South Korea - Urban Myths
PERHAPS due to its location, most people’s knowledge of South Korea is usually based on one particular ‘fact’ that is commonly thought of around the world.
As a diverse and varied nation it was extremely interesting for me to find out whether or not THAT particular question was actually a myth, and upon discovering the answer to that, I became particularly curious as to whether there are any other ‘facts’ about Korea which we in the western world take for granted. Following months of research, and entire year spent living in the land of the morning sun I am hoping to do my best to clear up some of the ‘facts’ which are often banded around about Korea….
“Korean’s eat dogs.”
Yes, this is the statement that I was referring to in the introduction.
The most commonly thought of topic when you mention South Korea, became something I was hugely away after returning.
For anyone who may have somehow missed the stereotype often linked to South Korea, the theory goes that a staple part of the Korean diet is our trusty friend the K-9.
To the disappointment of most people, when asked the question, “Did you eat dog?” my response was an honest and truthful “No, but I do know some people who did. But they’re the exception rather than the rule….”
It’s best to clear up the statement first before divulging the details as to why this is a myth, but also why it is such a common misconception of Korean life. First of all, not all Korean’s eat dog. When I asked a Korean person about this they just laughed, perhaps because they’d been asked so many times before, but the general truth is that most people in Korea don’t eat dog, and a large percentage of the population don’t actually eat any meat, except fish.
Buddhist’s particularly are included in this as part of their religion is to not harm any living thing, therefore ruling out the portion of the Korean population who follow the teachings of Buddha.
The second part of the myth is that eating dog in Korea was actually illegal for a long time. Very few restaurants actually serve ‘Keh-goh-gi’ and many which do, will certainly not advertise it.
Before the Olympics in 1988 to be held in Seoul, South Korea decided that they needed to remove the stereotype from their nation that dog was a commonly eaten food. To remedy this the government outlawed the serving of dog as a ‘dish’, and because of the strict regulations on such practices, very few vendors have chosen to go back on the principle that was introduced.
Those people who theorise that dog are often eaten have clearly followed the stereotype from the pre-1990’s, the truth is that like many other countries around the world, Koreans are actually big pet fanatics, and the most frequently owned household pet is of course…. The dog.
“The threat of North Korean missiles makes South Korea unsafe”
Another common question about my travels to South Korea is usually, “Did you work in North or South Korea?”
The distinction between the two is perhaps largely unknown in the west, and despite past troubles and recent more publicized issues between the two, life in South Korea is largely unthreatened by their Northern neighbours.
The first issue to be covered is the distance between the two countries. Whilst people in the UK can travel between Wales, Scotland and Ireland quite freely by crossing the border, there is understandably a much larger measure of security between North and South Korea.
Following the Korean War in 1953, the United Nations agreed to a stretch of land between the two countries which was owned by neither side, and allowed them to return to some form of normalcy without the threat of war to the natives. The De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) stretches approximately 4km wide in distance and runs parallel on both sides along the 250km diameter of the country.
It is the most heavily militarized border in the world, and whilst citizens of South Korea are encouraged to visit the DMZ as part of an organized tour and discover more about the history of their country, the border is only open for travel between the two countries once a year when Koreans celebrate Thanksgiving (Chuseouk) in October.
In recent years, North Korea has opened up its borders to the western world for touring parties, however these groups are surrounded by heavy security and have no freedom to explore any other city than the capital Pyongyang. Even then, ‘tourists’ are given guided visits to structures and elements of the country controlled by the government, meaning no free reign is involved.
The obvious and all too alarming threat of potential North Korean missile launches means that there is the slight threat of a return to arms for the forces on either side, but this threat will likely have no impact on the citizens in the country as very few of them live in parts of the country which are anywhere near the DMZ.
“Fan Death”
A myth perhaps not known very well outside Korea, but is worth discussing for its individual nature.
Korean’s believe that an electric fan left running in a closed room can cause death, which has led to many manufacturers fitting a timer switch to their devices in order to ensure that no-one falls victim to an untimely incident.
There are several explanations as to why Korean’s believe this theory including:
- The electric fan creating a vortex with the oxygen from an enclosed and sealed room to create a partial vacuum inside.
- Oxygen is ‘chopped up’ by the fan leaving no left to breathe.
- The fan uses up oxygen in the room and creates fatal levels of carbon dioxide.
- Hypothermia being caused by the air on the room being ‘over-cooled’
- A fan left on for too long causes overheating and therefore causes the opposite effect of heating up the room rather than cooling it.
Most of these theories have been disproved scientifically or otherwise, yet in 2006 the government released a health warning that such any of the above incidents should be prevented.
“The advances in the Asian market, particularly in Japan, mean that Korea is ‘behind the times’”
This myth is usually misconception of the uninformed, but is usually acknowledged to be complete nonsense after a few weeks of time spent in the country.
Whilst Korea still has traditional values of the family, religion and certain social aspects such as sex, race and age, advances in medicine, transport and technology are on par if not ahead of a country such as the UK.
A large amount of industrialization and urbanization have meant that areas like Seoul have changed the way in which people live. The subway system around the capital and suburb area is amongst the largest in the world, and it is also one of the most frequently used by natives and visitors.
In terms of transportation, Korea is like many other western nations, many people own cars, there is a hugely regular bus and train service as well as other options such as taxi or subway.
Technology also plays a large role in the lives of Koreans with electronic companies including LG and Samsung based in and around the Seoul area. This makes products easily available and usually more affordable than they are to exported nations as the UK.
98% of the country’s population are believed to own a mobile phone, and these are used for much more than calling or texting. Frequently Korean people are seen to be watching live television on their mobile or using the Internet freely on the subway or the bus. Foreign influences such as the influx of TEFL teachers has meant that western culture, particularly from the USA have influenced people’s lives. Walking down a street in the city centre of Korea will likely result in seeing famous chains such as Burger King or Subway and even designer clothes shops such as Gap are quite frequently found.
Korea is also known for its very high-speed Internet, and this has paved the way for video games such as Starcraft to become a huge success around the country. People of all ages usually take part in social gaming in a ‘PC Bang’ or ‘PC Room’ rather than at home and the popularity of the games mean that both online games and a traditional board game Baduck play a significant part in Korean culture.
“Deodorant is unavailable in Korea.”
This myth is something which I encountered before travelling to South Korea, and admittedly it did take me about six months to de-bunk, unlike several others which are on this list.
Having been told that this is the main thing to bring along in ones personal items for my year long stay in Korea, I was pretty well stocked up before arriving to become an English teacher. The school I used to work in had an American owner, and from his family on the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean, he was able to supply several of members of staff with the important personal item when supplies ran dry after several months.
The truth is that Koreans do not traditionally wear deodorant, that includes both the body spray and roll on forms. Most shops including large chains such as E-Mart and HomePlus don’t stock their shelves with deodorant, for men at least.
Body spray for women is largely available in most stores, after all, temperatures in the Korean summer are regularly around 30C and it would be somewhat unreasonable for even the most efficient person to remain sweat-free.
Deodorant for men is much more difficult to come across, and whilst it is perfectly reasonable for a man to purchase such products from the women’s section of the supermarket, there are other options which can be shopped around for and found in a shop like ‘DC Mart’ or ‘Zero Mart’ which stocks brands specifically for men.
One shouldn’t expect to find the likes of Lynx, Sure or Gillette in one of these stores, but brands are likely to be unimportant when there is only a singular option on offer.
As a diverse and varied nation it was extremely interesting for me to find out whether or not THAT particular question was actually a myth, and upon discovering the answer to that, I became particularly curious as to whether there are any other ‘facts’ about Korea which we in the western world take for granted. Following months of research, and entire year spent living in the land of the morning sun I am hoping to do my best to clear up some of the ‘facts’ which are often banded around about Korea….
“Korean’s eat dogs.”
Yes, this is the statement that I was referring to in the introduction.
The most commonly thought of topic when you mention South Korea, became something I was hugely away after returning.
For anyone who may have somehow missed the stereotype often linked to South Korea, the theory goes that a staple part of the Korean diet is our trusty friend the K-9.
To the disappointment of most people, when asked the question, “Did you eat dog?” my response was an honest and truthful “No, but I do know some people who did. But they’re the exception rather than the rule….”
It’s best to clear up the statement first before divulging the details as to why this is a myth, but also why it is such a common misconception of Korean life. First of all, not all Korean’s eat dog. When I asked a Korean person about this they just laughed, perhaps because they’d been asked so many times before, but the general truth is that most people in Korea don’t eat dog, and a large percentage of the population don’t actually eat any meat, except fish.
Buddhist’s particularly are included in this as part of their religion is to not harm any living thing, therefore ruling out the portion of the Korean population who follow the teachings of Buddha.
The second part of the myth is that eating dog in Korea was actually illegal for a long time. Very few restaurants actually serve ‘Keh-goh-gi’ and many which do, will certainly not advertise it.
Before the Olympics in 1988 to be held in Seoul, South Korea decided that they needed to remove the stereotype from their nation that dog was a commonly eaten food. To remedy this the government outlawed the serving of dog as a ‘dish’, and because of the strict regulations on such practices, very few vendors have chosen to go back on the principle that was introduced.
Those people who theorise that dog are often eaten have clearly followed the stereotype from the pre-1990’s, the truth is that like many other countries around the world, Koreans are actually big pet fanatics, and the most frequently owned household pet is of course…. The dog.
“The threat of North Korean missiles makes South Korea unsafe”
Another common question about my travels to South Korea is usually, “Did you work in North or South Korea?”
The distinction between the two is perhaps largely unknown in the west, and despite past troubles and recent more publicized issues between the two, life in South Korea is largely unthreatened by their Northern neighbours.
The first issue to be covered is the distance between the two countries. Whilst people in the UK can travel between Wales, Scotland and Ireland quite freely by crossing the border, there is understandably a much larger measure of security between North and South Korea.
Following the Korean War in 1953, the United Nations agreed to a stretch of land between the two countries which was owned by neither side, and allowed them to return to some form of normalcy without the threat of war to the natives. The De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) stretches approximately 4km wide in distance and runs parallel on both sides along the 250km diameter of the country.
It is the most heavily militarized border in the world, and whilst citizens of South Korea are encouraged to visit the DMZ as part of an organized tour and discover more about the history of their country, the border is only open for travel between the two countries once a year when Koreans celebrate Thanksgiving (Chuseouk) in October.
In recent years, North Korea has opened up its borders to the western world for touring parties, however these groups are surrounded by heavy security and have no freedom to explore any other city than the capital Pyongyang. Even then, ‘tourists’ are given guided visits to structures and elements of the country controlled by the government, meaning no free reign is involved.
The obvious and all too alarming threat of potential North Korean missile launches means that there is the slight threat of a return to arms for the forces on either side, but this threat will likely have no impact on the citizens in the country as very few of them live in parts of the country which are anywhere near the DMZ.
“Fan Death”
A myth perhaps not known very well outside Korea, but is worth discussing for its individual nature.
Korean’s believe that an electric fan left running in a closed room can cause death, which has led to many manufacturers fitting a timer switch to their devices in order to ensure that no-one falls victim to an untimely incident.
There are several explanations as to why Korean’s believe this theory including:
- The electric fan creating a vortex with the oxygen from an enclosed and sealed room to create a partial vacuum inside.
- Oxygen is ‘chopped up’ by the fan leaving no left to breathe.
- The fan uses up oxygen in the room and creates fatal levels of carbon dioxide.
- Hypothermia being caused by the air on the room being ‘over-cooled’
- A fan left on for too long causes overheating and therefore causes the opposite effect of heating up the room rather than cooling it.
Most of these theories have been disproved scientifically or otherwise, yet in 2006 the government released a health warning that such any of the above incidents should be prevented.
“The advances in the Asian market, particularly in Japan, mean that Korea is ‘behind the times’”
This myth is usually misconception of the uninformed, but is usually acknowledged to be complete nonsense after a few weeks of time spent in the country.
Whilst Korea still has traditional values of the family, religion and certain social aspects such as sex, race and age, advances in medicine, transport and technology are on par if not ahead of a country such as the UK.
A large amount of industrialization and urbanization have meant that areas like Seoul have changed the way in which people live. The subway system around the capital and suburb area is amongst the largest in the world, and it is also one of the most frequently used by natives and visitors.
In terms of transportation, Korea is like many other western nations, many people own cars, there is a hugely regular bus and train service as well as other options such as taxi or subway.
Technology also plays a large role in the lives of Koreans with electronic companies including LG and Samsung based in and around the Seoul area. This makes products easily available and usually more affordable than they are to exported nations as the UK.
98% of the country’s population are believed to own a mobile phone, and these are used for much more than calling or texting. Frequently Korean people are seen to be watching live television on their mobile or using the Internet freely on the subway or the bus. Foreign influences such as the influx of TEFL teachers has meant that western culture, particularly from the USA have influenced people’s lives. Walking down a street in the city centre of Korea will likely result in seeing famous chains such as Burger King or Subway and even designer clothes shops such as Gap are quite frequently found.
Korea is also known for its very high-speed Internet, and this has paved the way for video games such as Starcraft to become a huge success around the country. People of all ages usually take part in social gaming in a ‘PC Bang’ or ‘PC Room’ rather than at home and the popularity of the games mean that both online games and a traditional board game Baduck play a significant part in Korean culture.
“Deodorant is unavailable in Korea.”
This myth is something which I encountered before travelling to South Korea, and admittedly it did take me about six months to de-bunk, unlike several others which are on this list.
Having been told that this is the main thing to bring along in ones personal items for my year long stay in Korea, I was pretty well stocked up before arriving to become an English teacher. The school I used to work in had an American owner, and from his family on the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean, he was able to supply several of members of staff with the important personal item when supplies ran dry after several months.
The truth is that Koreans do not traditionally wear deodorant, that includes both the body spray and roll on forms. Most shops including large chains such as E-Mart and HomePlus don’t stock their shelves with deodorant, for men at least.
Body spray for women is largely available in most stores, after all, temperatures in the Korean summer are regularly around 30C and it would be somewhat unreasonable for even the most efficient person to remain sweat-free.
Deodorant for men is much more difficult to come across, and whilst it is perfectly reasonable for a man to purchase such products from the women’s section of the supermarket, there are other options which can be shopped around for and found in a shop like ‘DC Mart’ or ‘Zero Mart’ which stocks brands specifically for men.
One shouldn’t expect to find the likes of Lynx, Sure or Gillette in one of these stores, but brands are likely to be unimportant when there is only a singular option on offer.