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At any given time, someone in the world is craving K-barbecue. At the same time, somebody
is probably binging the latest K-drama somewhere in the world.
Today’s Hallyu resurgence puts the spotlight on South Korea and its culture. Korean music,
films, and celebrities have been dominating their industries, stealing the hearts and
recognition of many.
However, what else is there to know about this country?
Koreaboo or not, watch on to find out.
Korea is said to have heavenly origins.
According to legends, a descendant of Heaven
established Korea around 2333 BCE. The name ‘Korea’ originated from ‘Goryeo,’
which means ‘high and clear.’
Babies in South Korea are automatically 1 year old upon birth.
Because of this, a South Korean must be at least 19 years old to vote, drink, or smoke
legally in the country.
‘Hallyu’ is the proper word for the Korean wave.
Hallyu refers to the wave of pop culture from South Korea. You may be familiar with it from
the way people of different nationalities have formed an avid subculture for Korean
cooking, K-pop, K-drama, and Korean streetwear.
Kimchi has around 170 varieties. You may love it or hate it, but kimchi is
so integral to South Korean cuisine that there’s a museum in Seoul dedicated to the fermented
dish. Among all its variations, the spicy paechu or Chinese cabbage kimchi is the most
popular type.
Kimjang is a traditional kimchi practice in South Korea.
South Korea has a tradition for the autumn days where families and villages prepare their
winter supply of kimchi. It culminates in an annual Kimjang festival held in Gwangju,
a city in the southwest region of the country.
Almost every 14th of the month in South Korea has a corresponding romantic-themed holiday.
South Koreans celebrate Kiss Day on June 14th, while December 14th is Hug Day. Meanwhile,
April 14 is Black Day where single locals would mourn their singleness by eating jjajangmyeon.
South Korea consists of over 4,000 islands. It would take a person 9 years to spend a
day on each island in South Korea. However, it’s worth noting that some of these islands
have very different social environments from the country’s main cities.
Around ⅔ of South Korea used to be covered in forests.
However, the long, cold winters reared greater fuel needs for the increasing population density
of the country. Eventually, the resulting demand for lumber took a toll on the country’s forests.
South Korea houses the first astronomical laboratory in the world.
The Cheomseongdae Observatory was built at Gyeongju in the mid-600s, making it the first
observatory in recorded history.
Jinro Soju has been the best-selling liquor in the world for 11 consecutive years.
This South Korean distilled rice liquor surpassed Smirnoff Vodka in the world records
for 11 straight years. Definitely one of the cooler South Korea facts.
Over 20% of South Koreans have Kim as their last name.
Other common family names in the country are Lee and Park.
In Jeju Island, it is traditional for women to work while husbands stay home.
These women are also called the ‘haenyeo’ or sea women who dive for abalone, octopus,
and sea urchins. Although unorthodox, this 1,500-year-old tradition has been passed down
from generations of mothers and daughters.
Around 14% of South Korean youths suffer internet addiction.
This estimate from the South Korean National Information Agency led to the passing of the
Shutdown or Cinderella Law. Established in 2011, the law bans people younger than 16
from online game sites.
It is compulsory for all South Korean males to undergo military service.
One of South Korea’s most distinct practices is conscription, or mandatory military enlistment
for men between the ages of 18 and 28. Established in 1957, the law’s main objective is to
deter attacks from the North. Hence, the government requires 21-24 months of mandatory military
service for men within these ages.
South Korea shares a Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States.
South Korea and the United States have shared the Mutual Defense Treaty since 1953. As a
result, a large contingent of US troops are stationed in the country.
In South Korea, the Korean script is called Hangul.
Hangul has phonetic symbols for 10 vowels and 14 consonants. Meanwhile, North Korea
calls the Korean script ‘Chosŏn muntcha.’ Historically, this uniform writing system
helped the less fortunate achieve literacy.
South Korea has free WiFi everywhere. If you’re the type of person who can’t
be away from the internet, you’d never have to worry about it in South Korea. The country
offers free connectivity even on the most remote islands.
Parasite was the first South Korean film to be nominated for the Oscars.
Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite made history for bagging 3 awards at the 2020 Oscars, which
is a record high for any film ever nominated. Aside from winning Best Picture, Directing,
International Feature Film and Writing (Original Screenplay), Parasite was also the first foreign
film to win Best Picture in the history of the Oscars.
South Korea is home to the largest department store in the world.
The Shinsegae Department Store has been standing in Centum City, Busan since 2009. Spanning
a whopping size of 293,900 sq m, it grabbed the title from Macy’s flagship store in
Herald Square, New York.
Figure skater Yuna Kim was the first Korean winner of Olympic figure skating.
Also known as ‘Queen Yuna,’ the Korean athlete made history when she won the gold
medal for Figure Skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada.
The crane is a good fortune symbol in South Korea.
Reaching heights of 5 ft, red-crowned cranes are large birds that South Koreans associate
with fortune.
Eating rice cakes before an exam is good luck in South Korea.
Snacks are definitely a struggling student’s best friend, but South Korea takes it to another
level. Traditionally, South Koreans believe that snacking on rice cakes or Korean hard
taffy helps the person “stick” to what they learned and pass the exam.
Koreans believe that crows are unlucky. Throughout different folklores, crows have
been considered a bad omen. Crows are attracted to dead bodies, which is why Koreans believe
that a crow’s caw indicates bad luck.
Jeju is the largest island in South Korea.
Giant stone statues known as dol hareubang or old grandfather line the beaches of Jeju.
According to legends, newlywed women that touch the noses of the statues would be blessed
with fertility.
South Korea celebrates the Harvest Moon Festival. Over 20 million residents travel to their
hometowns annually for the Harvest Moon Festival. There, they will visit the graves of their
ancestors to bring them gifts like food.
South Korea’s mud festival draws millions of foreigners annually.
Throughout the 10 days of the Boryeong Mud Festival, tourists and locals can indulge
in mud massages, mud marathons, mud wrestling contests, and mud photo contests. Originally,
this peculiar festival started in 1998 as a strategy to advertise mud cosmetics. However,
it draws in a multitude of tourists to this day.
South Korean law enforcement implements crime reenactment.
As observed in the movie Miracle in Cell No. 7, police would lead crime suspects to the
crime scene and make them reenact the crime publicly. What makes it even more humiliating
is the invitation of the media to take footage and publish details about the crime.
Red is a lucky color in South Korea. As a symbol of good fortune, the color is
usually present in Korean wedding garments.
The number 4 is considered unlucky in South Korea.
The belief of this unlucky number traces its origin from China. Koreans traditionally fear
or avoid the number 4 because the term sounds like the Korean word for death.
Giving shoes as a present has a negative meaning in Korea.
Bad news for sneakerheads: giving someone shoes as a gift in South Korea is a big no-no.
Traditionally, it sends the message that one’s significant other will “walk away” from
them using the same shoes.
There’s a lot more to South Korean culture than what pop culture leads us to believe.
If you can admire the surface-level elements of their mainstream, you can definitely spare
a deeper look into its rich heritage.
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