23+ Best South Korea Facts: Land of The Morning Calm

With the fast spreading of the Korean wave, including K-drama, K-pop, Korean skincare products, Korean food, and more, it is impossible not to see or hear anything from the culture of Korea.

From billboards, social media, stories, restaurants, and markets, one can see the reason why it is not surprising that there are many visitors who wish to visit South Korea at least once. 

So, in this article, we will now discuss some interesting facts about South Korea or the “Land of the Morning Calm.”

Interesting South Korea Facts for Kids

Capital Seoul houses more than half of the citizens of South Korea

Popular as Sudogwon, the Seoul Capital Area refers to the metropolitan region of South Korea, Incheon, Seoul, and South Korea, Incheon, Seoul, and Gyeonggi-do.

This urban place is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the globe and holds more than half of the total population of South Korea. 

Also, this entire country called South Korea covers a land of about 100,210 sq km, which is almost the actual size of Indiana state.

South Korea has more than 4000 islands

It might take a person 9 years to be able to spend a day in South Korea on each island. However, some of these islands of South Korea have very different social environments from the main cities of this country.

Moreover, the Taebaek Mountains run north-south along the eastern coastline of South Korea. This mountain range spans North Korea, where it creates the country’s drainage divide.

South Korea harvests more than 90% of the seaweed eaten around the globe

This country leads the planet in terms of producing seaweed. South Korea generates more than 90% of the global seaweed produced.

In reality, the people of Korea are so serious about seaweed that the seaweed farms located on the coast of southern Korea are even visible from space.

Dreaming of a pig is a good omen here

Although it might sound a little strange, having dreams about pigs is believed to bring good fortune to Korea.

In early Korea, pigs were regarded as a symbol of wealth and money. Until the 19670s, pigs were so valued in this country that students could even pay their university entrance fees just by selling a pig.

South Korea is divided into nine provinces

This country called South Korea is made up of nine different provinces, such as North Jeolla, South Jeolla, Jeju, Gangwon, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, Gyeonggi, North Gyeongsang, and South Gyeongsang.

Also, the name of this country Korea is originated from the word ‘Goryo’ which means ‘high and clear,’

The DMZ or Demilitarized Zone separates South Korea from North Korea

The armistice terms established the DMZ in 1953, ending the Korean War of 3-year. The DMZ, or Korean demilitarized zone, is mainly made of 155 miles of untouched land that separates the two countries, South Korea and North Korea. 

In these fences that are heavily fortified, several endangered plant and animal species thrive. Ecologists recognized almost 2900 plant species, 320 bird species, 70 mammal species in this narrow buffer zone.

Within this DMZ, there is the ‘truce village’

Situated 5 miles east of Kaesong lies P’anmunjom’s ‘truce village,’ During the Korean war, this village worked as the place for peace discussions.

Since then, different types of conferences have been held there, with problems concerning South and North Korea, their respective allies, and the United Nations.

This DMZ spreads almost 2.5 miles or 4 km in length. It runs at 38 degrees North latitude and from the mouth of the Han River west coast, located in the Korean peninsula to the south of Kosong, a town on North Korea’s east coast.

The rivers of South Korea

South Korea has three rivers: Kum River, Han River, and Naktong River. All of these traces back to the Taebaek Mountains, where they all flow between the mountain ranges.

The Naktong River, running south, reaches 325 mi or 523 km to the Korea Strait. The streamflow of this river s considered greatest during the months with wet summer and really less during the time like dry winter.

Its mountains do not have high elevations

Though South is a mountainous country, there aren’t very high peaks. The mountain range peaks with the famous Mount Halla, an extinct volcano that stands almost 6398 ft above sea level. In contrast, the well-known Taebaek Mountains reach just 5604 ft.

In addition, this country experiences the warmest weather in the month of August, with temperatures averaging 25 degrees Celsius.

This country employed the first robotic prison guards

In 2012, the world’s first robotic prison guards were utilized in Pohang, South Korea. Aside from working as responsible prison guards, robots in this country also guard the DMZ and might potentially serve as teachers.

Also, this country houses the world’s first astronomical laboratory, Cheomseongdae Observatory, built in the mid-600s at Gyeongju.

South Korea’s population and traditional marriages

The majority of the population of South Korea has ethnic Korean roots. However, a small ethnic Chinese minority is also a resident of this country. 

Also, there are two traditional kinds of marriage in this country. One is called ‘yonae’ or love marriage, while the other is arranged marriage or ‘chungmae.’ If a local choose not to marry, they would be marked with the slang of Korea ‘Big Baby.’

Citizens of South Korea have the highest estimated IQ

According to the OECD or Organization for Economic Co-operation, this country has the highest estimated national IQ of any part of the world.

Another interesting fact about the citizens of this country is that they appear to have links to the Central Asian people.

Some other ethnic links are with the Lake Baikal region of Siberia, Mongolia, and even the coastal areas of the Yellow Sea.

Reaching the age 60 South Koreans need to throw a party

In this country, people need to throw an extravagant party or ‘hwangap’ when they reach the age 60.  Previously, only some locals could live up to that age, so today, people need to celebrate after reaching of 60.

Another reason is that it is a significant occasion because of the 60-year cycle of the traditional calendar of South Korea.

In South Korea, there is WiFi almost everywhere

Staying connected is very easy in this country, as there is fast WiFi available almost anywhere you can go.

All public places, like shopping malls, coffee shops, libraries, museums, and many more. Moreover, even on this country’s remote islands, you may easily connect with WiFi.

Here city and the beauty of Nature can co-exist

Another interesting idea about South Korea is that here you can enjoy the city and the beauty of nature at the same time. There is no need to travel several hours and miles away only to enjoy the scenic beauty of nature while you go to this country.

A few palaces used to be the home of royal families in big cities like Seoul. Also, you can enjoy the beach or go on a day hike while living in this country, South Korea.

The UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Korea

South Korea has more than one UNESCO World Heritage Site like Several Dolmen Sotes, Tripitaka Koreana, Jeju Volcanic island, and the lave-tube cave system.

The alphabet of this country is called Hangul

The Korean alphabet is called Hangeul or Hangul. It is the easiest language in East Asia because it is actually made, not emerged. This language was invented by Sejong the Great.

Every year, the people of this nation celebrate Korean alphabet day, which is also called Hangeul Day, to commemorate the creation of their alphabet. 

South Korea is a haven for technology

While talking about technology, this country occupies the top of the list. Gadgets, smartphones, and even various appliances are always on-trend and advanced. The most famous and biggest technology company, such as Samsung, is from this country.

So, it is not a surprise that this country is a haven for technology. Even in K-dramas, they never fail to feature their technology and gadgets unless it is a traditional series.

Males in South Korea need to serve in the military

All Korean males need to enter the military between the ages of 18 and 28. They are needed to serve in the military for at least 18 months. Whether for religious or personal reasons, those who will not enter will be put in jail.

The plastic surgery capital of the world

Due to the rigid Korean beauty standards, undergoing cosmetic surgery or plastic surgery is very common among Koreans. Thus, South Korea has become the world’s plastic surgery capital. 

In this country, eyelid surgery is the most common cosmetic operation. Aside from eyelid surgery, this nation is also for various kinds of cosmetic surgeries like zygoma reduction, rhinoplasty, body contouring, fat grafting, and even mammoplasty.

The world’s largest departmental store

In South Korea, people are shopping addicts. Bars and restaurants may be closed around 11:00 pm, but several shopping malls usually open later. Also, this country has the biggest department store in the world, known as Shinsegae. 

The government of South Korea is republic

South Korea is also known as the Republic of Korea. The government of this country is a centralized democratic republic with three main branches, legislative, executive, and judicial.

In a nutshell, the power is in its people. Also, the legal age in this country is 19.

Moreover, the national tiger of this country is the Siberian tiger, and the national flower is Mugunghwa.

Number four is unlucky

Though in the Western world, the number 13 is believed to be unlucky, in this country the number is 4.

The reason is number 4 sounds a lot like death in their language. So, sometimes if you go to a multiple-story building in this country you might see no fourth floor written on the elevator’s buttons.

So, South Korea has a rich culture, history, beautiful islands, technological strength, and many more; hence, it can attract many travelers around the globe.

At the end of this article, we have learned 23 fascinating facts about South Korea, which offer us a clear picture of this fascinating country. To get some additional amazing facts, you can see our website.