10 Things South Koreans Do Better Than Americans

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20 Interesting Facts about South Korea

1. 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.
2. Most restaurants, including McDonald’s, will deliver food straight to homes in South Korea.
3. 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.
4. In Korea, babies are considered one year old at birth.
5. Only 3.2% of South Koreans are overweight, which ties the country of Japan for the lowest percentage in the world.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. When a Korean’s name is written in red ink, this indicates that that person is about to die or is already dead.
9. South Koreans believe that leaving an electric fan on overnight will kill the person sleeping directly below it.
10. The microchips for Apple’s iPhones are made by the South Korean company Samsung.
11. 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.
12. South Koreans consider the number 4 as unlucky, and it is associated with death. This belief seems to have come from China.
13. More than 2 billion people have viewed the “Gangnam Style” music video of Korean K-pop artist Psy since 2011. It topped the charts in 30 countries around the world. World leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have mimicked the dance. The song refers to the Gangnam District of Seoul.
14. South Korea is the largest market for plastic surgery per capita in the world. It is estimated between 1/5 and 1/3 of the women in Seoul have gone under the knife for at least one cosmetic procedure.
15. Group blind dating in South Korea is called “Meeting” or “So-getting” and is a very popular way for young university students to meet over dinner and drinks.
16. South Koreans enjoy showing off their relationship statuses publically. It is common to see couples holding hands, kissing, and even wearing matching outfits.
17. South Korea has the world’s fastest wireless speeds on the planet, with an average download speed 33.5 megabits per second, nearly three times the average speed of second-place Hong Kong. The country also has an average upload speed of 17 megabits per second. One hundred percent of South Koreans have broadband access.
18. South Koreans love Honey Butter Chips, which are potato chips flavored with honey and butter from France. Because shops run out of them so fast, raffles are held for a chance to buy a bag, and the chips can sell for up to US$100 a bag on eBay. McDonald’s even sold honey butter-flavored French fries in South Korea for a while.
19. South Koreans love shopping, and the country has some of the biggest shopping malls in the world. The stores are open until 4:00 in the morning, while most restaurants, bars, and cafes are open only until 11:00 p.m.
20. South Koreans love sweet potatoes so much that there is every possible dish flavored with sweet potato, including main courses, desserts, chips, latte, bread, salads, and sweet potato-topped pizza.

Seoul City Walking Tours - help you to understand the Korean culture deeper

Hey beloved readers, a good news for you guys. There is a free and attractive programme offered by the city of Seoul.

This programme is provided for those curious tourists who want to see Seoul’s top tourist attractions on foot under the expert guidance of multilingual tour guides.

Reservations for this program can be made via the internet and mobile web at dobo.visitseoul.net



Are you worry about losing direction?

Don't worry! "Seoul Cultural Tourism Volunteer Guides", the experts that are knowledgeable in Seoul's history and culture that are ready to help. They volunteer as guides to help visiting tourists understand Seoul in a deeper way.

Walking Tour Introduction

[About]
The programme themes:

• Historic-Culture area
• Traditional Cultural area
• Modern Culture area
• Environmental and Ecological Restoration area
• Traditional Market area
• Themed course on the Weekends

There are 23 different tours available with a program that is classified under six themes with twenty walking tour courses (the Gyeongbok Palace, the Changdeok Palace, Bukchon, Cheonggye stream, the Namsan fortress, Seonggyungwan, etc) and three permanent tours including 'Tong-Tong' course for Seoul City Hall.

[Operating Hours]

• Weekdays: 10 a.m., 2 p.m.
• Weekends: 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.

Gentle reminder: Please be advised the time for opening and closing of the courses are available at detail content view.

[Number of Participants]

• Individual: Up to 10 people
• Group: 11 or more people

Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung tours are advised for 21 or more people.

[Language]

Don't afraid of communication problem. You can talk to them in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese language.

[Fee]

Worry about the money exchange rate? It is FREE for this tour. You only have to pay for the admission fees to the royal palaces & fees for cultural experience programs, etc. and must be paid for separately.) 

Walking Tour Reservation Information

[Making Reservations]

Reservations must be made online at least 3 days in advance

• All reservations can be made on the Visit Seoul mobile website (m.dobo.visitseoul.net)
• As tour guides are volunteers, there may be instances in which a certain tour may not be available because a volunteer tour guide is unavailable for that tour date or time.
• Spots fill up quickly on weekends, holidays, and during peak season (April, May, September, October), so if you would like to make a reservation during this time, please consider reserving in advance.
• Reservations for groups of 50 or more must be made at least 2 weeks in advance.
• For Seoul Cultural Tourism Volunteer Guide Permanent Tours, please contact the tour sites directly.

[Viewing / Cancelling Reservations]

• Your reservation details will be sent to you via mobile text message and e-mail. You can also view your reservation details on the "View / Cancel Reservation" page on the website and mobile web, or on your My Seoul page.
• Changes cannot be made to a reservation once it has been made. If you would like to change your reservation, please cancel your reservation first and make a new reservation.
• If you would like to cancel your reservation, you may do so on the website or mobile website up to 24 hours in advance. If it is less than 24 hours in advance, you may cancel via phone or e-mail up to 6PM. After 6PM the tour cannot be cancelled, so please cancel in advance.
• If a tour guide has to cancel or adjust the tour or time due to personal reasons, we ask for your understanding.

[Meeting Place]

Meet at the designated meeting place for each tour. 

Seoul Cultural Tourism Volunteer Guide Permanent Tours
Namsangol Hanok Village
Languages: Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese
Hours of Guided Tours: 10:30, 12:00, 14:00, 15:30
Fee: Free
Closed: Every Tuesday
Phone: +82-2-2264-4412
Transportation: Take subway line 3 or 4 to Chungmuro Station. Go out exit 3 or 4 and walk about 5 minutes along the road between Dongguk University Chungmuro Media Center and Maeil Business Newspaper.

War Memorial of Korea
Languages: Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese
Hours of Guided Tours: 10:00~17:00
Fee: Free
Closed: Every Monday (except for when the Monday falls on an extended holiday,
in which case the tours resume regular business hours, and tours do not operate on
the day after the last day of the extended holiday.)
Phone: +82-2-709-3139
Transportation: Take subway line 4 to Samgakji Station. Go out exit 1 and walk about 5 minutes.

Contact Information 
Weekdays: Seoul City Walking Tours Office / Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
(Closed 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.) Phone: +82-2-6925-0777 Fax : +82-2-3788-0899
E-mail : dobo@seoulwelcome.com
Weekends & Holidays: DASAN Call Center / Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.
DASAN Call Center(Tel : 02-120)

SPECIAL THANKS TO
visitseoul.net for the detailed information