South Korea. These stores provide a diverse selection of goods ranging from produce to kimchi refrigerators.