South Korea was one of my biggest culture shocks so far! That is probably due to the fact that I really didn't prepare for my 2 weeks in the peninsula. I went there with just a couple of Korean worlds in my vocabulary (and I left with four!), and I had pretty much no idea about what to expect (except loads of K-Pop and Gangnam Styles ...)!
My first idea was that, since South Korea is really close to Japan (just a 3-hour ferry ride away from Fukuoka), and since both countries have a pretty similar economical system, I assumed they had a pretty similar culture too. But I have probably never been so wrong in my life! Korea has its very own culture and it differs drastically from the Japanese culture.
My first assumption about Korea was true though, it is really hard to escape from the K-Pop tsunami! Everywhere, at anytime, K-Pop stars will pop up to you! But if, like me, your ears are not too used to the sound of K-Pop and your brain cannot take anymore Gangnam Style, it is still possible to get out of here without being traumatized for life! Dramas as well seem to be quite big in the peninsula, but I really didn't get hooked by the Korean version of the Young and the Restless!
Apart from that, I had to change a lot my vision of Korea! The first thing that really stroke me was the number of couples in the streets! It is like you can actually only see people together everywhere! And everything is made for groups of people or couples! It actually gets to a point where it gets scary! It feels like you are a weirdo because you are walking on the streets alone! Couples get also really crazy and inventive about showing that they are together: from simple rings to wearing the same clothes and having the same haircut, I gets quite comic sometimes. The Korean culture is much more social than the Japanese. When in Japan everything is made for individuals, in Korean everything is made for at least couples or a big group of people!
Something that may also strike you in Korea is how much the girls look alike! This is not just the typical stereotype of "all the Asians look the same", they actually look the same! And that is due to a terrible pressure on appearance! The percentage of girls that have had some kind of plastic surgery is huge (and it is becoming trendy for guys too). Besides, the quantity of make-up they use is over-whelming! Actually a big step in a relationship in Korea is when the boyfriend sees his girlfriend without make-up! Even if it may sound funny, I had the feeling that this cult of appearance was really destructive and unhealthy in a way!
Another unhealthy habit in Korea, which is pretty similar to Japan, is the incredible pressure put on people to succeed! From kinder-garden to retirement, the life of Koreans is governed by examinations! The competition is terribly harsh and if you fail you have no place in society (or quite a miserable one!). In a way it is true that there is no miracle, and Korea is where it is now thanks to hard work and sacrifice, but at some point it can be interesting to think about the system and to make people work smarter instead of just working harder!
Despite all that, my stay in Korea was incredibly enjoyable! The people are incredibly nice (I still remember half of that night I spent with a bunch of Koreans in Busan eating live octopus and drinking way too much soju, and my nice stay in Seoul!), History is huge (just have a look at the Pictures of the Week 16) and food is wonderful! I kind of got addicted to kimchi there, but Korean gastronomy is much more diverse than just that and the world-famous Korean BBQ! Korea is probably the only place on Earth where you will get corn in any pizza you order (at least true for Pizza School!), and the side dishes you get with any decent meal are extraordinary! For some reason, chicken and beer are famous all around Seoul and I had way too much patbingsu too!
For sure I will be back sometime soon!
My first idea was that, since South Korea is really close to Japan (just a 3-hour ferry ride away from Fukuoka), and since both countries have a pretty similar economical system, I assumed they had a pretty similar culture too. But I have probably never been so wrong in my life! Korea has its very own culture and it differs drastically from the Japanese culture.
My first assumption about Korea was true though, it is really hard to escape from the K-Pop tsunami! Everywhere, at anytime, K-Pop stars will pop up to you! But if, like me, your ears are not too used to the sound of K-Pop and your brain cannot take anymore Gangnam Style, it is still possible to get out of here without being traumatized for life! Dramas as well seem to be quite big in the peninsula, but I really didn't get hooked by the Korean version of the Young and the Restless!
Apart from that, I had to change a lot my vision of Korea! The first thing that really stroke me was the number of couples in the streets! It is like you can actually only see people together everywhere! And everything is made for groups of people or couples! It actually gets to a point where it gets scary! It feels like you are a weirdo because you are walking on the streets alone! Couples get also really crazy and inventive about showing that they are together: from simple rings to wearing the same clothes and having the same haircut, I gets quite comic sometimes. The Korean culture is much more social than the Japanese. When in Japan everything is made for individuals, in Korean everything is made for at least couples or a big group of people!
Something that may also strike you in Korea is how much the girls look alike! This is not just the typical stereotype of "all the Asians look the same", they actually look the same! And that is due to a terrible pressure on appearance! The percentage of girls that have had some kind of plastic surgery is huge (and it is becoming trendy for guys too). Besides, the quantity of make-up they use is over-whelming! Actually a big step in a relationship in Korea is when the boyfriend sees his girlfriend without make-up! Even if it may sound funny, I had the feeling that this cult of appearance was really destructive and unhealthy in a way!
Another unhealthy habit in Korea, which is pretty similar to Japan, is the incredible pressure put on people to succeed! From kinder-garden to retirement, the life of Koreans is governed by examinations! The competition is terribly harsh and if you fail you have no place in society (or quite a miserable one!). In a way it is true that there is no miracle, and Korea is where it is now thanks to hard work and sacrifice, but at some point it can be interesting to think about the system and to make people work smarter instead of just working harder!
Despite all that, my stay in Korea was incredibly enjoyable! The people are incredibly nice (I still remember half of that night I spent with a bunch of Koreans in Busan eating live octopus and drinking way too much soju, and my nice stay in Seoul!), History is huge (just have a look at the Pictures of the Week 16) and food is wonderful! I kind of got addicted to kimchi there, but Korean gastronomy is much more diverse than just that and the world-famous Korean BBQ! Korea is probably the only place on Earth where you will get corn in any pizza you order (at least true for Pizza School!), and the side dishes you get with any decent meal are extraordinary! For some reason, chicken and beer are famous all around Seoul and I had way too much patbingsu too!
For sure I will be back sometime soon!
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