15 Peculiar Habits of South Koreans That Baffle Even the Most Seasoned Travelers

A lot is known about South Korea today: from the Koreans’ love of plastic surgery, Korean soap operas and even that February 14th is a holiday exclusively for men. On the other hand, the idea that Koreans are obsessed with dogs is just a stereotype.

But the curiosities don’t stop there; Korea still has many surprises, even for the most seasoned traveller. Do you know, for example, why a small age difference between two friends can make a huge difference in the relationship between them and why is it common to receive toilet paper as a gift when moving house?

we, from awesome.club, we think it’s always better to prepare in advance for the peculiar habits of a particular country rather than running into them unannounced. That’s why we created the list below with some interesting facts about this fascinating country. Follow with us!

South Korea has an interesting age calculation system for the West. Newborns are registered at one year of age as soon as they come into the world, rounding up the time they spent in the mother’s womb. Soon after, they can earn an extra year.

Korean Yun Sol was born on December 31st. And a few hours later, on January 1st, “she turned” 2 years old. This could become a problem when little Yun starts kindergarten, as there will be a physical and psychological developmental difference compared to other children. The eastern age count practically no longer exists in China, Japan and Vietnam. In Korea, however, this practice is still used with some frequency with the exception of driving documents.

Historic meeting between Kim Jong-un (leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK) and Moon-jae In (leader of the Republic of Korea). The country was divided in 1945

The name “Korea” comes from the ancient state “Goryeo” that existed on the territory of the Korean peninsula until its fall in 1392. The Koreans then changed the name of the country to “Choson”. Foreigners, however, continued to use the name “Korea” to refer to the country — mainly Europeans. When Korea split into DPRK and Republic of Korea (North and South for the rest of the world), the name “Choson” was kept in North Korea, and South Korea became “Hanguk”. The situation remains to this day.

The first thing Koreans do when they meet someone is ask their age. The Western world, in general, tries to shy away from age-related questions, particularly with women, as this can be seen as disrespectful. But for Koreans this information is important: this way they can determine that person’s “place” in the hierarchical system.

The author of the book “Korea and Koreans. What travel guides don’t talk about” said the following: “Let’s say your classmate is a year older than you. At first, you will use a more formal address pronoun to speak to him. After a while, he will be able to use informal pronouns to talk to you, but you will continue to use the more formal way to address him. Only after you’ve really become friends will you both be able to use informal pronouns, but even then you shouldn’t call him by name. In such cases, an expression equivalent to ‘elder brother’ must be used as a way of showing respect. Calling others by name is only appropriate for people of the same age or younger.”

Giving money as a gift is considered a good gesture if the person giving the gift is not your partner, family member or close friend. Otherwise, the person being gifted may be offended, as those close to them “should” make greater efforts. To solve this dilemma, just resort to the classic: branded clothes, some electronics or cosmetics.

As a housewarming gift, Koreans choose the most “practical” gifts. They can be either a washing powder or soap or a toilet paper! You shouldn’t be offended if a friend from Korea presents you with a roll of toilet paper after you move into a new house. Many Koreans actually believe that this can help determine how long a person will live in their new home, and this is a curious tradition. Today, toilet paper manufacturers do not follow a standard size, so the longer a person takes to finish the roll, the longer they will live in the house.

Remember when we said that jumping on a person who is sitting or lying down would make them not grow any longer? Well, for the vast majority of Brazilians this belief is no longer relevant at the time of high school, but for Koreans it remains until adulthood. There’s another superstition that South Koreans take very seriously: before exams, interviews or other important events, they choose not to eat seafood and seaweed soup. Otherwise, there is a chance of “slipping” among the algae and all efforts will be in vain.

Apparently, the rule of “universal balance” or “yin and yang” applies here, as Korean women tend to wear skirts that are too short, but they don’t like to show off their cleavage. The culture of the body is still a taboo in many countries of the East, but what would be the logic for the contrast between extremely short skirts and shyness when it comes to wearing cleavage? Well, there are several explanations, but the most widespread is that many Korean women are ashamed of the size of their breasts, which, in most cases, are not large. Interestingly, at the beginning of the 20th century, the fashion was totally different: the custom was to wear skirts almost “sweeping” the floor, but the blouses were so short and open that they looked more like tops than t-shirts.

“Hat with whistle? Why not?!” – commented an Instagram user in the photo of the girl above. In Korea, especially in Seoul, people invest in personal appearance and style, and often different elements and accessories are unusually incorporated into everyday wear. But maybe our readers know more “practical” ways to use a whistle, right?

In Korea, there is a special word for a single person — “solo”. And those who have never been in a love relationship in life are called “solo from the mother’s womb” (모태솔로). These people, as you might expect, aren’t too happy to be called by that “affectionate” nickname and always try to hide the fact that they’ve never dated. Only childhood friends, who grew up side by side, could confirm something like this, which often becomes a joke in groups of friends.

When the bride throws the bouquet, usually only one guest specific is ready to take. The money that the guests offer The newlyweds normally goes to the couple’s parents, who are responsible for organizing and paying for the entire ceremony.

In fact, 15 years ago in South Korea it was forbidden to marry people with the same surname. In 2005, members of the National Assembly approved an amendment to that law, according to which the ban applied only to people who were related to each other. Makes more sense, doesn’t it?

They climb the nearest mountains or hills to enjoy the beautiful sunrise view. Another option is to head to the east coast early in the morning. People usually take tea, warm clothes and, after seeing the first rays of the new year’s sun, make a wish.

It’s called “Marriage and Family”. During the 3 months of classes, students form “couples”. They should sit next to each other during classes and do some chores (watching movies together or talking on the phone, for example) so they can understand what it means to be in a relationship. The exercises are the most diverse: planning a birthday or a date without much expense, calculating the expenses of a wedding, etc. Often there is not an equal number of men and women and, therefore, students end up forming couples ignoring the differences between genders.

The interior of these chambers is air-conditioned with an ideal temperature, appropriate light and on the floor there is a cloth for possible “emergencies”. Of course, it is not possible to place a German Shepherd inside these places, but Koreans usually prefer more “compact” breeds.

Korean Hyeon shared her impressions of cultural peculiarities in the professional field after living and working outside Korea for a while. She noted that in many countries, when someone calls at work asking to speak to a person who is absent because they are, for example, in the bathroom, it is common to hear: “So-and-so is currently unavailable, call in 10 minutes.” . In Korea, however, the employee may respond, “So-and-so is in the bathroom.”

In Seoul, the capital of South Korea, all garbage must be properly separated for collection and recycling: glass, paper, organic products and plastic. The fine for incorrect separation can reach up to a thousand dollars (more than 4 thousand reais). For the packaging of waste, special bags suitable for recycling are sold. They come in different colors: for organic products yellow bags are used, and for the rest of the garbage white bags are used. It is forbidden to use any other type of bag: a citizen who is breaking the rules can be easily identified by the security cameras installed on every corner in Korea.

14. The worst thing for a Korean is to be involved in some embarrassing situation in front of friends

Koreans are very concerned about their appearance and behavior in society. In front of a…