South Korea is in the global spotlight as they host this year’s Winter Olympics.
But other than the games most international news coverage of South Korea often focuses
on tensions between the country and its nuclear neighbor to the North.
But what would you say if I told you that most South Koreans are ACTUALLY more concerned
about their economy -- than they are about North Korea?
Hey guys!
I’m Judah, and this is NowThis World.
When I was in South Korea last year, I was shocked to find out that some of their subway
stations ALSO doubled as bomb shelters.
At first, It made me think that the threat of nuclear war MUST be on everyone's minds
ALL THE TIME -- BUT that’s not actually the case.
SO that got us got thinking what is life is REALLY like in South Korea?
The country is located on southern portion of —you guessed it— the Korean Peninsula.
It’s an incredibly homogenous society with most of its over 51 million citizens being
ethnically Korean.
The vast majority of those people, also live in close proximity to one another.
The country is so densely populated, that on average there are more than 300 inhabitants
per square kilometer of land.
South Korea is also going through some dramatic shifts in its demographics: In fact, Its birth
rate has declined to record lows in recent years, and the country NOW has more younger
people than older people for the first time in its history.This decrease in Koreans of
working age could have a grave impact on Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
Still, South Korea is one of the most prosperous countries in the world with a pretty high
standard of living.
The country ranks above the average in housing, civic engagement, and education.
It has a GDP per capita of over 27 THOUSAND US Dollars, and it also has one of the lowest
levels of income inequality in the world.
And not only do South Koreans make more money on average, but they also put that money to
good use: South Koreans spend more than most countries on education—and way less on things
like home furnishings.
But what about social life in the country?
Like in much of the world, soccer is an extremely popular sport in South Korea—both for playing
and for watching.
And “e-sports” are also proving to be a fast-emerging pastime for many South Koreans.
Surfing is also really popular in the country — like channel surfing and surfing the web,
that is.
South Koreans love their TV and Internet, and when they feel like going out, many opt
to head to the cinema in their free time.
Another aspect of social life, religion, isn’t really a big part of South Korean life.
Most people consider themselves unaffiliated with a particular faith.
Yet there are significant Buddhist and Christian minorities in the country.
Confucianism also still plays a role in some aspects of society.
The country ALSO has a rich cuisine culture.
Fermented foods are really popular, with soybean paste and soy sauce, playing essential roles
in Korean cooking.
A Red chili paste, known as gochu-jang, is also a widely used condiment.
And of course, we CAN’T forget about kimchi, a spicy, fermented vegetable dish that is
a staple in the Korean diet.
AND more often than not, these dishes are washed down with a glass of soju.
Which unfortunately brings us to our next point -- the country’s troubling drinking
culture.
South Koreans downs more hard liquor than ANYONE else in the world.
Alcohol is widely seen as a necessary tool to succeed in business and also unwind from
working the long hours South Koreans do.
But, this also means that nation has more alcoholics than any other country on Earth.
And the government spends about 20 BILLION dollars per year on alcohol-related costs.
Another trend that might cause concern, is the vast number of South Koreans that are
going under-the-knife.
It’s estimated that South Korea has the highest per capita rate of cosmetic surgery
in the world; one poll even found that 1 in 3 women between the ages of 19 and 29 said
they have had plastic surgery.
And for men, about 1 in 5 in five of them have also had work done.
And the most popular procedure?
The so-called “double-eyelid” surgery which makes one’s eyes bigger and provides
a more stereotypically “Western” appearance.
Worrying about superficial things like cosmetic surgery may seem silly to outsiders, especially
as tensions remain high with North Korea.
But in addition to looking good, South Koreans crave normality and are generally united by
the feeling that they’re “too busy” to really care about missile threats.
In fact, more than half of South Koreans (58%) said in a recent poll that they don’t really
think another war will break out on the Korean Peninsula.
So while the world focuses its attention on the diplomacy surrounding the Winter Games
-- In South Korea, people are still probably still eating kimchi, drinking soju, and going
about their daily lives, like the always do.
So we saw in this episode that global perceptions, including my own, of how people live in certain
countries can often be ill-informed and just downright wrong.
SO what are some other places you’d like us to look into next?
Let me know it the comments below!
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