7. Korean fruits are expensive
Fruit prices, including apples and pears, reached record highs with apples costing 6,000 to 10,000 Korean won per apple. That’s as high as $7. Per apple.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, this increase has led to a drop in fruit consumption for South Koreans. The South Korean Government data shows a 19% decline from 67.9 kilograms of fruit consumption per person in 2007 to 55 kilograms in 2022.
Despite the high prices, packaged fruits, especially luxury varieties like Shine Muscat grapes are given as gifts in Korea during the holidays.
A set of three apples in a local supermarket is $16, over $5 per apple.
8. There are blue sponges on many Korean cars
You will often see small blue blocks on the side of Korean car doors. These blue block sponges are remnants of cars being shipped from the manufacturer’s factory and are used to protect cars during transit.
Most Koreans prefer to keep them on their car doors to prevent future scratches or dents. Also, blue sponges on cars signify that the car is new which is another reason people like to keep them on.
9. The best Korean wedding gift is cash
In Korean weddings, the traditional gift is cash placed in envelopes, known as chug-ui-geum (축의금), or congratulatory money. The tricky part is figuring out how much cash to put in each envelope.
The amount depends on your relationship with the bride or groom and your attendance at the wedding. The range is 30,000 to 100,000 Korean won. A 2022 Statista survey indicated that 50,000 won is the most common gift amount. For those unable to attend, it’s now possible to wire the amount directly to the couple’s bank account.
While most couples opt for the modern “Wedding Hall” experience, traditional Korean weddings are still done and popular amongst international couples.
10. Korean couples avoid the Deoksugung stone-wall road
There is an urban legend that couples who walk along the Deoksugung doldam-gil (덕서궁돌담길), or Deoksugung stone-wall road, will break up.
This urban legend stems from the proximity to Seoul Family Court which was where couples kasought divorces until 1995. The old courthouse has since been renovated into the Seoul Museum of Art but couples still remain wary.
11. It’s taboo to write a Korean’s name in red ink
In South Korea, writing a person’s name in red ink is symbolic of death. Traditionally, red ink was used on family registers or official documents for names of the deceased. Despite its superstitious origins, it remains inappropriate to use red ink to write a person’s name, especially if the person is still alive.
12. Avoid the number 4 in South Korea
The Korean word for the number four is pronounced ‘sa’, which is also the pronunciation for the hanja (Sino-Korean) character for ‘death.’ The number four is considered an unlucky number given the sonic similarity to misfortune and death.
Some buildings skip the 4th floor and use the letter ‘F’ instead. For house numbers with multiple 4’s (i.e. APT 404), property values are much lower.
Next time you are in an elevator and there is no ‘4’, press ‘F’ instead!
Pokémon bread and an included sticker is 1,500 Korean won and fans and collectors have been scrambling to buy everything in stock. With high demand and limited supply, stickers are being traded on online marketplaces in South Korea. Rare stickers such as the Mewtwo sticker sell for around 40,000 Korean won while popular characters such as Pikachu are traded around 5,000 to 8,000 won.