- Koreans are one year older when born..
You’ve probably heard of the notion that South Koreans will always be older than everybody else because they consider themselves a year old the moment they come out of the womb. South Koreans celebrate their birthdays on the date they were born just like everyone else, but their age won’t “change” until the New Year, which is every first of January.
If you want to know your Korean age, you just need to subtract your year of birth from the current year, then add one. It’s best to take note of this when someone asks for your age in South Korea because you’ll need to distinguish between your international age and Korean age!
- There’s WiFi almost everywhere in South Korea
Social media lovers are going to worship South Korea’s Internet culture since the country boasts of having the fastest Internet in the world. As if this wasn’t enough, you can connect to WiFi basically everywhere in Seoul. Speaking from my own experience in Seoul, I was overwhelmed when I saw that I could connect to the WiFi of random places in the city while our tour bus was moving. Quite literally, there’s WiFi connectivity as you move from one spot to another, and oftentimes, you can connect for free!
- There’s a special day for “singles”
Here’s the thing: The tradition of celebrating the day of hearts twice also exists in Japan, which gives South Korea and Japan a unique thing in common. But South Korea takes it up a notch by offering single people a special day too; or at least a day where they can comfort themselves amidst their singleness. This event is called Black Day, celebrated on 14 April each year.
Black Day is when single Koreans supposedly gather dressed in black and eat jjajangmyeon, which are noodles covered in black bean paste. There are even jjajangmyeon eating contests where singles can drown their sorrows and obtain some level of pride if they emerge victorious from the competition. Cafes witness an increase in black coffee sales and even matchmaking services allegedly take advantage of this national gloomy day. Singles, this peculiar event might be what you need.
- Twenty percent of Koreans share the same surname
If you know your oppas and unnies, you might have already guessed that a lot of Koreans share the same surname. The most common one is Kim, with 10.6 million Koreans bearing it as their last name, followed by Lee, Park, Choi, and Jung.
The reason for these common surnames go way back in Korean history during the reign of the Silla kingdom from 57 BCE to 935 CE. I’ll leave you to dig up the history behind Korean surnames. But in case you were wondering: No, not all Kims are related; nor are the Koreans with other similar surnames for that matter!
- South Korea is the plastic surgery capital of the world
When it comes to fun facts about South Korea, this one’s the most popular or the most notorious, depending on how you see it. While still taboo in other Asian countries and the western world, plastic surgery is embraced in South Korea and parents even encourage their children to get it before starting university.
South Korea is said to place the Caucasian look in high regard, which means they usually have surgeries to get double eyelids, a longer nose, and pointier chin. This look was popularised by Korean celebrities first, then everyone else followed. Getting plastic surgery in South Korea is as normal as going to the dentist to get your braces. So don’t be surprised if most Koreans you meet have gone under the knife!