HSHQTASK021: 대한민국
country: south korea
capital: seoul
population: 51.78m
currency: won ₩
national sport: taekwondo
national flower: mugunghwa
the language.
there are only 24 characters/letters in the korean language. korean is a phonetic language, meaning you can sound out the individual letters to make words. there’s no other way to pronounce words. each letter break is through individual syllables. for example (i’ll use the words that are same in the english and korean language for context):
바나나 = ba-na-na 콜라 = co-la
while there is one official language spoken in south korea, there are five dialects. the seoul dialect is the standard dialect. what you hear on the news, train stations and on the radio. this is said to be the “proper dialect”. the other dialects are regional and more commonly used in their respective areas. some regions have such strong dialects, like the kyungsando dialect. it’s entirely a different language in itself. seoul people have a hard time understanding this dialect.
how the language is spoken can be categorized into two different sections. there is an informal way to speak and a formal way to speak. the formal way to speak is always used when talking to people you don’t know, elders, acquaintances. it really depends on the level of closeness you have with someone. the formal to informal transition is usually done when someone initiates it and suggests it by saying “should we speak casually?”. if it’s between two friends (there’s this korean social thing where to consider someone as your “friend” they have to be born in the same year as you), either party can initiate, if it’s between someone older and younger, the older person has to initiate (it’s a respect thing). however if it’s someone way older than you, like by twenty years you can either say “oh, please speak casually!” or they say “i’m going to start speaking casually if thats okay” while you continue speaking formally.
there are two number systems in korea. it’s not that one is solely used for one type of thing, it’s more of a grammar issue. one just makes more sense than the other in context.
naming.
a korean name usually consists of three syllables. one syllable for your last name and two for your first name. however, it is not uncommon to have a one syllable first name. most korean families will choose matching names for their children. for example, the yi’s: dahye, gahye, jihye, seonhye. if there’s no fem or masc option for the name, they’ll usually have matching names for the girls and matching names for the guys.
korea has a total of 286 last names. it’s not many and it’s very common to share the same last name as someone else. however just because someone shares the same last name, the origin can be different. it all depends what clan their last name originated from. there are 4179 different clans in korea. within the last name kim, there are 40-50 different clans recorded in history. it’s common for people with the same last name to ask what clan your last name originated from.
before the 90s it was frowned upon to date someone with the same last name as you. It appeared incestuous when in fact it wasn’t. you would be looked down upon in society if you were to go through with it, however it wasn’t illegal. what was illegal was if your last name and your partner's last name came from the same clan. it was illegal to get married even if it dates back to hundreds of years ago since that could be viewed as actual incest. by 2005 the law was changed and you are allowed to marry as long as the blood relatives between the two parties do not exist within the eighth degree.
age.
the age numbering system is different in korea. koreans consider a year in the womb as counting towards their age. so you’re one years old when you come out of the womb. this is where it gets a little bit confusing. birthdays and age have no correlation with each other. your birthday is when you celebrate your birth date if that makes sense. you're not necessarily celebrating the age you turn (you can, some people do), you’re celebrating the day you were born. where you do celebrate your age is on january 1st, new year's day. on new years, everyone turns a year older. so if you’re a newborn baby born in june, you're already one years old and then on january you turn two. then the january after that you’re three. to avoid further confusion, koreans usually ask what year you're born as opposed to asking how old you are.
military service.
since 1957, all male citizens are required to perform compulsory military service. women are not required to, but may voluntarily join the military. between the ages of 18-28 you must complete the military service of your choosing. it used to be longer, but laws have decreased it by a month or two. if you have dual citizenship, you will need to enlist in the military to keep it. if you don’t want to enlist, you’ll have to let go of your korean citizenship. you’re highly regarded if you choose and qualify for the marine corps since the training is the most brutal and physically demanding.
— army, marine corps = 18 months — navy = 20 months — air force = 21 months
exemptions are possible if you have diabetes or other conditions that may affect you during service. if you’re a violinist, pianist, ballet performer, you may have the chance of being exempt. athletes who have won gold medals in the olympics or the asia games are exempt. celebrities are not exempt, but they get a lot of special treatment.
bloodtypes.
the best way i can explain this is that bloodtypes are kind of used in the way western society uses astrology. instead of asking “what’s your sign?” koreans ask “what’s your bloodtype?” which quite literally means they’re asking you what your bloodtype is. koreans believe each blood type has it’s own unique personality.
you don’t have to read the descriptions for all the bloodtypes, i thought i would write it below in case people want to know what personality trait goes with their blood type!
BLOOD TYPE A: people with blood type A are known to be diplomatic and friendly. however due to their sensitive nature they prefer staying alone opposed to being in a group. they may feel uncomfortable in crowded areas or parties. they are fragile-hearted and easily get hurt. it takes time for them to open up to people. others may take this negatively and view them as snobs, since people with blood type A are good at hiding their feelings and do not express themselves a lot, but once you get to know them you will find that they are very friendly and down to earth. they are punctual and always expect the best results in everything they do, therefore others see them as perfectionists.
main traits: earnest, cautious, stubborn, sensitive most compatible blood type for: O, A the worst blood type compatibility: B
BLOOD TYPE B: people with blood type B are the most outgoing compared to other blood types. they are independent and are passionate about the things that they are interested in. Bs always seek stimulation and they’re not afraid of speaking their minds. they can be seen as self-centered because they express their opinion, regardless of what the other person might feel. in korea, men with blood type B have a negative reputation for being fuckboys and for not being suitable for a stable relationship. when men reveal they’re type b, you’ll often hear “oh… you’re B?” in a judging tone. Other than being a fuckboy, type b’s can be curious, honest and they particularly enjoy attention. people with blood type B can easily make friends.
main traits: creative, optimistic, selfish, irresponsible most compatible blood type for: AB, O the worst blood type compatibility: A
BLOOD TYPE O: people with blood type O are known to be energetic, practical and friendly. they’re labelled as “natural leaders”. they are experts at expressing their opinions in a constructive way, making sure that everyone listens to them, while still being friendly. they know how to control their emotions very well, giving others a great impression of being stable and under control. research in south korea indicates that blood type O is the most preferred blood type by CEOs and coworkers because of the traits mentioned above. although they might have a reputation of being strong on the outside, they are very sensitive inside. people with blood type O have some difficulties expressing their feelings due to a fear of rejection and also they tend to burn themselves out trying to get things done perfectly.
main traits: outgoing, natural leader, arrogant, jealous most compatible blood type for: A, B the worst blood type compatibility: AB
BLOOD TYPE AB: they are the most interesting type compared to the others because this blood type is labelled as either being a genius or a psycho. they are unpredictable because they often jump around from one activity to the next and their temperament is a mixture of blood type A and B, therefore their personalities change quickly depending on their mood and the situation. and sometimes they don’t have control over it. ABs are rational thinkers. they cannot stand irrational people and irrational situations. as a result, they may have some difficulties interacting with people, giving others the wrong impression of being moody or two-faced.
main traits: rational, talented, critical, eccentric most compatible blood type for: AB, B the worst blood type compatibility: O
drinking culture/nightlife.
legal drinking age is 19, but everyone drinks before then (obvs). koreans ususally drink every day of the week. considering soju (korean vodka) is quite literally cheaper than a bottle of water, it’s not surprising. work culture and drinking culture are very embedded. it’s normal to get food after work with your coworkers and drink until you black out, go to work hungover and repeat the cycle. it sounds miserable, but unfortunately if your boss or someone in a more senior position than you asks you to go, you have to. if you decline, it’s disrespectful and there’s a very big chance you’ll be ostracized in the work place and treated poorly for it.
if you’re drinking with a group of people that’s not all the same age, if you’re the youngest you’re usually the one pouring the drinks. however, when someone older than you offers you a drink, you have to accept it. it’s rude to say no. you accept the drink by holding the glass with both hands and when you take the shot or take the drink, you have to face away from the elders. there’s a lot of rules that goes into drinking.
holidays.
christmas is a holiday you spend with friends or to go on a date. thanksgiving and lunar new year is when you spend with family. and as mentioned in the age section, birthdays are to celebrate your birth date, and new years is to celebrate the new year and your age.
lunar new year is a family oriented holiday that lasts over three days. the day before lunar new year, lunar new year and the day after lunar new year. many people travel back home during this time to celebrate this national holiday. usually, everyone dresses in traditional clothes (not as common anymore since traditional clothing is expensive) as they do a deep bow to the elders and say something along the lines of “have lots of luck in the new year” after the bow, they’ll receive money. it’s often in an envelope (not to be confused with the red envelopes) or placed in your pouch for you. however, when you reach a certain age, like mid 20s-30s you’re expected to give money to the elders. another tradition that’s practised is setting food on a table as a gift to your ancestors. people perform deep bows to pay their respects. not everyone does this, but it’s still practised.
chuseok, korean thanksgiving, competes with lunar new year as the most important holiday of the year. it lasts three days. in modern times, families use this as an opportunity to make a small trip together, family reunions or visit the graves of their ancestors.
halloween is something that’s only being celebrated recently due to western influence.
there are two valentine’s days. the actual valentine’s day february 14th and then a month after, march 14th. the one in march is called white day. there are two because valentine’s day is usually the day for girls to give a gift to the person they like or to confess their feelings. white day is for the boys to give a gift to the person they like or to confess their feelings.
okay, i lied there’s another valentines day called peppero day on november 11th. If you know what pocky is, it’s essentially the same thing. the reason why koreans call it peppero is because the korean brand that makes it is called peppero. on this day you either make your own peppero or buy it and gift it to friends and family or to the person you like.
AND the last unofficial holiday i’ll talk about is black day. this takes place on april 14th. this is pretty much a day for single people. to celebrate how single and lonely you are. people who received nothing on valentines day or white day “celebrate” this holiday. you celebrate it by eating black bean noodles and dressing in all black to cry about how single you are. to make it less depressing you can spend it with your other friends who also received nothing.
superstitions.
writing someones name in red ink is saying you want them dead.
whistling at night will attract snakes and bad spirits.
four is an extremely lucky number and in a lot of buildings (especially hospitals) they skip over the fourth level to avoid bad luck. if buildings do happen to use the fourth floor, on the elevator it won’t have a number, it’ll have the letter F.
dreaming of pigs will give you wealth. not necessarily in money, but in fertility and success. overall they’re a really good omen. this was so wildly believed that back in the 70s or 60s, people would sell their own pigs and would be able to pay for their college tuition.
gifting your partner shoes will make them run away/break up with you.
