8 things you probably did not know about South Korea
As they say in Korea: annyeong-haseyo!
After telling about Venezuela, today it is the turn of South Korea. Do not get left behind in interesting eccentricities. Again, there will be things everyone knows, right? However, there are other things like the ones below that I hope you did not know.
1. You're a year older, sometimes two.
The South Koreans usually add one year to the international age. The cultural concept comes from China and not only happens in South Korea but also in influenced countries such as North Korea, Vietnam or Japan. What happens is that the other Asian countries have accepted the internationalization of age and practically no longer use this custom, however, in South Korea it is normal to use Korean age when they ask you.
As for why you have to join one is simply because you think you're already born with a year, not zero. But added to this, in addition, Koreans do not celebrate years only when they were born but every "ib chun" or solar period, so you meet twice. Therefore, depending on the month, it is possible that between one solar period and another you have up to two more years. If a person was born at the beginning of the year, the difference of one year will be the usual one. On the other hand, if a person was born late, he will spend many months adding two years to his international age.
2. There is no deodorant
It's one thing that they usually add to your travel guide when you buy a flight to Korea: you should bring your deodorant because it is very difficult to find it. This is because Koreans sweat but do not smell.
3. If you have a physical problem, you are expected to solve it.
Seoul is the world capital of aesthetic surgeries, the sector moves 4,400 million euros a year and has 2,000 specialists.
There are surgeries of everything, absolutely everything, things like the reduction of cranial volume is possible. It turns out that the changes are so incredible that, after undergoing an operation, they are forced to update their ID card because normally they can not be recognized later.
There is also the point that surgery is not uncommon. When I say that it's not uncommon, teenagers ask for double eyelid surgery as a reward for graduating from high school. In fact, what is despicable is that you do not solve it. If you have an aquiline nose, you can be asked in a job interview why you have not taken it off expecting you to have a "real weight" reason for not having done it. Korea has a very superficial society, which values the physical aspect too much and not having it is a problem for any job of a certain level.
4. If it moves, it eats.
Korea has very strange meals, more or less following the line of all Asia. Let me say first that there are some "traditional" foods that a capitalist will never have tasted and that give them as much disgust as we do, but there are those who eat them and restaurants that serve them, for which, it is worth mentioning. We can start with the famous dog soup. Yes, the dog traditionally ate. But there are worse things like a wine with rat fetuses inside, the "gaebul" which is a sea worm cut in half, "penis worms" in sauce - they are called that - that are eaten raw with sesame sauce or the «Beondegi» which are steamed silkworm larvae. I would never do the gutter to put pictures of all this and I can not tell you what they know because I have limits on when to try new things.
5. The most alcoholized in the world
Do you know that saying: "you drink more than a Russian"? Well, Russians are novices, Koreans drink more.
According to WHO data, it is indeed the country that consumes the most alcohol. In fact, its national drink, soju, is the best-selling alcohol in the world and perhaps the only Korean alcoholic beverage known outside the borders (although there are many more). It is made from rice liqueur but does not taste like rice, it is taken in small glasses like those from a shot and the bottles have a very cheap price. As for its "power", it has high graduation-between 15º-25º the bad one, the expensive one can have more- and it is taken alone. Its flavor is as strong as that of alcohol to heal wounds and burning down, but the ajummas (grandmothers) lower it as if nothing.
You will be thinking, well, I will refrain from trying it. Difficult. Do not even think about rejecting if they offer you an alcoholic beverage, they will interpret it as a gesture of discourtesy, especially if someone who offered it to you is someone older than you. In fact, bosses have a habit of getting their subordinates drunk when they leave the company. Drinking in South Korea is well seen, in meetings, in business, in parties, in meetings ... there is even the belief that drinking alcohol loses weight.
6. Koreans drive quite badly
KIA is the best selling car brand and most Koreans prefer automatic cars. And although the automatic ones are easier to drive and the maximum speed in Korea is quite low, there are many accidents. According to the WHO, South Korea is the second country with the highest number of traffic deaths.
7. Cosmetics for everyone.
Under the same idea of perfection of surgeries, there is a cosmetic industry that invades everything. The idols - famous actors and actors - promote products everywhere, from backs of seats in the subway to illuminated building-size panels. Cosmetics tend to have a natural basis in the conceptual line of being "skin food" and sold for both men and women.
Men in Korea consume as much cosmetics as women, they wear "bb creams" for everyday life - makeup with low coverage treatment - powders, they use serums and tonics, they dye, they make full-length wax on their legs and chest , do not go out without 50 protector and seeing a Korean with hair on his face is as rare as seeing Halley's comet.
Heart
How do you make the symbol of the heart? If you are a Westerner, you will surely put your thumbs and indexes together in the form. Koreans do not make hearts like this but by putting together the index and thumb of the same hand, what for us means "money" or "how much does it cost?".