A lot of people would think about advanced technologies, modern cities, high living standards, and many other economical features of South Korea. However, the interesting fact is that many people that still rely on traditional customs. When it comes to people from Europe and Northern America, the most popular terms related to this country are its northern neighbor under the communist regime and companies like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia, and more.
Still, there are many other attractive things that you can see at this pace.
Moreover, we have to mention that tourists more often think about Japan and China when someone mentions them Asian continent since they are larger and have a bigger influence in the world. That can be a great advantage because every tourist who doesn’t know so much about this country will surely get surprised by its geography, unique culture, traditional cuisine, history, and much more. You can visit Joteta if you are interested in traditional Korean clothes. Furthermore, we are going to introduce you to the most important things related to the tradition of this Asian country.
Soju Drink
It is interesting how different areas in the world have various unique alcoholic beverages. For example, Germany is known for beer, the Balkan peninsula for Rakia, Russia for Vodka, and Japan for Sake. The Koreans have a long history of drinking Soju, which is a drink with a high percentage of alcohol. The taste is similar to Vodka or Whiskey since they are using the same ingredients in the process. The interesting fact is that Koreans are on the top list of people in the world who are drinking beverages with a high amount of alcohol.
Different Method of Counting the Age
One of the most interesting unique features of this place is how they count their age. They are calculating years from the moment of conception. Therefore, a baby is already one-year-old when it is born. Also, even stranger is that everyone is automatically one year older at the beginning of New Year. For instance, a baby born in December is already two years old in January. People from western countries find this quite confusing, especially younger generations who often choose this country for studying abroad.
Love Motels
Another strange thing is related to rooms available for rent all over South Korea. They are struggling with certain social issues where younger generations often live in dorms with strict rules or the home of their parents, which makes it more complicated for younger people to be more private. It is completely normal to rent a room for a couple of hours, and you can choose from simple and affordable to more luxurious options.
Traditional Cuisine
While every country has some unique dishes, what is so unique about Korea is their different culture related to food. For example, many other parts of the world emphasize limited diet plans since there is a big issue with people being overweight. However, most Koreans don’t care about that and food is a very important part of their tradition. Therefore, you should not get surprised if someone asks you about food and whether you are hungry or not at the moment. Also, we have to mention that they have delicious dishes, and you will especially like them if you love spicy food.
Respect, Especially for Elders
It is natural for every human to express respect and gratitude to all people. However, this is brought on a whole new level in South Korea. People are relaxed and communicative like in any other place, but it is noticeable that their culture is a bit different, especially when we compare the behavior of younger generations. For instance, it is a rare case that some Korean will ever argue with their parents. There is a law that says how children must take care of their parents after they reach a certain age. Moreover, this can be noticed through other social activities, like strict obedience to official rules, behaving while in public, and more. Everything seems more peaceful in this place.
Kimchi
We already mentioned Korean food, and the most popular type of food is fermented cabbage called Kimchi. It has a long history in this country, and you can find it as an addition to almost every type of food. It is not that of a surprise that such a simple food is so popular since it has roots in the part of their history where people had a lot of struggles with economy and politics. They managed to become one of the most developed countries in the world, but some customs will never change.
The Bottom Line
There are many other interesting facts about this place as well. For instance, the most popular names are Park, Kim, and Lee, and more than half of the population has some of these names. Moreover, we have to mention the correction surgeries. Over 25% of all people here had at least a minor plastic procedure. However, they are not following the same trends as people in other parts of the world, where women mostly choose to enlarge their breasts or lips. They are trying to correct some parts of the face like eyelids or nose, but only in a way where it will be hardly noticeable.
Furthermore, we have to mention the gaming industry. This is the most popular sort of entertainment, and Koreans represent one of the most successful people in eSports. There is a plan to include the video games in the next Olympic Games, and we expect that Korea will be one of the main favorites for the medal. Besides the modern places and big cities, they also have amazing nature and wildlife. The best way to get the most out of your trip to South Korea is to use a train as the main source of transportation since you can travel from one to another part of the country in only a couple of hours.
