Surprising facts about South Korea
South Korea is a very distinctive country, and its history is replete with dramatic moments and drastic changes. Until the 1960s, the Republic of Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. According to 1959 data, almost every tenth inhabitant of the country was sick with tuberculosis, and every hundredth with leprosy. There was little piped water in the country, and 90% of the population used water from rivers and public wells. But just a few years later, a period of rapid economic growth began in South Korea, and if in 1963 the gross national product per capita was about $100, today it is more than $31,000.
Rapid economic growth led to an equally rapid orientation of the entire way of life to Western standards, sometimes taking on almost grotesque forms. But still, many traditions have been preserved and are still bright features of the unique image of South Korea.
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1. Drinking
Alcohol is a longtime enemy of South Korea, and the country ranks 7th in the world in terms of alcoholism. Korean drinking has its own characteristics. Almost all working Koreans once a month, and many every weekend, arrange a feast with their colleagues, accompanied by copious libations. Such events are called hoesik (“hoesik”) and during these feasts, many rules must be observed. For example, if the elder pours a drink, then the younger must hold the glass with both hands. If the younger one pours for the older one, then the bottle should also be held with both hands. Only pensioners and people convicted of power are allowed to use one hand. Toasts during “hoesik” follow one after another, and everyone must drink. Because of these traditions of "corporate culture", South Korea ranks 13th in the world in terms of alcohol consumption per capita, and in terms of pure alcohol, each of its citizens accounts for almost 15 liters per year. Among Asian states, this is an absolute record.
2. Red ink
Every nation has its funny superstitions. For example, for South Koreans, writing in red ink is like meeting a person with an empty bucket for Russians. Many Koreans believe that if you write someone's name in red ink, something very bad will inevitably happen to that person. The names of the dead are written in red ink on special banners during the funeral ceremony. It is believed that the dead can be protected from demons in this way, but for the living, red ink is not protection, but, on the contrary, a curse.
3. Handshake
In order not to be seen as rude or come across as ridiculous, shaking hands in Korea must follow local rules. So, people of the same social status and close friends use only one hand to shake hands. But if a boss and a subordinate shake hands, or if there is a big difference in age, then the elder holds out one hand, and the younger shakes it with both hands.
4. Relations between Korea and Japan
Relations between South Korea and Japan have never been particularly warm. More precisely, they are either terribly bad or bad. In the past, military conflicts took place between Korea and Japan more than once, and in 1910 Japan completely conquered Korea and began to actively spread its own language, which, by the way, has nothing to do with Korean. During the Second World War, Japan again invaded Korea and is still forced to apologize for those monstrous in their cruelty and scale of the crimes that were committed by its military.
Today, tensions continue to linger over a group of islands that the Koreans call Dokdo and consider their territory, while the Japanese call them Takeshima and also consider them theirs. After the Second World War, the islands passed to Korea, but Japan stubbornly continues to challenge their sovereignty.
5. Attitude towards skirts
South Korea continues to be a very conservative country in many ways. But this has nothing to do with clothing. Today, any woman can safely put on a miniskirt and not be afraid of any persecution or sidelong glances. But until 1979 in South Korea, women's clothing was controlled very tightly. Not only the length of skirts was regulated, which should not have been above the knee, but even the length of the hair.
Recently, when the government of the country tried to slightly restrict the freedom of choice of costumes for media workers, who often look very frivolous, this caused such a commotion in society that many even began to argue that the government was trying to return the old, hated by everyone orders.
6. Toilet park
There are a lot of different theme parks in South Korea. And the topics can be the most incredible. For example, in the city of Suwon, where the headquarters of Samsung Electronics Corporation is located, there is an amusement park whose theme is toilets. It was opened in 2012 in honor of the former mayor of the city, Sim Jae-duk, who was also the organizer and chairman of the World Toilet Organization. For the work of this organization in 2007, Sim Jae-duk even built a special building shaped like a toilet. After his death in 2009, a museum was organized in an unusual building.
There is an exhibition in the Toilet Park, which displays toiletries from different eras and different nations, as well as many figurines depicting people doing what no one else can do for them. Entrance to the park is completely free.
7. Plastic surgery
In South Korea, plastic surgery is treated so calmly that it never occurs to anyone to do the operation in secret. The craze for "plastic surgery" is so massive that statistics from 2009 claim that one in five Korean women have undergone one or another plastic surgery. Many parents give their daughters plastic surgery as a graduation gift. Most often, this is an operation that changes the shape of the eyes to make it more like a European one. The popularity of such operations is fueled by a popular reality show in which the former "ugly women" and "ugly girls", as all participants do not hesitate to call them, after the operation turn into "beauties" receiving universal approval.
The "Europeanization" of persons with the help of surgery acquires in Korea the character of a real mass insanity. Even dangerous complications do not scare people away from the operation. Many Koreans are ready to forever lose the ability to normally chew, swallow, and generally feel anything with the skin of their face, if only it becomes a little more like a European face.
8. Bullfight
Corrida in Korea has its own specifics. Here the battle is fought only between bulls that have passed a special selection. Bulls of a suitable build are sent to special farms, where they undergo a training course and receive a special sports diet, which, in addition to grass and hay, also includes fish, snakes and octopuses.
Before the fight, the bulls are given an alcoholic drink to drink, which adds to their aggressiveness. Arena fights can last from just a few seconds to several hours, but they very rarely end in death. The losing bull, obeying instinct, simply runs away from a stronger opponent, and the fight is considered completed. The winner is paid a good cash prize.
9. Terminators for jellyfish
The increased reproduction of jellyfish in our time is a real problem faced by many countries. Giant concentrations of these creatures can interfere with fishing, and when hordes of jellyfish sail to resort areas, it turns into a real financial disaster for local residents, as tourists run from jellyfish like from fire. In Sweden, jellyfish that filled the pipes through which water was supplied to the cooling system led to an emergency shutdown of a nuclear power plant.
10. Trying to control the jellyfish population, the Korean Institute of Science and Technology is developing special robots, which were given the name JEROS. Robots must swim in the ocean, look for jellyfish and destroy them. It is planned that JEROS will kill up to 900 kg per hour. With such productivity, the sea near the beaches will always be free from stinging jellyfish.
Keywords: Facts | South Korea