Interesting Facts about South Korea

 

Summary of the Article

South Korea, a small peninsula in East Asia, has experienced rapid development over a few decades.

Until June 2023, South Koreans were legally considered one or two years older than their actual age due to a unique age calculation system.

Plastic surgery and makeup are widespread in South Korea, with the country being dubbed the "plastic surgery capital of the world" and a haven for makeup lovers.

Samsung, a South Korean conglomerate, holds significant influence over the country's economy and government, with its chairman involved in a corruption scandal.

South Korea's economic growth is attributed to embracing technology and the success of major companies like Samsung, LG, and Hyundai.

South Koreans love shopping, work long hours, and have mandatory military service for males aged 18-28.

South Korea's division from North Korea stems from historical conflicts and ideological differences, leading to stark economic and political disparities between the two countries.

Welcome to Historical Horizons! South Korea is a small but very beautiful country in East Asia. It is a peninsula and has sea on three sides. South Korea is located between the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. While its neighbors include North Korea, Japan and China Just a few decades ago South Korea used to be a poor country but now South Korea is competing with the big powers of the world with its economy.

How did this small country develop so fast in so few years? How much control does Samsung has over the government and economy of South Korea? What is the secret behind the beauty and attractive face of Korean men and women? In today's article we will know all about this.

Are All South Koreans Older Than Us?

Friends, it will surely surprise you that South Koreans are a year or two years older than the rest of the world. When a child is born here, it is one year old according to South Korean law. And when the new year begins, then the age of every person increases by one year. That is, if a child is born on December 31st, he will be one year old as soon as he is born. The very next day, that is, New Year's Day, one more year will be added to his age according to the rule of South Korea. This child is only two days old according to the rest of the world and 2 years old according to South Korea.

Thus, all South Koreans age at the same time. In this country, people celebrate their birthday on the day they were born. However, their age increases on January 1 every year. But friends, from June 2023, this rule was no longer be applied in South Korea and according to the new law, South Korea used the same method of determining age as the rest of the world.

Plastic Surgery and Makeup

Beauty standards in South Korea are very strict. These people consider it very important to have a beautiful face. Therefore, plastic surgery is considered a normal thing here. There are numerous plastic surgery clinics in every part of the country. It is still understandable for women to have plastic surgery, but in South Korea it is not considered wrong for men to have plastic surgery.

People of other countries also travel to South Korea to undergo plastic or cosmetic surgery. Therefore, one-third of the plastic surgeries performed worldwide are done in South Korea. It is also called the plastic surgery capital of the world. The purpose of these surgeries is to enlarge the eyes, shorten the nose and highlight the jaw line Along with plastic surgery to make the face attractive, makeup is also very popular in South Korea.

Here you will see not only women doing make-up, but also men are very fond of doing make-up here. According to a report, twenty percent of men here use make-up every day and annually nine hundred million dollars are spent here by men on their makeup. For this reason, South Korea is also called the paradise of makeup lovers. New makeup trends are getting famous everyday.

In South Korea Hair styles are considered very important here. According to South Koreans, a person's personality and mood can be determined by the style and color of their hair.

Samsung's Control Over the South Korean Government?

The world's most famous mobile phones and electronic products manufacturer Samsung is actually a South Korean company. Till now you may have seen only mobile phones or other electronic items. But friends, in South Korea, you see Samsung products everywhere.

In South Korea, this company owns about 80 different companies and businesses Its subsidiaries include medical complexes, universities, residential facilities, apartments, hotels, life insurance, and even theme parks are included. The most important thing in South Korea's strong economy is the Samsung company.

In the year 2021, according to an economic website, 20 percent of Korea's GDP is generated from the revenue of Samsung companies. According to another report, almost half of South Korea's total technology revenues come from Samsung. This is why this company has a control over the government of South Korea. It also intervenes and puts pressure on the government to make various decisions in its favor and also uses its influence. A scandal involving the current chairman of Samsung, Lee Jae Yong got the attention of the whole world a few years back.

Lee Jae Yong was caught in a big corruption in 2017. He was the Vice Chairman of Samsung Group in those days, while his father was holding the position of Chairman and now it was Yong's turn to become the Chairman. However, to secure his position, he made some deals for which he needed the support of the South Korean government. In order to get this support, Yong paid a hefty bribe to the then-president.

In 2017, a South Korean court sentenced Yong to five years in prison for corruption, fraud, and hiding overseas assets. At the same time, employment ban was also imposed for five years. That is, for the next five years, he was banned from handling Samsung's business affairs. The sentence was reduced in 2018 and Yong was released from prison in 2021. However, according to the court, the employment ban was still there and he could not deal with Samsung's business affairs.

While covid-19 had affected the whole world, South Korea's economy was also suffering. The biggest support of this economy Samsung Group needed its leader Lee Jae Yong South Korea needed its young business leader so much that when US President Joe Biden visited South Korea in May 2022, Lee Jae Yong was entrusted with the responsibility of welcoming him. On the same day, he had to appear in court too, but he was given a special protocol and the date was rescheduled.

All restrictions on Yong were finally lifted in August 2022 amid the need of the hour and the support he received from South Koreans. In October 2022, he was also made the executive chairman of Samsung Electronics. A Special protocol has always been given to successful and famous business leaders before in South Korea's history.

In the past, Lee Yong's father and ex-Samsung chairman Lee Kun Hee was also convicted of embezzlement, tax evasion, and bribing government officials. His sentence was also forgiven later. Giving special protocols to big successful business leaders is a necessity for South Korea. The main reason for this is South Korea's dependence on Samsung and other such big companies.

Economic Development

Friends, until sixty years ago, South Korea was an economically weak country. The country is neither rich in natural resources nor ideal geographically. However, today South Korea has become a developed country. It is considered the tenth largest economic power in the world and the fifth largest economy in Asia.

One of the main reasons for this development is the adoption of the latest technology. This country is considered to be at the forefront of the technology race. Here you get to see numerous robots. These robots are used in factories but they are also used as guards, waiters and teachers. All major companies in the world like LG, Samsung, Hyundai Motors, Kia Motors, SK. Energy are all South Korean companies.

 Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is considered one of the largest cities in the world, and it also has the status of a high-tech city. In the year 2021, South Korea's per capita GDP was about thirty-five thousand US dollars. You may not believe it, but in the 1960's, the same GDP per capita was only seventy-nine US dollars.

Koreans Love Shopping

Friends, South Koreans love shopping. The favorite hobby of the citizens here is shopping. This is the reason why shopping malls and markets in South Korea are always full of people. There is also a store in Busan, South Koreas, that covers an area of three million square feet. Until some time ago, it was also considered the largest departmental store in the world. South Koreans are fond of shopping but friends, for that they also have to work extra hours. A forty-hour work week is generally normal in the United States and other countries, but this is not for South Koreans. These people work fifty-five to sixty hours a week. This is the reason why many people in this country suffer from lack of sleep.

Joining the Army is Mandatory

In South Korea, every able male between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight is required to join the army for at least eighteen to twenty months They undergo military training in the first few weeks, and then they are appointed to their duties. If a person does not join the army before the age of twenty-eight, he is put in jail. Friends, the reason for this strict rule is to prepare the nation to defend the country. South Korea's relations with its neighbor, North Korea, are not very good, and the threat of war still exists.

Reenact the Crime

South Korea has a very interesting legal procedure. During the investigation of the crime of murder or theft, etc. the accused is handcuffed and taken to the crime scene, where he has to re-enact the crime as much as possible. Media and public are also invited there. The purpose of all this is to make the accused feel ashamed. And it also helps in investigation.

Other Interesting Facts

In recent years, Korean dramas and Korean music have gained a lot of popularity around the world. Korean music is called k-pop and Korean dramas are called k-dramas The music video Gangnam Style became a worldwide hit and set a record of one billion views on YouTube just 169 days after its release in 2012. This video has got more than 4.5 billion views so far.

Friends, these days, a South Korean music band BTS has got so much popularity around the world. The band has also performed at the United Nations General Assembly.

Despite all the progress, the number four is still not considered good here. Even in elevators, 4 is not used to classify the floors, instead, the first letter of the English word four is written as F.

Similarly, friends, South Koreans consider it bad to sleep with the fan on. According to them, with the fan on and the windows closed, your body temperature decreases, which can also cause death. This is possible here due to its weather. It doesn't get too hot. July is the hottest month of the year and even then the average temperature is around 24 degrees Celsius.

North Korea and South Korea - Why?

Korea has been a cause of conflict between China and Japan for centuries. After the defeat of Japan and its allies in World War II, Soviet Russia seized control of Korea from the north US army entered from South and thus Korea was divided into two smaller countries.

A few years later an agreement was signed. According to it, on both sides of the line dividing the Korean peninsula, an area of 250 km long and 4 km wide was sealed. This area is called DMZ i.e Demilitarized Zone. General public is not allowed to go there. That is why there are such types of plants and birds that are not found in the rest of the world.

Friends, after partition, these two countries went on different paths. A democratic political system developed in South Korea, while in North Korea the Kim family seized power through a military dictatorship. Even today North Korea is controlled by the Kim family, and due to their strict policies, North Korea is now isolated in the world.

Due to North Korea's military dictatorship, most economic figures are not known to the world, but experts say North Korea is unable to meet the basic needs of its people. As of 2017, more than half of North Korea's population lacked electricity, according to World Bank data. Today, China is providing electricity to this country. China is North Korea's trading partner, and 95 percent of North Korea's exports are from China.

South Korea, on the other hand, is the world's tenth largest economy. In 2021, South Korea's nominal GDP was 1.8 trillion US dollars while North Korea's was only 28 billion US dollars. However, in terms of military power, North Korea is strong It has many nuclear weapons, while South Korea has no nuclear weapons.

In 1985, North Korea signed a treaty on the non-use of nuclear weapons. North Korea announced its withdrawal from the agreement in 2003. One of the main reasons for its isolation is the violation of this agreement, due to which it is facing severe criticism from the world. And many countries don't want to have any relation with this country.

On the other hand, not only South Korea has reached the heights of development, but its unique culture is also very interesting. Millions of tourists visit this country every year. There are beautiful beaches, mountains, grasslands, and many interesting tourist spots. There are about 200,000 Muslims living here.

Friends, how did you like this interesting article about South Korea today? Share any interesting facts about this country with us in the comments. Thanks!