Top 35 Interesting Facts About South Korea You Need to Know Before Traveling There

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South Korea remains in our memory as one of the more interesting countries, with a different way of thinking and some, shall we say, strange customs. Read these 35 interesting facts we found about this country.

If we talk about appearance and beauty, South Korea ranks first in the world in the number of plastic surgeries per inhabitant.

Churches look different and offer interesting services. For example, free examinations at the dentist and free haircuts at the hair salon. This is probably why people in South Korea often go to church.

When they graduate from college or school, most South Koreans give themselves: eyelid or nose corrections.

Every man, except the disabled, is obliged to serve military service in South Korea.

Only “Internet Explorer” is used in South Korea.

South Korea is in the TOP 5 largest car manufacturers in the world. The most popular brands are Hyundai and Kia.

Until 1979, women’s clothing was strictly controlled in South Korea. Then not only the length of the skirt was regulated, but also the length of the hair.

South Koreans are one year old when they are born. One of the unique facts about South Koreans is that when they are born, they are automatically a year old. There are different opinions as to why this is so. One explanation is that people think it’s because the baby is in the mother’s womb for 9 months, which is almost 1 year. Therefore, in South Korea, a child is 1 year old when it is born.

South Koreans drink the most alcohol of all countries in Asia.

The tallest Lego tower in the world was built in Seoul, South Korea, and was built by 4,000 children and is a dizzying 31.9 meters high.

Until last year, South Korea had the largest Ikea in the world, the size of the Louvre museum in Paris. It is now the largest in the Philippines.

South Korea has one of the fastest internet connections in the world.

Only 3.2% of South Koreans are overweight, which is the lowest percentage in the world next to Japan.

South Korean men love makeup, spending around US$900 million a year, or a quarter of the world’s men’s cosmetics.

South Koreans believe that leaving an electric fan on overnight will kill the person sleeping directly under it.

Together with the residents of Tokyo, the residents of Seoul sleep the least of all the residents of major cities in the world, only slightly less than 6 hours.

In 2012, a prison in the South Korean city of Pohang became home to the world’s first robotic prison guards.

South Koreans love shopping, and the country has some of the largest shopping malls in the world. Shops are open until 4:00 a.m., while most restaurants, bars, and cafes are only open until 11:00 p.m.

South Koreans are the world’s largest users of credit cards. You can pay with credit cards everywhere. The law prohibits merchants from refusing to accept credit cards when paying.

On the South Korean island of Jeju, women traditionally go out to work while their husbands stay at home. These women are called haenyeo (“sea women”), and they dive for sea urchins and octopuses, continuing a tradition that goes back 1,500 years and is passed down from mother to daughter.

More than 20% of South Koreans have the surname Kim.

Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea. It is believed that this sport is more than 2000 years old.

One of the most prestigious and best-paid jobs in the country is teaching. On average, teachers earn $2,500 per month, and teachers in private schools and universities earn more.

The first astronomical laboratory in the world, the Cheomseongdae Observatory, is located in South Korea. It was built in the middle of the 600s.

More than 90% of the world’s seaweed consumption comes from Korea.

In South Korea, on Valentine’s Day, women give chocolates and gifts to their husbands or boyfriends to show their love, and on White Day, 3/14, men give gifts to girlfriends and wives and usually spend about three times what they got on Valentine’s Day.

Black Day, 4/14, singles gather to “mourn” the fact that they are singles eating bowls of jjajangmyeon.

About 63% of South Korea is covered by forest.

There are more than 3,000 islands around South Korea, and the largest is Jeju Island.

They have the most robots in the world. Robots are not only used in factories, but also as prison guards, waiters or teachers.

In South Korea, if you see a name written in red, it’s a pretty bad sign; indicates that the person is dead or about to be dead.

In South Korea, if you are accused of crimes such as murder or rape, you may be asked to reconstruct your crime publicly and in front of the media, which can then irreparably damage a person’s name and reputation.

In South Korea, scissors are an integral part of every kitchen, as they are used to cut various types of food such as noodles, meat, and even kimchi.

In the late 50s, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. In just over 20 years, South Korea has gone from being one of the poorest to one of the richest nations on earth.

As many as 98 percent of South Koreans have completed high school, and 63% have higher education.