That is a question with many answers so here are a few things this country is famous for. South Korea is highly developed and home to the 14th-largest global economy by GDP. It's gridded with the densest high-speed rail network (sorry, Japan!) and boasts one of the best internet connectivity systems. And its national military is one of the most powerful in the world.
But there are statistics, and there are statistics. All that geopolitical information is good to know. But most people asking what South Korea is famous for want to know about:
- food culture in South Korea
- what life is like in South Korea
- who the biggest South Korean celebrities are and why they're so famous
- what kind of music South Koreans listen to
- the one thing that makes South Korea unique
Maddening, how 'South' is in all of those, right? That's because many people want to know about North Korea, too. If that's you, all the better!
Many aspects of life in Korea are shared between both countries. But some belong exclusively to the southern part of the Korean peninsula. Those are the ones we want to talk about, starting with the country's most unique aspect.
Korean Life and the Korean Ageing System
North Korea has its own calendar but South Korea has its own ways of tallying how many years someone's been alive. Note that 'ways' wasn't a typo. It is meant to be plural because South Koreans have several different ways to tally their age.
Traditional Korean culture dictates that everyone is a year old at birth. That's to account for the time spent in the womb, even though that's less than a year. From there, the ageing system takes different paths.
One may celebrate one's birthday and gain a year each time. But the official age counter is January 1. According to Korean culture, everyone in the family gains a year on the international New Year's day.
Lunar New Year is important in traditional South Korean culture but not in mainstream life. Some South Koreans celebrate their Lunar birthdays as well as their 'solar' one. How old they are depends on whether they side with the traditional method of ageing or the government standard. Because 60 years ago, the Korean national government decided to do away with that 'year old at birth' standard.
Are you now well and truly confused? So are South Koreans. Everything from starting school to serving in the military is calculated based on different ageing standards.
Often, to people's detriment. So we shouldn't be too keen to say that age is just a number. Especially not if we know how profoundly age impacts life in South Korea.
South Korean Food Culture
I have a mate who plans their global travel based on a destination's food culture. If it sounds like they won't like the food, they look elsewhere for their next adventure. It seems a backwards way of deciding destinations, doesn't it? Particularly if you, like so many travellers, consider a country's foods a destination onto itself.
If you are, indeed, that kind of traveller, you'll be well served (pun intended) in South Korea. From Seoul to Jeju Island, you have many delights to savour.
Do you like to eat fish? You might look forward to sampling grilled hairtail or trying as many varieties of fish stew as you can. Is your diet mainly vegetarian? Oh, does South Korean cuisine have dishes for you!
Over the past 10 years, South Korean palates have developed new tastes. Meat has long been a part of traditional Korean cuisine, albeit served in bite-sized morsels or swimming in stew. These days, though, it's not uncommon for a wealthy family to dine on steak and lobster.
Pojangmacha are another national treasure. Those are food vendor stalls, where business partners and family alike may consume anju. Here again, South Korea shows her unique flavour.
Anju - literally 'not main' as in 'not a main meal', describes food you eat while drinking. One might drink beer, soju or soju bombs - a combination of beer and soju. Anju foods include fried chicken, bulgogi and jokbal, among others.
But do you like your food spicy? The average Korean person does. In fact, most Korean cuisine is spicy but don't worry. You can get non-spicy kimchi if you prefer.
A Look at Life in South Korea Through Korean Films
I got my introduction to the Korean wave with My Sassy Girl. It is a drama masquerading as comedy that's meant to be a romance. This film is now more than 20 years old but still ranks among that country's most popular titles of all time. And its female lead, Jun Ji-hyun became known as one of the three most beautiful women in Korea.
This film reputedly kicked off the global Hallyu wave - the international passion for all things Korean. My Sassy Girl is a fair representation of Korean cinema. It's a sterling example of how directors tend to blend genres like smoothies, injecting humour, sadness and shock when you least expect it.
Would you ever think a film about sex trafficking could be funny? How about a Sci-fi film whose plot revolves around environmental concerns? And would you ever expect a thriller to contain more than a whiff of historical accuracy?
South Korean scriptwriters and directors excel at exploring social concerns. They do so while still delivering thought-provoking yet entertaining content. And along the way, they share insider knowledge about life and culture in South Korea.
Through them, you'll see how anju is done and how people use honorifics to address family members and business partners. Whether you like brisk action films or drama, you should definitely investigate Korean films.
Korean Culture: Music and Idols
Hallyu or not, some people don't like to read subtitles. They prefer to focus on the action not the words so, unless a film is dubbed, they might give Korean films and dramas a pass. But music is universal.
It doesn't matter in what language the lyrics are sung as long as the beat is strong and the harmonies heavenly. Or the rap is tight. And then, once you add the visual dimension...
Few musical acts are as visually stimulating as they sound. But in this category, South Korean music groups take the cake. From bright colours to snappy dance moves, Korean pop idols and groups have it all.
This country's entertainment business has clearly hit on the winning formula. They deliver band after band to delight and wow global audiences. Do you plan to attend any music festivals this summer?
You might catch Blackpink, Korea's Number 1 girl band. Unfortunately, boy band EXO doesn't have any tour dates scheduled but Tomorrow X Together does. The global favourite, BTS, are currently on hiatus. You can catch their videos anytime you want if you miss them as bad as we do, though.
Korean music is by no means all idols and boy bands or girl bands. You should get to know Korea's balladeers, chanteuses and those who sing traditional songs.
Famous People and Korean Customs
It's a strange phenomenon. While researching this article, we ran across a list Forbes magazine compiles every year called the South Korean Top 40. The whole world has gotten used to such lists from that publication. That's how we know who the wealthiest Americans are.
But money does not determine how South Korean celebrities are ranked. Instead, the editors consider cultural factors, including who is the most charitable and who has the most global engagement. Who gets the most exposure?
Who works the hardest? Who has the best reputation? It would be so great if our celebrities' good deeds mattered more than how much money they had, wouldn't it?
We have to wonder how Forbes picks which South Korean celebrities they feature on their list every year. Last year's list includes singers, actors and athletes, with BTS and Blackpink taking the top two spots. That's probably because they're cultural icons. But it seems Forbes' selection process might be a bit unfair.
For instance, Lee Jun-ho and Park Hyung-sik sing, dance, act in dramas and are international ambassadors. And they're definitely fan favourites. But they prefer to keep their private lives to themselves. Thus, neither of them features on the Forbes list.
But that might not matter to either of them. They seem far more focused on their craft than on international renown. So who did make the list? You can expect to find popular entertainers like Park Seo-joon and Lee Seung-gi on the list.
You wouldn't lose any money betting on Bae Suzy and IU featuring on it, too. Son Heung-min, the Tottenham football club forward and model and influencer Irene Kim made the list as well. But is this list anything to set your Hallyu standards by? Maybe you should just dive deep into Korean culture to discover your own favourite famous people.
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