1 | Tetraphobia
Tetraphobia means fear at number four. As in most parts of Asia, 4 is a bad number in Korea. Therefore, in elevators you will often see floors 1, 2, 3, and F. Apartments that have numbers with lots of numbers 4 (eg 404) are often avoided, or property prices are lower than others. The reason behind this is that the word for 4 in Korean is similar to the word for death. The number "four" in Korean is 사 which also means "death".
2 | Valentine's Day is for Men
South Korea increased its popularity and introduced "White Day". White Day is basically another name for Valentines Day, held a month later on March 14. What's interesting about this holiday is Valentine's Day is a day when males receive chocolate from females, while girls receive candy on White Day. Contrary to valentine culture in general. In Korean the word 화이트 데이 (White Day).
3 | Eat The Life Squid
The most prominent thing in Korea is its cuisine. Not only because of its rich and varied taste but also because the Korean people love freshness. Apparently eating octopus is not good if it doesn't stretch in your mouth, so Koreans won't cook it. There some people were seen cutting octopus and put in a bowl. Others cut off the feet of an octopus that was still alive, ate part of the leg, and threw the rest of the octopus's body into the stew. If there you can ask for an octopus in Korean 산낙지 (live octopus). Dare to try?
4 | The Name of the Spouse Must be Different
The law that governs family names and the same family origin comes from the Choson era and is rooted in the Confucian principle of 'purity of kinship', and still exists in Korea. Because of the limited number of families, having the same family name does not only refer to the same last name but the family background. This aims to avoid inbreeding.
5 | Credit Card Country
South Korea is one of the places with the highest credit card usage. If you've visited Korea before, you might have noticed that it's hard to find a place that doesn't accept credit cards. Taxis, food delivery, and almost all restaurants are prepared to accept credit cards. If you don't have a credit card and live in Korea, having a credit card is a valuable investment. If you want to ask if a store supports a credit card, you can ask "카드 돼요?"
6 | Very Conceptual Flag
Called 'Taegugki', the Korean flag shows you one or two things about East Asian philosophy: it combines the principles and symbols of Taoism and Buddhism, including white background, a symbol of peace, a circle for unity, yin and yang, to indicate opposite complementarity and trigram which refers to the elements.
7 | Eat according to weather conditions
Koreans follow the principles of East Asian medicine, which argues that one must eat cold food during cold weather and warm food during hot weather. The reason is that there should be no sharp difference between a person's body temperature and someone's food. Your stomach will be disrupted, which will inhibit digestion and small bowel function. As a result, people will eat Samgyettang, hot boiled chicken dishes and lots of broth on the hottest day and a bowl of cold and low-calorie Naegieeon noodles on the coldest day of the year.
8 | Warm Floor
Korean homes are probably the most efficient in the world. Indeed, Korean houses are designed for efficiency, the name is Ondol. They use underfloor heating systems that use heat transfers directly from wood smoke to thick stone parts under the floor. Traditionally, heating systems have the dual purpose of keeping the family warm, and for cooking. Technology has changed, but Korea still has evidence of this ancient technology. Archeologists discovered traces of such heating systems on sites in the Bronze Age, around 1000 BC.
9 | Super Fast Internet
You may have experienced internet frustration that is slow in some cases, either due to a remote location or having periodic problems with your internet service provider. Internet connectivity problems can be a serious inconvenience and make anyone evil. Unlike South Korea, you will feel like entering a virtual country when you visit South Korea! On average, South Korea has the fastest internet connection speed in the world. They beat every internet speed in other countries with a significant amount. Stop by an internet cafe when you are in Seoul and feel how it feels to have super-powered internet.
10 | Samsung products are everywhere
Samsung is one of the largest technological empires in the world and is based in Seoul. The company is responsible for one-fifth of the country's booming economy. But it's only a small achievement. In many countries, Samsung is only known for its electronic technology such as TV or their sophisticated mobile phones. Though in fact, they are also responsible for creating reliable armored cars for military use and medical equipment among other technologies.
11 | Both Women or Men Have Make Up
It is common knowledge that South Korea is one of the makeup centers in the world. Cosmetic stores are spread throughout all districts in Seoul. This might be a makeup lover's paradise. What we might not know is that men and women both wear makeup in Korea. There is no bad stigma about men wearing make-up. In fact, some men wear more makeup than women there. Everyone wants their best face to stand out, and makeup plays a big role in that.