It feels (and is) very safe. I’ve been wearing my money belt only for practice for Southeast Asia.
The subway system is the best I’ve ever seen (but I haven’t seen many). It’s incredibly easy to use: to know where you are, which direction you’re going, what the next stops are, which exit to take, and which side of the tracks to be on. English is on almost all signs, and most trains have announcements in English. It’s all run by a single entity, unlike Tokyo, so you only pay once when you exit at your destination. I can’t stress enough how useful it is for English speakers.
A lot of South Korean television shows seem to be reality shows.
Thick-rimmed glasses are fashionable among schoolchildren. I heard that some people who don’t need glasses will wear the frames without lenses as an affectation.
Business suits are worn by every man going about his business, it seems. Dress here is very formal. Lots of ties, slacks, and jackets. Even when dressed informally, South Koreans dress very well. My first night in Seoul, I felt very underdressed in a small Japanese fusion restaurant. They dress to impress. Great hairstyles, too.
Young schoolchildren will say hello or hi to you if you’re white. They learn English when they’re very young, even before they learn Korean in school, so they’re eager to practice. Several groups of schoolchildren wanted to take a picture with me as well.
Apple products are very popular here, seemingly even more so than Samsung and LG products. I saw lots of iPhones, iPads, and white earbuds.
When I arrived in Seoul, it was only two or three days after Steve Jobs’s death. It was big news in Seoul. The story was playing constantly on televisions in the subway stations. There were copies of his biography in Korean being sold soon after.
Facebook is the true unifier among young travelers. If you meet them in hostels and they like you, they’ll offer to connect and stay in touch via Facebook. Not MySpace, not Google+. Facebook is king.
The song Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO is very popular. I hear it played all over the city, in dance clubs, and on television commercials.
I seemed to be uncharacteristically resilient to drinking. Perhaps the alcohol content is lower than in the United States?
South Koreans make a “V” (for victory) sign with their fingers, palm facing out, when striking poses for pictures.
South Koreans hold and pass objects and pour liquids with both hands to be polite.
Age and station is very important for determining how people interact with each other. Younger people pour drinks for older people, older people tend to pay for younger people, younger people look away from older people when drinking from their cup, etc. It’s very nuanced behavior that most Americans would be oblivious to without being informed. When meeting you, South Koreans may ask somewhat personal questions about your education, job, and age in order to figure out how they should behave around you: Are you beneath, above, or at the same level as them? There are special behaviors and language for each case.
South Korea has a counterpart to Japanese sake called makgeolli, except it’s milky white instead of transparent.
A popular drink called soju is available in practically every restaurant and is commonly ordered with dinner. It’s similar to vodka, but not as strong and goes down more smoothly.
Schoolchildren wear uniforms and go to separate schools based on their sex.
Taxis won’t accept you unless you’re going far enough to make it worth their while. I once had to walk forty-five minutes to a main road to catch a bus because a taxi driver didn’t want to take me there.
Men (and some women) spit in public.
I know how to say hello, goodbye, thank you, yes, no, how are you, I’m fine, and excuse me. The phrases are difficult to memorize, but unlike Japanese and Chinese, the Korean language uses an alphabet that is much easier to recognize and decipher. You can sound out words if you know what each letter means, like western languages. It just looks incomprehensible because letters are stacked into groups of two or three that form syllables.
Everything is in military time.
All numbers (prices, times, weights, temperatures, subway lines, amounts, etc.) are in Arabic numerals like in the United States.
1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 Korean won bills are common and are usually what’s in your pocket. For any price in Korean won, simply divide by 1,000 and subtract about 15–20% to get the value in United States dollars. So 1,000 won is roughly a dollar, minus a little. It’s easiest to just divide by a thousand for everything. Coins are almost worthless.
It’s common for white foreigners to be complimented by South Koreans as being handsome. I never learned whether they meant it or not.
“Mart” is usually part of a convenience store name. FamilyMart is the most ubiquitous convenience store. There is a lot of English in signs and names for things.
New York Yankees baseball hats are popular. Baseball is the most popular sport.
I saw several people make a heart shape with their hands. I’m not sure if this is a common gesture.
Some Asian countries, including South Korea, have a way to reckon a person’s age that’s different from how westerners do it. Westerners measure age as elapsed time, where when a person is born, they are zero years old, and time accumulates from there. Some Asians measure age starting at one, and then everyone ages one year at the same time at the new year. So it’s possible that you can be two years old, yet not even one year has elapsed since your birth. It’s at most off by two years from elapsed age.
South Korea has a value-added tax (VAT), so all listed prices are final. It’s fantastic! I want one.
Mosquitos are a common annoyance at night in most hostels.
Pringles, Snickers, and Coca Cola can be found everywhere.
It can be very difficult to change careers because it’s awkward for you to be older than your boss. Where that would be the case, you often won’t be hired.
The population is very homogenous racially, with a very high percentage being Korean. People with dark or black skin can have a hard time finding jobs.