What is it like to live in Korea?
A personal story from an expat.
Born in Europe, they didn’t tell us much about Asia at school, let alone specifically about Korea, so I didn’t know much about Korea until we moved here two years ago. In those two years, I have experienced Korea from within and have learned some exciting things. At first, it isn’t easy to live in Korea, but the country does start to grow on you over time. Hopefully, with this article, I can make you feel a bit of the Korean magic, provoking a wish to visit this country and experience some of it firsthand.
First impression of Korea
When I arrived in Korea for the first time, I still remember how shocked I was by the enormous highrise buildings. They were high and many, everywhere you look. There are more than 50 million people in South Korea, and they all have to live somewhere. As the country is full of hills and low mountains, the space is somewhat limited, forcing the people to use the 3rd dimension. This 3rd dimension concept was new for me, not because of the highrise buildings, but because Korea is a three-dimensional country for many other things than housing. There are endless streets under the ground, and if you want to find a shop, café, museum, cinema, or restaurant, you always have to check which floor you need to be on, both under and above the ground.
Besides the complex physical structure of Korea, the Korean alphabet contributed to my first-time-visit shock as well. The Korean letters didn’t mean anything to me, and everything was a mystery to me when driving to our first hotel room. What would it all mean? If you are interested in why learning Korean is so hard for western foreigners, you can read more about that in another article I posted on Medium a while ago: Why is learning Korean so hard?
Another thing I remembered was the first time that we needed to have lunch, and we decided to go to a restaurant with the children. We walked around in our neighborhood and didn’t know where to go, so we finally ended up by chance at a restaurant above the local supermarket, where the menu was in Korean, and the waitress didn’t speak any English. We ordered some food, judging from the pictures on the menu. We ate dumplings, some cooked meat, and various kinds of Korean pancakes. We also ordered some wine, but Korean rice wine didn’t taste like wine at all. Everything was so different!
Korean history
The importance of history is clearly visible if you live in Korea. There are many historical sites, temples, and museums to learn about, but Korea’s history is also present in how the Koreans look at themselves and other countries in the world. Of course, I can’t describe all of Korean history in this article, but a few things stand out that I want to mention.
Foremost, the Korean War (1950–1953) is still on everyone’s mind. After World War II (1940–1945), Korea was liberated from the Japanese occupation. The United States and Russia couldn’t agree on what to do with Korea, so they decided to split the country in North Korea and South Korea, just like they did with Berlin and Germany. Five years later, in 1950, the North invaded the South, and a brutal war emerged that lasted for three years and ended after the United Nations came to the help of the South and restored the border between the North and the South.
The United States was by far the most significant contributor to the UN mission, and this explains the enormous impact they have made on Korea. The Korean language has a lot of English loan words, and the American cultural influence is visible everywhere if you have an eye for it. The Korean war ended with a cease-fire, and until today, that hasn’t changed. Tragically, North and South Korea are the victims of a geopolitical fight, and there doesn’t seem to be a way out. Since then, the North and South have developed in radically different ways, resulting in the extreme difference that can be seen between the two countries now. North Korea is one of the least free and poor countries in the world, and South Korea has become a true democracy and the #11 economy in the world.
Another significant influence comes from Japan, with which Korea has a troublesome history. Since 1871 the Japanese have been strengthening their influence in Asia and specifically in Korea as a part of their expansionist strategy at that time. They grew their power in Korea, forcing out the Chinese and the Russians. Then in 1910, Japan occupied Korea, tried to break its culture, and make it entirely Japanese. Korea was liberated from the Japanese at the end of World War II, and the government started an enormous effort to restore the Korean cultural roots. The Japanese occupation has had a massive impact, which can still be felt today. The two countries are still unfriendly related, having postponed dealing with war atrocities, accusing each other of changing history after the fact.
Before that, the country has a long history of dynasties and kingdoms, of which the most prominently visible if you travel the country are the Joseon dynasty (since 1392), the Goryeo dynasty (since 918), The North-South states period of Silla and Balhae (since 668), and the three kingdoms period of Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla (since 57BC). Everywhere you go, there are stories to be heard about these times, and you can see the Korean people are very proud of their history.
Korean culture
Many people ask me about the people in Korea. What are they like? What do they look like? How do they behave? Is it so different than Europe?
Almost all Koreans have black straight hair, dark eyes, dark eyebrows, round face features, and a light skin tone. The life expectancy is high, the people eat healthily, and there are significantly fewer overweight people than in most western countries. The number one cause of health problems for Koreans is stress, which comes from the high expectations in society to excel in your education and your job. And it comes from the strong hierarchical layer system, which triggers a continuous journey towards ranking up the ladder. The stress is so high that it impacts society in many ways, like having one of the lowest birth rates in the world and one of the highest suicide rates.
The culture is conservative, dominated by men. There is a strong feminist movement, but they face strong resistance from men as well. A big problem is the spying on women in public toilets and sexual harassment in the workplace. LGBTI is still taboo, people usually don’t live together before marriage, and divorces are still rare. But if I speak to younger people, they often feel the same way as I do about these things, but their society is not ready yet. That brings me to believe that with time also Korea will shift to more liberal values.
Another interesting aspect of Korean people is that they tend to like to be the same as everybody else, to blend in with the crowd. There is a lack of variety in the color of their clothes or their cars. They all park their cars backward, and they all use the same apps on their phones — mostly from Kakao and Naver. They don’t mind sharing the same facilities with everybody else, visible in their willingness to stand in long queues to wait to enter a shop, a Starbucks drive-through, or a restaurant.
There are also differences between the people. One dimension of differences is across the generations. Older Koreans are very different from younger Koreans. This is mainly due to the rapid change the country has gone through since the Korean War and more external influences reaching into Korea. For example, most older Koreans don’t like pets, and younger people love them. Older people don’t speak English, younger people do. Older people are shorter than younger people, and many have their backs bend forward due to hard labor in their younger days.
But one thing all Koreans share, and that’s the respect that people have for each other. Of course, there are occasional shoutings and emotional outbursts, but overall the people are very friendly and respect each other. A good example is the safety on the street. Almost nothing is stolen, and you can travel the city at night without having to fear criminals or rapists. If a package is delivered, they leave it in front of your door. If you go to the restroom, you can leave your phone and wallet on the table.
Korea has increased its cultural influence in the world. Many people will have heard of K-pop, a Korean music style, or Gangnam Style from Psy, a viral Korean song and dance style in 2012. Korea is also well known for movies and series, like “Parasite,” winning an Oscar for best foreign film. More recently, everyone is talking about the Korean Netflix series “Squid Game.” Before that, there were other very successful series in Korea, like “Itaewon Class” and “Vincenzo.” I can recommend watching those series if you want to learn more about Korean culture.
Traveling in Korea
If you come to Korea, the most exciting place to visit is Korea’s capital Seoul, in the northwest of the country. The city is enormous, and after two years living here, I am still not done visiting. There are many museums, towers, parks, restaurants, shops, temples, and palaces to visit. Koreans also love flowers, which you can find everywhere. The most famous is the cherry blossom season end of March. Last spring, we were in the south of South Korea, and we drove for tens of kilometers with blossoming cherry flowers along the road. That was very inspiring!
Besides Seoul, you can visit the most significant island called Jeju, with the countries highest volcano crater. Or you can go to Busan, the number two city in the southeast of the country. Easiest is to take the high-speed train that takes you there in 2.5 hours. Another option is to visit one of the many national parks and enjoy nature. Because the land is full of mountains, there are many beautiful hiking trails to walk. It is also the reason why there are so many tunnels. I have never seen so many tunnels, one after the other.
Going to the beach has been somewhat disappointing until now. Most of the beaches are underdeveloped, lacking good facilities and beach clubs. But, if you search well, some lovely places can be found.
To summarize, Korea has a lot to offer if you take the time for it and are willing to delve into the country’s culture and history. If you are there for a short visit, do stop in Seoul and enjoy the lively atmosphere.
