20 Amazing Facts about South Korea
1. Eating rice cakes before an exam is good luck in South Korea. Snacks definitely help to kick-start your brain, but South Korea takes it to a different level. Traditionally, snacking on rice cakes or Korean hard taffy is claimed to assist the person “stick” to what they learned and pass. Definitely one among the interesting South Korea facts to check out yourself.
2. The number "4" is considered unlucky in South Korea. The belief of this unlucky number traces its origin from China. Koreans traditionally fear the number 4 because the term sounds like the Korean word for death.
3. Digital addicts are going to be relieved to know they’ll never need to wait too long for their internet fix in South Korea . The country was judged to possess the world’s fastest internet connection speed for the 12th consecutive quarter last year, according to Akamai - the content delivery network (CDN) responsible for serving between 15 and 30 per cent of all web traffic.
4. according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the South Korea has the highest estimated national IQ of any country within the world.
5. Fruits are expensive in South Korea, a watermelon can cost around 20-40USD. If someone is giving you fruit, that is a very generous gift.
6. Fan death is a superstition- There is an urban legend in South Korea that started years ago that electric fans left on while you are sleeping in a room with the windows and door closed can cause death. It is believed that the fan can lower blood heat and cause hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature).
7. 20% of Koreans share the same surname. The most common surname is Kim, followed by Lee, then Park.
8. South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgeries per capita within the world.
9. Double eyelid surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in South Korea.
10. Before the age of thirty, men must commit to 21–24 months of military service, even if they are a celebrity
11. Korean women have basically three different hairstyles, according to their age and marital status.
12. Young girls wear long hair, newly married women cut them short at about ear level, and older women get a perm, almost without exception.
13. According to a recent survey, South Korea ranks first in the whole world for per-capita alcohol consumption.
14. More than 90% of the world’s seaweed consumption comes from Korea.
15. Seaweed soup is a very popular dish that is usually eaten on birthdays.
16. On Valentine’s Day, women give chocolates and gifts to their husbands or boyfriends to show their love.
17. White Day, March 14, is when men give gifts to their girlfriends and wives—with data showing that they typically spend about 3 times as much as they received on Valentine’s Day.
18. Black Day, April 14, is when singles come together to “mourn” the fact that they're single by eating bowls of jjajangmyeon.
19. In South Korea, heated floors take the place of air heaters.
20. The ‘ondol’ or warm stone generates heat through pipes beneath the flooring. The heating plant dates back to the Koguryo Dynasty 37-668 BC. Over 90% of the homes in SoKor have ondol which lets people eat and sleep while resting on warm floors.