South Korea Local Customs

  I want to Roast more meats!
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  • I want to Roast more meats!
      I want to Roast more meats!
    by machomikemd
  •   Local Customs
    by jckim
  •   Local Customs
    by jckim
  •   Local Customs
    by jckim
  • Hey don't Barf there!
      Hey don't Barf there!
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Most Viewed Local Customs in South Korea

351.

Eating & Drinking   Seoul

Eating & Drinking, Seoul

 75 Reviews  Hayeong is a newly-opened restaurant perched on top of a hill at the entrance of the Jungmun Resort Complex in Jeju. The restaurant serves high-quality, roasted black pork (for which the island is... 

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352.

Customs & Oddities   Seoul

Customs & Oddities, Seoul

 59 Reviews  Unusual Male Urinal in South Korea. this male urinal is unusually long but is not the most unusual urinal here, they also have flat urinals in the ground wherein you just aim and fire hehehe.... 

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353.

Other Stuff   Seoul

Other Stuff, Seoul

 17 Reviews  Being in the subway made me open my eyes. If you ever take the subway you will notice the following: (1) There are mirror (mostly) adjacent to the platforms. I wondered why until I saw two Korean... 

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354.

Gift-giving   Seoul

Gift-giving, Seoul

 8 Reviews  bought them as gifts to female friends. it cost about 5,000 won each if your buying 5 or more and 7,000 won if youre buying one. (no haggling means 7,000 won for 5 or more and 10,000 won for a single... 

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355.

Business/Money in Korea   Seoul

Business/Money in Korea, Seoul

 7 Reviews  Korean bills come in only 1000, 5000, and 10,000 Won notes. Coins come in 50, 100, and 500 won. Since the exchange rate is around 1150 Won to a dollar, you'll see that it takes a lot of paper to pay... 

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356.

Ceremonies & Holidays   Seoul

Ceremonies & Holidays, Seoul

 8 Reviews  Buddha's Birthday usually falls in late April or early May (in 2004 it was 26 May, and in 2005 it will be 15 May). At this time, the temples of Korea, especially Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, are decorated... 

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357.

Religion   Seoul

Religion, Seoul

 7 Reviews  Although Buddhism is still the dominant religion in South Korea, there is the emergence of Christians especially among the younger generation. As such, you will find more and more churches in Seoul... 

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358.

Historical Anecdotes   Seoul

Historical Anecdotes, Seoul

 3 Reviews  Here is a little story to tell when you are having lunch at the top of Namsan Tower (it revolves and little signs tell you what you are looking at in the distance). In Guui-Dong near the Children's... 

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359.

Relationships & Connections   Seoul

Relationships & Connections, Seoul

 4 Reviews  On Korean fashion: One must at all times wear socks, major rule: never enter a home without socks to maintain the sanitation as you'll always need to remove your shoes in a tiny cramped entryway.... 

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360.

Health & Well-Being   Seoul

Health & Well-Being, Seoul

 3 Reviews  Unlike most westerners, it seems that most Koreans do not seek a sun tan. Good for them! I'm sure they have low rates of skin cancer. The primary manifestation of this trait is that, on sunny days,... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Garcon!

by jburron

It's tough to know what to say in a foreign country to get a waiter/waitress' attention. Here are the terms for Korea:To call to your table (casual): yeogi-yo (literally, here please).To call a waiter: ajeosshi (said kind of like a-jew-she, literally means: man of marrying/middle age).To call a waitress: ajooma or (more polite) ajomeoni (sounds like a-jew-moe-knee. literally means: middle aged lady).To call a younger waitress (or flatter an older one): agasshi (a-ga-she, liteally is girl--believe it or not, ladies here like to be called girl even into their 50s).The pure local way to call a waitress: onni (on-knee. technically it means 'older sister' as said by a younger sister, but in this instance men can use it too).

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Everything is different.

by jburron

Never trust what you know to be true to be true in Korea. Here 911 is 119, 411 is 114, addresses are written as country, province, city, quarter, building, floor/unit, receiver's name. Go figure.They drive on the right hand side (so that is the same) but busses don't necessarily stop at red lights. Motorcycles spend as much time on the sidewalks and crosswalks as they do on the roads. Overt sexual or PDAs (public displays of affection) between opposite sexes is not too prevalent, but there are lots of women AND men who hold hands in public (they are not gay, though). There is very little drug use, but tons of smokers and almost everyone drinks like a fish.Koreans love nature, but have tons of pollutants in the air and water. They are mostly Christian but Good Friday is not a day off (but election days are holidays!).More to come.

No Taxes? I like that!

by jburron

Korean menus (except those at high-end/Western establishments, where a 10% VAT/tax will be noted on the menu or price list) include all taxes. This is really nice, but once you get used to it you'll cringe to get the bill when you get home (my hometown has a 15% sales tax).

Tip on Tipping

by jburron

No tipping in Korea. If you do you'll likely be rebuffed, but if you persist they will show happiness, but in general there is no need to tip at all here. Korean way is 'service'. Service is free food, extra service, lots of smiles--all at no extra charge. Even restaurants and delivery boys do not have their hand out.If a tip is required it is usually automatically added to the bill, and only at high-end/Western establishments and always noted at the bottom of the menu/price list. Tip is usually 10%.

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Women in Korea family.

by jjasmine

The life of a daughter in a Korean family is considerably different from that of a son.The primary difference between a son and a daughter is that a daughter would have to leave her family and move into her husband's family once she gets married. So when she gets married, she is referred to as "shijip kada" or literally " going to the in-law's house."If she gets married to the "changnam", she would move into the "kunjip" whereas if she marries one of the younger sons, their living arrangements would depend on the family's situation.But one thing for sure is that once the daughter gets married, she ends up permanently leaving her natal family. Therefore, she literally becomes an outsider to her natal family as well as to her husband's family because she is of a different descent.But usually, the birth of her first child strengthens her relationship with the husband's family because if the...

Don't kiss in the public....

by jjasmine

According to the traditional Confucian ethics, a boy and a girl must be separated when they turn seven. This shows that physical contact between a boy and a girl was absolutely prohibited in Korea. Of course the world has changed a great deal since the days of Confucianism. Nowadays, physical contact between the sexes among young people is a pretty common sight on campuses, on the streets and many other public places. Traditionally while physical contact between opposite sexes were strictly prohibited, contact among the same sex was tolerated. I'm sure that you have witnessed many females walking hand in hand with another female. However, this is far from being the truth. It is actually an expressing of friendship. Many Koreans, a show of affection or physical contact between the same sex is just a natural phenomenon. It is nothing more than an expression of intimacy and friendship. When...

Hangul: The Korean Script.

by Hmmmm

One of the coolest things about this country is its script, Hangul. Could you imagine if Korea still used only Hanja (chinese script), oh life would be difficult. Anyway some guff: Hangul script is attributed to King Sejeong (the fourth King of the Lee/Choson Dynasty). And by decree it became the 'Script of Korea' in 1440. But because of the Yang Bang (Noble) class the script was only adopted by the lower or common classes. The noble classes continued to take those long winded chinese confucianist exams, and learn chinese calligraphy, and poetry etc ad nauseum. Perhaps You could say I am too egalitarian for my own good, but this was done to reinforce the chasm between noble and common, Just like the use of French and Latin in Medieval England.What is amazing about the Hangul script (called Choson Muntcha in North Korea) is that it is soooooo easy to learn and use. It contains only 24...

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Lanterns hung for Budha's Birthday.

by Hmmmm

Lanterns hung for Budha's Birthday. Choggye Sa Temple. Near Insa-Dong, Chongno-Gu. Seoul. Each of these Laterns features a prayer, and/or has someone's name fastened with string. These name tags, blow in the breeze and form a wave with each gust. There are so many lanterns, the tags form a waving sea.It really is great to see. Also Here you can check out Choggyesa, the largest Buddhist temple in Seoul. Home of the Choggye Buddhists, the 4th largest Korean Buddist sect. So there you go.Cheap vegetarian food here to. Especially the Kamja Jeon (Potato Pancake).. YUMYUM! :o)

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Jeju Do Tolharubang or Stone Grandfather Guardians

by Hmmmm

Jeju Island; a place of myths and legends, is an island, so rich in the beauty of natural scenery and exotic in culture, that it keeps attracting tourists both from home and abroad. Among the things representing traditional culture in the island is the "Tolharubang" or Stone Grandfather Guardian; stone images of man with a humourous smile on his face. The Tolharubang or Stone Grandfather, which has become a symbol of the island, stands at the entrance of a traditional village or a house, serving as the guardian deity driving away evil spirits. Tolharubang looks a little different from one another, but all of them appear majestic, with their portionately big eyes bulging out, their lips neatly closed, a cap on, and their hands resting on their stomachs. It is unknown when the stone images began to be made. Sadly, today they are regarded by most visitors as a curiosity, but in days days...

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Drying Chilies

by nepalgoods

Driving a car in Korea you find this sight. So just beware of chilies liing on the street! Farmers use the dry and warm surface of the roads in summer to dry their chilies. Later this very hot chilies are used to prepare their kimchi.

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Questions and Answers

Angrylilazngrl profile photo

Q:  Hi all, I am traveling to South Korea from 4/15-4/21 for a friend's wedding on 4/19 in Seoul. The majority of the wedding... 

dreamybd profile photo

A: Have a nice trip and fun. Be sure to visit the two tourist kiosks to get maps and guides. One is next to the express bus terminal while the other is beside the main train... 

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