One of the unique aspects of Korean culture is the traditional Korean medicine, which is called 한약 or 한의학. It originates from ancient and prehistoric times during which domestic herbs were widely used, along with stone and bone needles. It is heavily influenced by ancient Chinese medicine and thus shares commonalities. Herbal medicine is the use of plant material such as flowers, plants, shrubs, trees, moss, fern, and fungus. They may be in a fresh, dried, whole, or chopped form and also may be prepared as infusions. I have personally had 한약 that is liquid-based and is an amalgamation of different healthy roots and herbs that function to generally strengthen the body and immune system. It has both a bitter and sweet taste to it, and was prescribed to me by a traditional medicine practitioner (한의사). Acupuncture is also a popular traditional medical practice, and it involves withdrawing blood or stimulating specific points by inserting needles into pressure points of the body. The practice originates from the belief that a “life force” circulates within the body in meridian lines. My mother used to take traditional Korean medicine even when we lived in the US, especially after she gave birth to my brothers. I believe that it is a wholesome way to balance out Westernized medicine and also a way to preserve one’s culture.
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Based on my cultural presentation and also my personal experience in Korea, Koreans have a contrasting and strict dining etiquette compared to the US. For drinking etiquette, one must always pour their neighbor’s or elder’s glass while supporting his or her elbow. Additionally, it is considered disrespectful if one starts eating before the elder does. Table manners include avoiding using chopsticks to point at someone, not picking up one’s rice bowl, never using one’s fingers to eat, and not lifting the bowl from the table. When eating, common sayings include “잘 먹겠습니다,” which means “I will eat well” or “thank you for the food.” At the end of the meal, Koreans typically say, “잘 먹었습니다,” which means “I ate well” or “the food was delicious.” My personal experience with Korean dining etiquette started when I ate with my grandparents in Korea, for they are more traditional and expect strict adherence to cultural formality at the dining table. I would have to wait for my grandfather to eat first, and also ask to leave the table. I would also set his rice bowl and utensils before setting anyone else’s up. Therefore, I find the Korean dining etiquette intriguing compared to the very relaxed American dining setting.
Unlike the Canadian or British systems, the Korean healthcare system is based on mandates that require employers to give insurance to their employees, and also require self-employed citizens to purchase insurance themselves. The South Korean National Health Insurance Program is a program that thus requires universal coverage for all citizens.
In comparison to the US, Korea’s private profit-making hospitals are the majority of all hospitals, and pharmacists do not need doctors’ prescriptions to provide drugs to patients. South Korean healthcare offers occidental (Western) medicine or traditional oriental treatments that are called hanyak (한약). The largest and most popular hospitals include the Seoul National University Hospital, the Samsung Medical Center, the Asan Medical Center, and the Yonsei Severance Hospital. Based on my personal experience, I found the Korean healthcare system to be more accessible, time-efficient, and cost-efficient compared to that in the US. Even if I had a minor health issue, I would be able to consult a healthcare provider that day and have many different specialized health clinics in my area that I could visit. The specialization of the clinics also helps with consulting practitioners who are knowledgeable in particular conditions and diseases.
Plastic surgery is a major industry in Korea, especially in popular cities such as Gangnam (강남). With globalization, Koreans desire “westernized” beauty and have been influenced by American celebrities through social media. South Korea has severely high beauty standards in their society, for their strive to achieve a look that deviates from the average Korean features. 1 in 3 women have gone through plastic surgery according to Gallup Korea, and thus demonstrates the alarming dominance and normalcy of plastic surgery in the culture itself. The most common plastic surgery procedures include double eyelid surgery, jaw reduction surgery, eye widening surgery, rhinoplasty, forehead augmentation, hair transplant, chin augmentation, teeth capping, and breast augmentation. I have seen many girls and women in Korea walking along the streets in popular cities with bandages after they have gone through surgery. As it contrasts with the American culture, in which people are encouraged to embrace and flaunt their natural features, it is interesting to observe the cultural differences between Korea and America and how it impacts how people view themselves.
Korean cuisine, especially Kbbq, is an integral part to Korean culture. Kbbq has also become increasingly popular in the US as well. It is called “gogi-gui” or “고기구이” and refers to the method of grilling meat. It typically consists of grilling beef, pork, or chicken, and also includes grilling mushrooms, garlic, and kimchi. The grill is often in the middle of the dining table at which people sit on the floor and dine. Side dishes, steamed egg, and fermented bean or kimchi stew also come along with the main meat array. It is personally one of my favorite Korean meals, and so I have been exploring around Virginia and DC for Korean BBQ restaurants. My favorite place is an all-you-can-eat place called So BBQ. I normally order the thin-sliced beef brisket, gochujang-marinated pork belly, and bulgogi.
Korean pop, also known as K-pop, has been increasing in its popularity and dominance in the US. The boy band BTS in particular has become the first K-pop group to win a Billboard Music Award, and this increasing success of K-pop in the US alludes to the future of the new wave of K-pop-affiliated musical acts that will integrate into the US mainstream. The large Korean-American population in cities such as Los Angeles also contributes to the popularity of K-pop and allows for more artists to debut. As more K-pop artists are targeting the international market, it is also becoming more competitive because an increasing amount of artists are trying to become part of the K-pop scene. Some of the first K-pop artists who infiltrated the US include Girls’ Generation, Big Bang, Super Junior, and Wonder Girls. All of these K-pop groups bring back to memory my own teenaged years when I listened to their songs religiously. However, the greater diversity of K-pop groups in America has allowed me to appreciate more sophisticated Korean music, rather than merely upbeat, pop music. As BTS is extremely popular even among my friends, I have personally experienced the surge of K-pop in America by performing BTS dances through Block Crew on campus.
The nazar boncuğu, a blue amulet that is shaped like an eye, is a common sight to see across Turkey, hung up inside Turkish homes and being sold at bazaars. The nazar is used to ward off the ‘evil eye’, a concept believed across Western Asia that people experiencing good fortune are unknowingly being cast a malevolent, curse-like glare from the ‘evil eye’. Turkey is a huge producer of the nazar boncuğu that are sold all over the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Our language partner Merve Hocam actually gave us tiny nazar boncuğu of our own to keep! They’re very cute and tiny.
The drinking age in Korea is 19. When students graduate from high school and enter college, they are mostly 19 years old. This early drinking age leads to a lot of drinking in Korean students. Some clubs in Korea require you to drink a whole bunch as a part of their initiation. Because Korea has such a huge night life, almost everyone drinks very frequently and in extreme amounts. Even in the your job, there are a lot of 회식 or getting food after you get off work, and in these gatherings, they drink so much alcohol. Sometimes, they go to seconds or thirds to drink more alcohol. In this kind of environment it is almost impossible to avoid these meetings and alcohol especially if you are the youngest one or the newest one. This kind of culture makes you drink a lot even if you don't want to. Because of the low drinking age, a lot of students lose control of how much they drink at first.
In Korea, the 15th day of August of every year is chusuk, which means thanksgiving. The 15th day of August is counted in moon calendar and not the sun calendar. During chusuk, people travel down to their hometowns and meet their relatives. Most people hold memorial services for their ancestors or their deceased relatives by going to their tombstones and giving them food and clearing the weeds on their grave. This is one of the major holidays in Korea besides Christmas and New Years Eve. People go down to their hometowns and cook diner and play games and catch up on how they have been living. This is an important tradition in Korea as it began way back in the days when people celebrated the harvesting in the fall. They would share their harvest with the entire village and hold a huge party that everyone can join. This tradition was passed down to the modern days, and people celebrate the chusuk.
Drivers in Korea are known to be really rough and bad. When I was in Korea the summer after my senior year in high school, I had an experience of riding a taxi at night. It was honestly one of the most terrifying moments of my life. The driver continuously uses profanity even when I am in the car seat right next to him and honked so frequently at other drivers. It wasn't just my driver, but many other drivers constantly honk at others and all the drivers are very impatient. People also switch lanes very violently and almost all the time it looked like it could very easily cause a crash. From my experience, driving in Korea is definitely a bit more terrifying than United States.
Public transportation in Korea is really important to get around. Due to heavy traffic all the time, many prefer to use public transportation and walk to their destination. You can get to literally about anywhere using public transportation. The metro system is very similar to United States. You can simply find your color line and follow along the line to get off at the right city. Compare to United States, you do have to walk a lot more and once your off at your city, you are basically on your feet the whole time until you get out of the city by the metro. If you happen to visit Korea, the metro is your best friend!
In Korea, the beauty standards is extreme as the standards are very high and not meeting that standard will result in people ignoring you and bullying you. Beauty standards is a huge deal in Korea because people care so much about how they look to others. Many people get complexes due to the extremely high standards and become insecure. This results in many people getting plastic surgery and spending huge amounts of money on clothes and makeup. Even guys wear makeup in Korea to look good to others. This causes a lot of problems in schools and in the society. Students are often bullied for not wearing certain brands. This results in students stealing parents' money and buying backpack worth couple hundred or even thousands. Also, when the fashion trends changes, people have to buy the new trendy clothes or items to stay relevant in the society. This is causing huge problems as many people develop complexes.
In Korea, the hierarchy in age and position is a huge importance. When you meet someone older than you, you have to show them all respect and use jondemal (존대말) which is the formal language in Korean. This societal norm eve applies to someone even one year older than you. In Korea, everyone gets older at new years eve, so people determine age by the year you were born and not when your birthday passes. Because of this norm, there are a lot of problems in middle schools and high schools. Age is important factor in this, but position also has the same norm. You have to respect someone in higher position than you even when they are younger than you.
Usually, these respect to elders are something like doing their requests, not denying their requests, and not saying anything bad at difficult requests. These requests could be something like getting them water or anything like going out to the store and getting them their favorite bread. This is why working under a strict boss is extremely stressful as these requests could occur everyday.
The romantic relationship culture is very different in Korea. First, Koreans commonly rely on an official initial meeting set up by a friend they know. Also, group blind dates are a common thing in Korea to match up singles. Public displays of affection is really not open in Korea like United States. Even kissing in public is looked down upon. Another thing that is different in Korea is the term "splitting the bill". In United States, people will divide the bill for the same transaction, but in Korea one activity is paid by one person and the next is paid by another. They take turns paying for the full bill. Couple products are very common in Korea and that includes basically anything you can wear. Finally, Koreans celebrate many more days than in United States and they also celebrate every 100 days in relationship.
Here are some of the days celebrated in Korea:
Valentines Day (Feb 14th) – In Korea, Valentines day in Korea is a day that women give to the men.
White Day (March 14th) – This is the day for the men to give to the women.
Peppero Day (November 11th) -The sticks resemble the date, 11/11, when people give a boxes of pepero sticks to their love interest.
Diary Day (January 1st) – couples share diaries to celebrate the year to come.
Rose Day (May 14th) – couples exchange roses.
Kiss Day (June 14th) – people kiss everyone they meet (very conservatively).
Silver Day (July 14th) – couples exchange silver accessories.
Green Day (August 14th) – couples enjoy a natural place, whilst drinking soju (in a green bottle).
Photo Day (September 14th) – couples take a photo together and put it somewhere nice to look at.
Wine Day (October 14th) – couples enjoy a glass or two of wine together.
Movie Day (November 14th) – couples watch a movie together.
In Korea, many people really care about how they look in public. Fashion and styling is basically a must-have skill in Korea to fit in with others. This includes both female and male. For female, beauty is so important that many students in Korea are bullied because others think they aren't pretty. There are social group divisions within schools which all the "good-looking' kids form a group and all the outliers are looked down upon. Due to this social culture, many young females starting at about middle school grades have minor plastic surgeries. Although males don't start that early, many do get plastic surgery to become a "pretty boy." There's even a saying in Korean that describes how all females look the same because everyone gets the same plastic surgery. The music industry in Korea plays a big role in this culture change. Many idols are pressured to look the prettiest and suggested to get severe amount of plastic surgery and they basically "set the standard" in Korea.
The Korean college test is called Soo Neung (수능). This test is basically a test that will determine your future career. Many more factors are considered in U.S. college application process such as SAT, ACT, extracurricular activities, volunteer activities and personal essays, but in Korea, this one raw score will determine which college you are able to go. It is a cumulative test for everything up to high school and it is like a national event in Korea. Testing areas’ local work time is delayed so that minimal traffic is present before the test start. Rush hour period is extended from two to four hours. Bus and metro gaps are shortened so that more rounds are completed. During the English listening section, all airplane takeoffs and landings are prohibited to remain silent. Also, police forces are near the testing areas to help students who are late to arrive on time and only public transportation is allowed near the testing area. After the test, there are lots of retail discounts with the admission ticket used for the test.
Like SAT and ACT, the test consists of several subjects including math, English, Korean, and history, and If you are late to the test, you are not allowed to take the test and will have to wait another year to take it. It is very common for students to wait multiple years to study for the same test again to receive a higher score, so gap years are common and recommended if the score turned out to be low.
This is my personal favorite Korean soup entree called Sul lung tang. It is an ox bone soup made from ox bones, briskets and other cuts. The soup is usually served without being seasoned and the actual seasoning is done at the table once it is served. You can season it with salt, pepper and chopped spring onions. It is commonly eaten with kimchi and the best type of kimchi with this soup is the radish kimchi. Sul lung tang also has glass or rice noodles within and you generally eat the soup with a rice bowl on the side. Some people eat the noodles first then dump the rice in and others put the rice in and have both rice and noodles in one bite. I personally add kimchi sauce into my soup, but usually that happens as you eat it with kimchi anyways.
I always get this dish when I go to Grandmart. It's a really good dish and I hope everyone can try it when they have a chance. It's also really good when it's cold outside.
In my final meeting with my language partner my partner went over all I have learned through my 4 semesters of SDLC. This being my last semester I realized how far I have come and how much I learned. I enjoyed this last lesson the most because I came to the realization that I am now at a point where I can compare and contrast my Spanish and Portuguese as apposed to just being confused and mixing languages when trying to speak one or the other.
BTS is a seven-member South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Entertainment. This is one of the most popular K-pop groups in Korea and around the world. Their second full album, Wings, was ranked at #26 on the Billboard 200, which marked the highest chart ranking for a K-pop album ever. They are also the first K-pop group to perform at the American Music Awards, raising their profile internationally. They've also earned two consecutive awards from Billboard Music Awards, making them the only Korean artist to be nominated for and win the award two years in a row. BTS is a big movement for Korean music culture as it is bringing global attention to K-pop.
Many countries have their own traditional dress. In Korea, hanbok (한복) is the traditional dress. The term literally means korean clothing, but hanbok today often refers to hanbok of Joseon Dynasty and is worn as semi-formal or formal wear during traditional festivals, celebrations, and even weddings. Modern hanbok does not follow the exact style used back in Joseon Dynasty. Most Korean household will have a pair of hanbok to be used occasionally. If you have a chance to visit Korea, you can try these hanbok in tourist locations like Gyoengbok palace and have a photoshoot yourself! You didn't have a complete Korean culture experience if you didn't try these hanbok on.
