Korea: Fact or Fiction

Traditional Kimchi Pots

Before coming to South Korea, I read roughly a dozen books to prepare myself for the inevitable culture shock. While they were interesting reads to be sure, I found that I haven't been too shocked by the culture for the most part and many of the Korean facts I read about seem to be nonexistent these days.

I find it interesting that so much can change so fast because most of the books I read were written only a few years ago.But, as my employer noted while pointing out various cities to me on our way from the airport, "There's only two or three years' history here." What he means is that Korea has gone through a major boom economically. While there is still a rich ancient history, there has been a massive growth spurt in the last couple of years, which makes me wonder if some of the old Korean ways got lost in the mix.

Here I will recount, from personal experience, some of the Korean facts I read about and whether they appear to still exist. It's important to note that I am in no way a historian or expert on anything Korean... I'm just a waygook making some observations.

Fact or Fiction #1: Koreans eat kimchi with every meal. Fact. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, kimchi is involved. I was a little nervous about the prospect of eating so much fermented cabbage, but I actually really like it. And I eat cereal for breakfast.

Fact or Fiction #2: Koreans treat elders with great respect. Half and Half. I was expecting to see people going out of their way to honor the elderly and for the most part I haven't seen anything like it. In one instance, I saw a man yell at a particularly slow old lady in a wheel chair, "AJIMA!!!" (Which means "OLD LADY!!!") Yikes. But on the other hand, I have seen people give up seats on the subway, bow in respect and hold doors. I guess it's more of a personal respect for elders than a society as a whole. It also seems like the younger generations are the least respectful, but the same can be said for the US.

Fact or Fiction #3: Koreans never say no. Half and Half. I've heard the word "no" plenty of times. Well... maybe not that word verbatim, but some variation of it. For instance, I asked my employer for something today and she said, "It isn't possible." Not no, exactly, but that's clearly the meaning. The funny thing is, every time I've been told something isn't possible, or can't be done, my Korean counterpart will always ask, "Is it okay?" Maybe this is a little shred of the old days hanging on where it was unacceptable to say no, so instead they say no, but then ask you if it's okay that they're denying your request. Sure, I didn't really need the number to poison control, anyway.

Fact or Fiction #4: Koreans won't understand if you're over the age of 20 and not married with children. Fiction. This one has definitely changed. In fact, nowadays Korean men and women get married in their early thirties. Although one funny thing is that they're very forward with their intentions. A Korean man recently asked one of my friends in a casual conversation, "What are your plans for marrying?"

Fact or Fiction #5: Koreans wear socks with sandals and never show their bare feet in public. Fiction. Thank God! I was not going to wear socks and sandals, no matter how many ajimas harassed me. Thankfully, the majority of the Korean population seem to have grown out of their barefoot phobia and slipped in to something more fashion-friendly. They still take their shoes off indoors, which I have grown to appreciate. It's pretty fun to take my shoes off at a restaurant, pad over to a low little table in bare feet and sit down on the floor. I just pray that the table eating next to me have been practicing proper podiatric hygiene.