- You are born at age 1
When you are born in Korea, you are immediately considered to be one year old. This means that whatever your actual age, instead your Korean age will always be one year older. Think that’s weird? It gets more bizarre. All Koreans on New Years become a year older instead of their actual birthday. So that means that if a baby is born on December 31st, they are one, then the next day they are considered 2 years old. No wonder they live to be so much older!
- Food and taxis are CHEAP!
It’s the little things that really made Korea for me. Cheap, spicy goodness and transportation that didn’t break the bank are two of those things. Korea prides itself in its spice and man oh man do they get it right. For a mere 5,000 won (roughly 5 USD), I was able to enjoy a giant plate of chicken gaiba with several side dishes and for 10,000 won (10 USD) you can find endless meat buffets. I have finally found heaven on earth.
- You can drink anywhere you want
Bars, shops, the train, the bus, the even the middle of the street, drinking in public in Korea is totally legal and actually quite the norm in the country. It’s quite common to see drunk Koreans passed out on a sidewalk or train from a good night out. Alcohol is also often sold in vending machines for easier access. Just try not to overdue it like these guys.
- Korean couples let it be known!
Quite the opposite of their neighbors, Japan, Koreans very much enjoy showing off their relationship statuses. You will often see Korean couples holding hands, kissing, and actually wearing matching outfits is quite common! For some reason though, I’m still the one getting the weird looks from people. Oh well.
- Wifi is everywhere
Honestly, if you’re living in a bigger city in Korea, I don’t even see the need to get a data plan on a smartphone. Free wifi in Korea is everywhere! While in Jeju City, I was able to feed off of different wifi pretty much wherever I went. Restaurants, convenience stores, and even some taxis have wifi service in them. This is what it needs to be like everywhere!
- Masses of identical apartments
This one struck me as kind of depressing in a communist sort of way. Upon first gazing at the skyline of an apartment block in Busan, I was quite surprised to see that all of the buildings looked identical. Apparently Koreans don’t really care much for architecture and would rather mass build housing complexes with the same exact design for each one. I’m sure there are at least a few drunk residents who have walked into the wrong building and found themselves in somebody else’s shower. That would make for quite a story.
- North and South Korea are still at war
While some may already know about this one, many still don’t realize that the Korean war has never officially ended. After a 3 year long bloody war between North and South Korea during the 1950s, a ceasefire was signed and has been upheld since then. Technically though it could end at any time and it’s not as though the two countries are on good terms with each other. Let’s hope that day never happens.
- Your blood type determines your personality
Originally starting in Japan, the idea then spread to Taiwan and then to South Korea becoming even more popular than it’s predecessors. The idea is that your blood type determines the type of personality you will have and is very similar to how we use astrology in the western world. You would be hard pressed now to find a Korean that doesn’t know their blood type. They take this stuff bloody seriously.
- Korean’s are afraid of the number 4
One, two Freddy’s coming for you. Three…fo..wait where is four? You won’t find it here in Korea that’s for sure. It turns out that the number four terrifies Koreans and many other Asian cultures. Why? Apparently in Asian culture, whether or not a number is good or bad depends on the words that name sounding similar to other words. The number four happens to share a name similar to the word for death. Because of this, it is common that buildings will often not have a fourth floor but instead a third floor and a three-a floor.
- Bars and clubs stay open all night
If you enjoy partying till the sun comes up then South Korea may be the place for you. There are no laws in Korea that force bars or clubs to stop selling alcohol at a certain point, therefore many of these places will stay open till as late (or as early) as 7am! Just in time for a hangover breakfast of eggs and vomit!
- Koreans never use red ink
Similar to their problem with the number four, Koreans are also very superstitious when it comes to writing things in red. Red is the color symbolizing death in Korea and if you write a persons name in red, it means that you either want them to die or you think they will die soon. Therefore if you find yourself signing that card to little Min-jun’s 10th birthday party with a red pen, you may not get the happy reaction from him that you were expecting..
- Plastic surgery is common and socially praised
While plastic surgery is a pretty common trend in this day and age, the western culture usually doesn’t deem it a very positive thing to do under normal circumstances. The ones that do end up getting their nose jobs don’t tend to brag about it to their coworkers or friends. It is quite the contrary in South Korea however. Koreans deem plastic surgery as a very understandable thing. Feeling the pressures of wanting that “Caucasian look” that many of them seek, Korean women will often go through multiple surgeries to attain bigger eyes, a higher nose, and a slimmer chin. After these surgeries, many of them will be praised by coworkers, family, and friends on their new appearance. Add that to the fact that the surgeries are relatively cheap and you get one of the largest markets for plastic surgery in the world.
- They love their election campaigns
One of the very first things I noticed when stepping onto the busy streets of Jeju and Busan were the crowds of dedicated campaigners holding signs and handing out fliers. It wasn’t just a few people either but rather large crowds of them at every intersection, with election cars driving down the roads shouting out of loudspeakers to the people. It was even more interesting when the governor of Jeju himself came to a local chicken place I was eating at and started introducing himself to people and taking photos. He even came up to me and introduced himself in English! Although it was a very positive experience, I also heard a horror story from a girl about an election car going up and down her neighborhood at 6am roaring over their loudspeakers. The girl in question unleashed her dog on them and hasn’t heard from them since.
- Yet, You’ll never have Cold Feet In A Korean Home
Image Source: Scmp
Korean homes are probably the most efficient in the world. Indeed, Korean homes are designed for efficiency: they use an under floor heating system which uses direct heat transfer from wood smoke to the underside of a thick masonry floor. Traditionally, the heating system served a dual purpose: keeping the family warm, and cooking. The technology has changed, but Korea definitely has an edge in this domain: Archeologists found traces of such heating system on sites dating as far as the Bronze Age, circa 1000 BCE.
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