INTERESTING DETAILS ABOUT SOUTH KOREA

A MISCONCEPTION KNOWN AS THE FAN DEATH

IS COMMON IN SOUTH KOREA. MANY SOUTH

KOREANS BELIEVE THAT LEAVING AN

ELECTRIC FAN ON OVERNIGHT MAY KILL THE

PERSON SLEEPING BELOW IT. THE GENESIS OF

THE MISCONCEPTION IS UNCLEAR BUT FEARS

ABOUT ELECTRIC FANS DATE ALMOST TO THEIR

INTRODUCTION TO KOREA IN THE 1920'S

SEOUL’S METROPOLITAN AREA KNOWN AS THE

SEOUL CAPITAL AREA IS HOME TO MORE THAN

25 MILLION PEOPLE, CURRENTLY MAKING SEOUL

THE WORLD'S THIRD LARGEST CITY

SOUTH KOREANS LOVE KIMCHI, A TRADITIONAL

FERMENTED KOREAN SIDE DISH MADE OF

VEGETABLES. FROM CABBAGE KIMCHI AND

RADISH KIMCHI TO CUCUMBER KIMCHI, THERE ARE

ABOUT 250 DIFFERENT TYPES OF THIS DELICACY

WITH MORE THAN 11 SHOTS OF LIQUOR PER

PERSON PER WEEK, SOUTH KOREA TOTALLY

DOMINATES LIQUOR CONSUMPTION PER CAPITA.

RUNNERS-UP RUSSIANS, NOTORIOUS FOR THEIR

DRINKING HABITS, DRINK “JUST” 5 SHOTS PER

PERSON PER WEEK

ALTHOUGH SOUTH KOREA HAS VERY HIGH LIVING

STANDARDS, SUICIDE IS A SERIOUS AND

WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. IN FACT, SOUTH KOREA

HAS THE SECOND-HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE IN THE

WORLD ACCORDING TO THE WORLD

HEALTH ORGANIZATION

DESPITE BEING LOCATED RIGHT NEXT TO NORTH

KOREA, AN INFAMOUS AGGRESSOR, SOUTH

KOREA IS ONE OF THE SAFEST AND MOST

PEACEFUL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD. IT HAS

AN EXTREMELY LOW CRIME RATE AND VERY

STRICT GUN POLICY

TAXIS IN SOUTH KOREA ARE COLOUR CODED

ACCORDING TO THE LEVEL OF SERVICE OFFERED.

AN ORANGE OR SILVER TAXI IS A BASIC CAR,

WHILE THE BLACK CABS ARE LUXURY CARS

MANY SOUTH KOREANS SUFFER FROM TETRA

PHOBIA – FEAR OF THE NUMBER 4. THE FLOOR

NUMBER 4 IS ALMOST ALWAYS SKIPPED IN

HOSPITALS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS. IN OTHER

BUILDINGS, THE FOURTH FLOOR IS SOMETIMES

LABELLED "F" INSTEAD OF "4" IN ELEVATORS.

APARTMENT NUMBERS CONTAINING MULTIPLE

OCCURRENCES OF THE NUMBER 4 (SUCH AS 404)

ARE ALSO LIKELY TO BE AVOIDED