South Korea

South Korea Basics

South Korea is located in East Asia on the southern part of the Korean peninsula and is officially named the Republic of Korea (ROK). It’s slightly smaller in size than the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The nation is home to 51.7 million people with much of the population concentrated in Seoul.

Inland the nation is largely mountainous with small valleys. Along the coastlines are fishing villages and a wide array of beaches. Dotting the countryside are centuries-old Buddhist temples and other hints of the nation’s traditional past.

South Korea is surrounded by the East Sea to the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west. The nation is located about 671 miles from Japan. Approximately 3,000 mostly small and uninhabited islands lie off the western and southern coasts.

North Korea is the only country that shares a land border with South Korea. The nations are separated by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that was created in 1953 as part of an Armistice Agreement during the Korean War. It’s nearly 2.5 miles wide and about 148 miles long and is considered the most fortified border in the world.

South Korea has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, being the fifth largest in Asia behind Japan, China, India and Iran.

Language

The Korean language was created by King Sejong the Great in 1443 to increase literacy in Korea. It’s a phonetic language based on the Korean alphabet that is called Hangul. South Korea follows the Seoul dialect, which differs from the dialect in North Korea.

The language has 14 consonants (ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ) and 10 vowels (ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ).

Hangul groups syllables into blocks. The blocks are written left to right. Within each block you read the symbols left to right top to bottom. Students will get a Korean language lesson when traveling so that they can get the hang of it. In the meantime, here are some basic Korean words written phonetically:

Neh – Yes

Ah-nee-oh – No

Gahm-sah-hahm-ni-da – Thank you

Chon-mahn-eh-yo – You’re welcome

Sil-le-hahm-ni-da – Excuse me

Ahn-nyong-ha-se-yo – Hello

ahn-nyong-hee ga-se-yo – Good-bye

Practice saying hello (ahn-nyong-ha-se-yo) and thank you (gahm-sah-ham-ni-da) before coming. Those phrases will come in handy.

While in the country, you may hear Konglish words, which include Korean adaptations of English phrases and words that combine the two languages.

Examples include hand phone for the English phrase mobile phone and remocon 리모컨 for remote control.

Social Norms & Expectations

The social concept of nunchi is important in Korean culture. It’s the art of sensing what people are thinking and feeling and responding appropriately. It requires skills like properly reading the room. A common phrase to describe an uncouth person may be: “That person has no nunchi.” While in South Korea, you may see this concept put to practice.

You also may notice that a number of Koreans tend to be in a hurry. Speed is in the national character.

In addition, here are a few other social expectations in the country:

• Bow when greeting people hello or goodbye. In practice, this is often omitted in travel situations.
• Use two hands when giving someone an object or when passing food as a sign of respect.
• Korean culture is hierarchical and respectful to older folks.
• Don’t wear shoes indoors. People tend to wear house slippers inside. Pay attention when entering a building for boxes or spaces for removed shoes – that’s your clue that you should remove your shoes when entering.
• For girls, traditionally showing legs was ok but women did not not show shoulders. This is changing in younger generations. We recommend people dress so that they are comfortable with their own attire and in their own skin.
• Don’t talk loudly in public.

Food & Drink

Koreans mainly eat with metal chopsticks unless they are having something like soup. They generally do not eat with their hands. While using chopsticks do not use them to point or leave them sticking out of your bowl.

While in the country, here are some foods you may be able to try:

Kimchi – Made from a variety of vegetables that are fermented – Overall, there are 250 different types of kimchi.

Japchae – Stir-fried noodles

Sundubu-jjigae – Soft tofu stew, including tofu, clams and an egg in spicy broth

Samgyeopsal – Pork strips served with lettuce, perilla leaves, sliced onions and raw garlic kimchi covered with a mix of soybean paste and chili paste called ssamjang paste or salt and pepper in sesame oil.

Bulgogi (marinated beef barbecue) – Beef grilled with garlic and onions and wrapped in lettuce, traditionally eaten with ssamjang paste

Bibimbap – Mixed rice with ingredients such as vegetables, beef, soy sauce, chili pepper paste and a fried egg

Haemul Pajeon – Seafood vegetable pancake

Naengmyeon – Cold buckwheat noodles

Korean fried chicken

Soon tofu gelato

Education

The Korean school year is 220 days long versus the 180-day-long American school year. The school year runs from March to January. There are six years of elementary school, three years of middle school and three years of high school. Elementary and middle school are compulsory, but high school is not. Despite it being voluntary, 99% of Koreans attend high school.

The school day ends at variable times, but generally runs 8 to 4 for high school. 50% of high school students attend single gender schools. Until 2012, Saturday school was required.

Extracurricular activities are not popular in Korea. Instead most kids attend hagwon, or after school academy. There are multiple types of hagwon with the most popular being for test preparation, math, English or science. Most kids attend multiple hagwons, often starting at 4pm and going from one hagwon to another. These end at 9 or 10pm. Then they might study at home until midnight.

On top of this, Koreans are quite interested in learning English. Koreans of almost every age are trying to improve their English.

Weather

It’s warm and humid during the summer time in South Korea. Some days can be rainy or sticky. In general, the humidity can make the temperature feel higher. Here are the average weather conditions for Seoul for June and July.

Currency

The South Korean currency is the won. Exchange rates vary, but one U.S. dollar is worth about 1232 wons. The banknote options are the 50000 won bill, 10000, 5000, and 1000. The coins are the 10-won coin, 50-won, 100, and 500. If you don’t have cash, credit cards are widely used in the country, so it’s not too likely you’ll find a place that doesn’t accept plastic.

Religion

In 2015 the estimated breakdown of religions were as follows:

Protestant 19.7%, Buddhist 15.5%, Catholic 7.9%, none 56.9%

In addition, many Koreans also follow some Confucian traditions and practices.

Other Key Facts about South Korea

Many people are interested in South Korea because of K-Pop and K-dramas, but there are many other fascinating facts about the country. Here are just a few tidbits from history and modern day society:

• The Joseon dynasty ruled the region for 500 years. Modern culture is still heavily influenced by this dynasty. Among its influences were its Confucian ideals, its governmental divisions, language and culture.
• Japan gained control of the peninsula following the Russo-Japanese War in the early 1900s. In 1945 at the end of World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States divided the peninsula in two.
• In 1950 the Korean War broke out when North Korea began to invade the south with help from China and the Soviet Union. The war lasted for three years and cost over two million lives.
• Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest of Seoul’s five palaces built during the Joseon dynasty. It was first constructed in 1395 but was destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries. It was fully restored in the 1990s. Visitors often wear traditional clothes called hanbok while touring the palace.
• The tallest building in South Korea – the Lotte World Tower – was built in a vase-like shape to mimic traditional Korean ceramic pieces.
• The Gwangjang Market in Seoul was featured on Netflix’s Street Food series.
• Traditionally South Koreans were considered to be one year old when they are born with a year being added on the first day of each new year. This has created confusion, so starting in June 2023 the country follows international standards for birthdays for official documents.
• South Koreans often give toilet paper and laundry detergent as housewarming gifts.
• In 2020 the South Korean film Parasite won the Oscar for Best Picture. It was the first non-English language movie to ever take the title.
• The Korean song Gangnam Style was the first song to hit one billion views on YouTube.
• South Korea hosted the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
• South Korean people are rated as being among the most sleep-deprived people in the world, averaging less than 6.5 hours per night.
• South Korea is one of the makeup capitals of the world and makeup is worn regularly by both men and women.
• Beards are considered unkempt, so men generally do not grow them.