20 random things you didn’t know about Korea #2

1. All men must perform national military service for 2 years, usually when they turn 18 (?)
2. Koreans bow to greet each other
3. Korean is phonetic, and each character is made up of vowels and consonants.
4. Amongst others, there are no ‘f’, ‘v’, ‘z’ or ‘th’ sounds in the Korean alphabet, so it is difficult for Koreans to pronounce these.
5. A celebrity is more like a god/goddess
6. In 50 years, Korea has come from the aftermath of war (ie. almost nothing) to becoming one of the world’s leading economies.
7. Koreans drive on the right hand side of the road
8. Some bus and taxi drivers drive like they have a death wish
9. Chopsticks are almost always made of steel.
10. McDonalds can be delivered.
11. Dark skin is considered lower class and/or undesirable, hence the number of whitening creams on the market
12. You must be nude in a jjimjilbang (sauna)
13. The subway ride is very quiet
14. People go through the subway carriages selling things
15. School tests usually consist of multiple choice questions only.
16. When shopping, you can be expected to be greeted with a chorus of ‘Annyeonghashimnika! Oseooshipshiyo!’ from the staff
17. Plastic surgery is a huge industry
18. Music groups are mostly one hit wonders
19. If a music group is absent from the charts for a short time, their subsequent release is considered a ‘comeback’
20. There is a 24 hr Starcraft channel on TV