After three years in South Korea I may not be an expert, but I feel qualified enough to pass on a little of what I've learned while here. Although my time working in Korea has drawn to a close I'm sure I'll be back visiting soon enough. Until then, I threw together this alphabetical photo essay for anyone who will be working in, traveling to, or is just curious about life in South Korea. Here is the first of two installments. M-Z to follow soon.


Alcohol: An ever present aspect of life in Korea. Whether you consume it or not, you're sure to be in it's presence often and see its casualties around the streets late at night or very early in the morning. The most popular drink is arguably Soju which is commonly served with meals. There are a number of other Korean alcohols to choose from including Dong-dong Ju and Bek Se Ju. Mek Ju (beer) as well as whisky are also popular. There is a set of customs which accompany drinking and are dictated by age. It's not totally necessary to learn these but I would recommend it if you'll be drinking and/or eating with Koreans.

Bali, Bali!: This expression which literally means 'Fast Fast' or 'Hurry up!' underlies a great deal of Korean culture. From the country's amazing economic growth to a rush to get on the subway, the spirit of speed can be felt and seen wherever you go. Some have even attributed recently disgraced stem-cell expert Hwang Woo-Seok's fabrication of results to the pressure of Bali, Bali culture.

Blood type: Do you know yours? I don't but it wasn't something I really thought much about before being asked by half the students I teach. Blood Type is considered a major personality determinant in Korea. B-types are notorious and not recommended as a romantic partner unless you're up for a challenge.

Cell phone: You may try to resist these modern day slave collars. Land lines and e-mail may seem sufficient for the demands of staying in touch and co-ordinating social activities. This illusion will soon evaporate. Living in a city of 4 million, once you leave your house, it can be a major chore trying to contact someone or arrange plans. Public pay phones are hard to come by. Cellular service plans are cheap and there are plenty of new and used models available. As a member of the ex-pat community you'll likely meet someone who is leaving the country and parting with their phone. You may be ashamed to show it to your 9 year old students who have the latest mp3, digital camera, internet gaming model, but it'll serve you well to have one.

Development: It's hard to walk down the street without passing a construction site or seeing the cranes and scaffolding of a new apartment development rising above the skyline. The speed at which new buildings shoot up or new businesses are installed can be mind boggling. Sometimes you will walk down the street and notice an enormous new shadow that was formerly not there. Looking up, you will see that the culprit is a five story building. This is a visual manifestation of the continuing growth of Korea's economy. The result in Busan, the only city not to suffer the devastation of the Korean War, is a stark contrast between new and old. Sky scraping luxury apartments loom over sprawling traditional Korean houses and older low rise buildings. You will probably live in one of the latter.

Education: Taking its roots in the underlying Confucian social structure of Korea, a high esteem for education seems to have become a mania. Chances are you are working as an English instructor in the countries numerous hogwans (private academies). English is only one of the subjects which students study after finishing their regular school day. In an effort to keep pace with every other student in the country, parents send their children to music, math, and science academies to name but a few. It's not uncommon to see students being dropped off at home at 11:00pm.

Film: While a great deal of Hollywood movies and some other foreign fare can be seen at local cinema, the domestic film industry is growing at an amazing rate. With OldBoy taking second place at the 2004 Cannes film festival and films like Taeguki, Silmido and Welcome to Dongmakgol smashing domestic box office records, the popularity and creativity of Korean films are hotter than ever. The long simmering North/South Korean conflict is popular fodder for screen writers and has produced both brilliant movies and total duds. Romantic comedies also devour a large chunk of box office dollars and seemed to be churned out almost as prolifically as those in the U.S. The one drawback is that, quite obviously, Korean films shown in movie theaters do not run English subtitles. To my knowledge there are three solutions to this problem. The first is to become fluent in Korean. The second is to watch a movie with a Korean friend who is proficient in English and have them translate it to you (unfortunately, even at a whisper this tends to irritate nearby theater-goers). The third and most viable option is to wait for the DVD release. The gap between the theatrical release date and the time a movie is available for rental or purchase on DVD is significantly shorter than in North America. Also, every Korean film released on DVD is available with English subtitles.

Ginseng: This potent root has a position of great respect in Korea. It can be found in a number of varieties at shops which deal exclusively in ginseng and ginseng related products. Among its many healthy effects is a supposed boost to 'stamina'. To eliminate any confusion the word 'stah mee nah' is used in Korea to refer almost exclusively to sexual stamina.

Hangul: The Korean alphabet is considered to be one of the most scientific in the world. Consisting of 14 consonants and 10 vowels, the alphabet was created by King Sejong in the mid 1400's and is the main reason that illiteracy in Korea is at such a low level. It is incredibly simple to learn and would probably not take you more than a week or two to master reading. Of course, reading is much less than half the battle. To master the Korean language you'll need to learn all the grammar and vocabulary that make up any language. One interesting thing you might notice once you're able to read is that a lot of words written in Hangul are actually English words. "Een tah net", "See neh ma", "Pee jja" to name a few.

Internet: South Korea is the most wired nation in the world with high speed access to over 70% of households. PC bangs, rooms full of computers with internet access are everywhere. Most operate to accommodate the huge popularity of online role playing games, but many visitors can be seen surfing the internet. Cyworld.com is a popular service that offers personal websites on which you display pictures and personal thoughts as well as receive notes from friends and other guests. You're nobody in Korea if you don't have a Cyworld page.

Japan: Excluding North Korea, Japan is South Korea's nearest neighbor. While geographically close, the two countries seem to constantly be at odds with each other. The Japanese occupation in the first half of the twentieth century, and the ensuing sexual slavery of young Korean women by Japanese soldiers, is an enduring sore point and something for which Japan has never formally apologized. Although the two nations co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, their bitter rivalry has been reignited over historically inaccurate Japanese textbooks and the rightful possession of Dok-do Island (Takeshima to the Japanese). Most Koreans will have a lot to say about the subject of Japan.

Kimchi: This staple food of Korea is likely to be served with nearly every meal. Cabbage leaves fermented in red pepper paste, this spicy dish is thought to have shielded Korea from the SARS epidemic. In fact, there is evidence that it has positive effects on respiratory health. Eat your kimchi and you'll probably earn at least a little respect in Korea.

Language: If you're living in Korea there is a good chance it's because you're teaching a language. Namely, English. You may also choose to learn the Korean language to aid in your daily interactions or perhaps to impress the female population. Language will no doubt play a part in your daily life and can provide as many opportunities as it does barriers.