My impressions from one week in Seoul, South Korea are probably only worth a few cents (or should I say won? ;), but here are some takeaways:
Strong gender roles, pay inequality, despite most women now being college educated. Even fewer women in STEM than in the US.
High job pressure, very competitive, the population is highly educated. Very long working hours, similar to Japan.
Unification with North Korea is a big question; opinions differ as to whether this is desirable or even possible.
There seems to be a big desire for international diversity among younger people (though perhaps being international myself creates selection bias?). Taiwan seems to be a place not so far away that is favored for this.
Instagram/visual appearance big in Korea
I've heard a surprising amount of US rap music in Korea!
| Kimchi. Alex C-W's fave ;) |
| Korean BBQ! I had a hard time with Korean food in general, but Korean BBQ was always a winner! |
| Korean baseball game! Maybe even more spirited than in Tokyo! It was really interesting to me that a majority of the fans seemed to be young women! |
| Traditional Korean clothing. I arrived during Chuseok, Korea's mid-autumn harvest holiday. It's the biggest traditional holiday of the year and many people were wearing traditional Korean clothes. |
| Gyeongbokgung palace in Seoul, South Korea. Served as the royal seat of the Joseon dynasty, from roughly 1400-1600. Then abandoned for two centuries before being restored in the 19th century. Then under Japanese occupation (first half of the 20th century) it was destroyed again but has been undergoing restoration since the 1990s and is now a major tourist attraction in Seoul. |
| View over Seoul with the Han River that cuts through the middle of the city. |
| I don't remember the name of this famous Korean general (circa 1600 I think) who defeated many enemies, most notably the Japanese when his men were largely outnumbered. |
| Seoul has some beautiful temples. |
| Noryangjin seafood market. This place really felt foreign to me! |
| Noryangjin seafood market. |
| Noryangjin seafood market. Octopus :((( |
| Noryangjin seafood market. They keep the seafood alive and then kill it in front of you. Then you can take it upstairs to one of the restaurants where they cook it. |
| Jimjilbang!!!!!! Jimjilbangs are cheap spas where you can spend the night. They've got a |
| Homeless people in Asian countries tend to express a lot of shame for their condition. I've seen many more bowed heads and silence from the homeless than in the US. |
| When taking pictures, making hearts with hands are a big thing! Also, I swear I heard them say "kimchi!" instead of "cheese!" |
| Advertisement for plastic surgery. Apparently plastic surgery is quite common in Korea. |
| Korean Francophilia on full display! |
| More Korean Francophilia! |
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