The name “Korea” comes from Goryeo, which was the name given to the dynasty established by General Wang Geon in AD 918. Goryeo means “high and clear.” Some poetic interpretations of the name Korea are “Land of High Mountains and Sparkling Streams” and “Land of the Morning Calm.”
Most restaurants, including McDonald’s, will deliver food straight to homes in South Korea.
South Koreans are obsessed with feces, and everything from turd-shaped cookies, phone charms, and an entire museum devoted to poop can be found in the country. Toilets across the country also feature pleasant flushing sounds, background music, and colored water.
In Korea, babies are considered one year old at birth
Only 3.2% of South Koreans are overweight, which ties the country of Japan for the lowest percentage in the world.
South Korean men love makeup, spending close to US$900 million a year, or a quarter of the world’s men’s cosmetics. Up to 20% of the male Korean population is reported to use makeup regularly.
Interesting Haesindang Park Fact
Haesindang Park is also known as “Penis Park” (Amanderson / Creative Commons)
South Korea is home to Haesindang Park, which is full of penis statues, and also to a penis-themed restaurant at Deulmusae, which is hard to miss because of the statues of jaji (penises) lining the path to the restaurant.
In South Korea, it is perfectly legal to drink alcohol in public. People can carry open containers of their favorite alcoholic beverage and even take a drink or two.
When a Korean’s name is written in red ink, this indicates that that person is about to die or is already dead
South Korea is famous for its practice of “crime re-creation.” Citizens suspected of crimes such as rape or murder are led by the police in handcuffs to the scene of the crime and ordered to publically reenact the crime. To make the reenactment even more humiliating, the media is also invited to take pictures and publish details about the crime.
South Koreans believe that leaving an electric fan on overnight will kill the person sleeping directly below it.
The microchips for Apple’s iPhones are made by the South Korean company Samsung.
On Jeju, South Korea’s largest island, giant stone statues known as dol hareubang (old grandfather) can be found along the beaches. Newlywed women believe that if they touch the statues’ long, broad, phallic-looking noses, they will be blessed with fertility.
South Koreans consider the number 4 as unlucky, and it is associated with death. This belief seems to have come from China