Overview

South Korea, or Republic of Korea, is a country located in Eastern Asia. With its thriving metropolitan economy of technology, infrastructure, etc. and strong influence on global pop culture, it has become a country known to be highly developed and a large tourist attraction.

Daily Life

Many Koreans, especially young adults, spend their leisure time at shopping malls, parks, cafes, group karaoke, bars, nightclubs, and walking around in the lively city. Most Koreans have close connections with their friends and family. The country is very urbanized, so it is filled with buildings, most commonly, apartment buildings, where most citizens reside. Respect is a large part of Korean culture, meaning those in higher professions, older age, marital status, etc are treated with respect. South Koreans take education very seriously, so it is not uncommon for students to spend the majority of their day studying.

Art

Due to the historical connections between Japan and China with South Korea, many of the pieces of South Korean historical art have influences from those countries. Korean art is known for its simplicity and connections that it has with nature. Popular forms of visual art involve pottery, calligraphy, sculpture, printing, and paintings. Modern korean art in these art forms take influence from its traditional techniques and values. Korean art also takes in the form of its television influence. Korean dramas, or k-dramas, have become a popular entertainment for watchers from all around the globe. Korean movies have recently taken a more influential impact in North America with the recent Oscar award to the 2019 film, “Parasite”, the first non-English film that has won Best Picture.

Cuisine

Most Korean food contains rice, vegetables, and meat. Meals usually composed of a main meal (such as rice, porridge, stew, meat, noodles etc.) with side dishes, or banchan, (like kimchi, pickled veggies, fish, etc). Korean street food consists of dishes like fish cakes, corn dogs, sweet Korean pancakes, steamed buns, rice cakes (ddeok), dumplings, sweet bread, and so much more.

Fashion

Traditionally, Koreans wear hanboks, which are garments full of color that previously was worn on a more daily basis, but now are worn for performances, special occasions, festivals, and more. Today, Korean fashion has become more Westernized, but still retains their own unique style that has impacted the global pop culture. South Common things that South Korean girls wear are oversized t-shirts, mini skirts, layering, plaid, sneakers, sweaters, and more. South Korean boys commonly wear neutral colors, trench coats, plain t-shirts, and layering as well.

Music

Transportation

Many people do travel by car, but there are many people who do not need a car to travel to their destination. The Seoul metropolitan area operates a popular and large subway system, consisting of 23 transit lines connecting 4 major cities, transporting around 6.9 passengers everyday, making it the 3rd busiest metro system in the world. Almost all Korean cities operate a bus system, for easy travel. In the busy areas of South Korean cities, there will most likely be a taxi system, for fast and convenient travel. For international/long-distance travel, South Korea operates 28 airports, a high speed bus system (inner-country travel, also situated in airports) a train system, with the classic railway system and KTX, an express, high-speed train that can reach a top speed of 186 miles/hour. This makes traveling easy, efficient, and affordable. There are also ports and waterways for travel to China, Japan, the Middle East, and South Korea’s very own Jeju Island.