10+ Habits that are very common in South Korea, but seem out of this world to foreigners

Korean Hhwang lived in St. Petersburg, Russia, for two and a half years and created a blog on Pikabu and a YouTube channel to share the biggest differences between these two countries. It deals, above all, with cultural issues. In Korea, for example, police officers can help students to the place where the local version of the entrance exam is held. Another curiosity: in the Asian country it is normal to go out on a date “with six”.

Hhwang told the team at awesome.club what life is like in korea and why it is so different from the rest of the world. In the end, we prepared two special bonuses. Follow up!

The “Suneung” (수능) exam — or School Skills Test — would be the equivalent of the entrance exam in Brazil. On that day, elementary school students will support high school students and wait outside with signs like “Take a good test so you don’t have to take it again!” or “We believe in you”. In addition, they sing songs and offer cookies with tea. At the subway and bus stations, there is a contingent of police officers on hand to organize traffic and ensure that no one is late. You can call 112 and find the nearest police officer to help you get to the test site.

Airplane and helicopter flights — as well as military training — are suspended for 25 minutes during the English listening test. There is also a list of “prohibited” songs, which should not be listened to before the exam: Koreans believe that the melody will be “hammering” in the head, thus preventing concentration when solving the exercises. Therefore, even radio announcers warn students to change stations because “such music will play now”.

Students can choose which classes they want to attend by visiting the university’s website. There is usually a limited number of places — around 60 to 100. Seats in the best classes sell out in a matter of seconds after registration opens.

To guarantee my place, I often went to the computer room, as the internet was faster there. Competition is very high among students and, therefore, there is a system of relative grades. This means that there are only a certain number of students capable of achieving the highest score, even if they all studied hard.

One of the classes is called “Marriage and Family”: the intention is to help young people navigate the world of relationships and, perhaps one day, find a partner. My friend signed up for this article with the aim of finding a girlfriend. The problem is that the number of boys enrolled was much higher than the number of girls and, therefore, his partner ended up being another boy. Despite this, they did all the exercises together and got the highest grade at the end of the course.

In Korea, love relationships can be a touchy subject. People sometimes appreciate that if someone doesn’t have a partner, it could be a result of some personal problem or previous failed relationships. The media encourages dating and marriages, and the movies are full of romance. “Couples” places and products are common: matching phone cases, watches, t-shirts, shoes, movie theater seats and even cell phone plans.

Koreans tend to believe that relationships are akin to some material possession. It is common for the conversation to go from “so-and-so bought sausage” to “so-and-so got a girlfriend”, all “in the same paragraph”. Concern about relationships with friends and relatives is also common: “Why are you single? Want me to help?”

To refer to singles who have never been in a love relationship there is even a special word, which would be translated as “alone from the mother’s womb”. Such people usually try to hide the fact that they have never had a partner, as this is often the subject of jokes.

Young Koreans often go to meetings in groups of three men and three women or five men and five women, especially students. They usually meet in bars and, if there is mutual interest between the two of them, they can exchange numbers so that they can go out together next time. Older people don’t follow this practice very much, but their dates are often arranged through friends.

After a few dates, the couple will decide whether to continue seeing each other. The bill at the restaurant is split in half, but men pay most of it on the first date so they don’t look like cheapskates. There is a cult of appearance, that is, much attention is paid to the physical characteristics of the potential partner: men seek thinner women and women, larger men.

In Korea, many adults still live with their parents, but it is not common to introduce a new boyfriend or girlfriend before marriage. Therefore, lovebirds choose to do out-of-home programs — restaurants, cinemas and walks through the park, for example. For intimate moments, motels are the choice. For parents, however, young people almost always say they went to spend the night with friends.

It is very difficult to look for a job here. When I returned from Russia, I sent my resume to over 100 companies, and only three of them responded. The interviews, then, are a separate story. Everyone in the West is used to talking about work experiences during the interview, but in Korea it’s considered normal to ask what your parents do, if you have a boyfriend and how much you drink.

The biggest downside to working in Korea is that many people will roll their eyes if you decide to go home early. It is common to see the looks, as if to say: “I’m still working, why are you leaving already?” So it’s not easy to break the stereotype that those who stay at the office late (even if they’re not producing) are the example to follow.

Vacations are also very short: new employees have about 15 days off a year. In my case, to take a vacation, I needed to talk to all the managers before deciding on the dates. This process is always a little awkward, as you have to say why and your boss may ask, “Oh, but who are you traveling with?” or “When is your flight?” Incidentally, there is no pay during the vacation period. When I was sick for five days, I was told after returning to the office that they would discount those days as vacation days. That’s how I missed sacred hours of rest.

It is customary to invite co-workers to weddings or birthdays. There is a tradition in Korea to celebrate the longevity of parents — when they reach their 70s, 80s, 90s. At such events, office colleagues always save money to give away. In fact, I find this a little strange, as most people don’t know each other very well.

When it comes to marriage, it is necessary to go to the HR department to receive a special sheet, in which each employee writes the value he intends to offer to the new couple. I always give my share, even if I don’t know the people involved.

Koreans love to stretch. They exercise everywhere: in the office, at the bus stop, on the plane. Don’t be surprised if you find a Korean stretching somewhere totally random. Some older people do massages with the help of trees: they rest their backs on the stem and move from side to side. It is not uncommon to see such practices in public parks.

The “do-in” technique is quite widespread – a self-massage of Chinese origin and performed with the fingers at specific points on the body to relax and prevent various pains and diseases. In many parks, it is possible to find special places with stones strategically placed on the ground so that you can walk barefoot – it is believed that it will relieve your feet of pain, even if the process is relatively painful. In stores, you can also find slippers with stone insoles. I bought one of these so my feet wouldn’t swell at work and it worked.

It is a very popular item that really helps you relax and stay healthy. There are, in general, many different equipments on the market especially for massages and they are often advertised in the media. One of the most sought after is the air purifier — due to the high pollution in the country.

Winter is not as severe as in Russia, but it is still quite cold. And we hate it. For this reason, the seats at the bus stops are heated so that we don’t get stuck while waiting for a ride. This technology does not yet exist everywhere, but it is spreading across the country.

Another technological innovation is the anti-smoking button. In Korea, you shouldn’t smoke in public places. Most people see smoking as a bad habit, and the government has been creating protective policies for non-smokers. If someone is smoking in a prohibited area, for example, you can press a special button, which will release the following voice message: “This is a prohibited zone”.

Prices for mobile internet are high — the equivalent of about $65 for the unlimited plan. But there’s a solution: Pocket Wi-Fi! It’s a small device, known as an “egg” and can be taken anywhere. Rates for this device range from US$13 to US$26 (in local currency).

The New Year for Koreans is a somewhat depressing holiday, as, according to the belief, on this night “we all get old at the same time”. The date of birth, then, is not so important, as age is calculated as follows: when babies are born, they are already one year old (the count starts from conception and therefore the time in the mother’s womb is counted ), and at every turn of the year, we add one more year to our age.

In other words, a person aged 20 in 2020 was born in 2001 — was conceived in 2000. Official documents indicate the “international” age, but within the country it is common to speak of age following the system I mentioned. So if someone asks how old you are in Korea, it’s better to say the “Korean” option. The year of military enlistment and the year of majority to purchase alcoholic beverages is determined from the “Korean” age.

It’s not just a stereotype, but a proven reality. There are very strict beauty standards in Korea and appearance is of great value. The boundary between the concepts of “thin” and “overweight” is very thin. In stores, for example, the largest size…