South Korea 4K. Interesting Facts About South Korea

Hey guys, what's going on? In this video we're going to talk about South Korea. This country is equally known for its competitive modern economy and centuries-old buddhist temples, green hilly countryside and high-tech cities. Welcome to South Korea. Let's get started. South Korea occupies the southern part of the Korean peninsula. It has a predominantly mountainous terrain. The country has a humid continental climate in the north and a humid subtropical climate in the south. Summers are relatively hot and humid with monsoon rains beginning near the end of June and lasting until mid to late July. Winters can be very cold. Korea prides itself on the vividness of the four seasons. The population of the country is 51.6 million. Korea's modern history is anything but simple. It was annexed by the empire of Japan in 1910 and at the end of the second world war the country was divided into Soviet and American zones of occupations. After the Korean war the country was dirt poor. Something had to be done. They had to curb corruption, introduce central planning and begin producing everything that was required by the external market. Shoes, clothing, toys and so on. But all this took place under the leadership of military dictators and it wasn't until the 1990s that the country became a truly democratic state. Today it's the world's 11th largest economy by nominal GDP and the world's fifth largest exporter. The fact that Korea was able to get to this point in just 50 years is mind-blowing. Especially knowing that the country has a rather poor supply of natural resources. Today it's the sixth largest car manufacturer, the world's largest ship builder, the world's largest manufacturer of memory chips and the list goes on and on. Some of its giants such as Samsung and LG Electronics are known worldwide. By the way Samsung group is so big that apart from electronics and home appliances it has automobile production, the chemical industry, finance, insurance and even construction. Did you know that it was Samsung group that built Petronas Towers in Malaysia? Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan and the Grand Burj Khalifa in Dubai. One of the biggest challenges today for South Korea is how to get along with its unpredictable neighbor North Korea. Because it possesses nuclear weapons and it seems like it's not joking. Poverty and prosperity on the Korean peninsula are divided by the strip of the demilitarized zone. One of the most explosive borders in the world. There is an enormous gap in living standards. The average salary in South Korea is about $2,600 a month and in North Korea just $40. Most Koreans have great work ethic. You can say that Koreans live to work and not work to live. Companies are legally required to provide just 15 days of paid annual leave. But surprisingly according to a study conducted by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute most employees only took an average of 8.6 days off out of those 15 days. There is currently quite a high demand for native English speakers in South Korea and many expats opt for jobs teaching English as a foreign language. Korea is known for its intensity. Starting at a young age many children are forced into this hurried culture and there's no turning back. They're raised to study multiple hours a day at schools of all kinds. Art, English, math, science, you name it. Koreans take education very seriously. Comes as no surprise that funding of science in Korea is one of the highest in the world. South Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world. Most Koreans are peaceful and friendly. Crime is at a very low level. In most parts of the country it's absolutely safe to walk at night even for a girl and if you leave your bicycle in front of a store you don't have to worry about it being stolen. On top of that there's video surveillance everywhere. Respect for one's elders is a huge part of Korean culture. Now let's take a look at different parts of Korea. Seoul is the capital city with a population of 10 million people. A huge metropolis where modern skyscrapers, street markets and pop culture meet Buddhist temples and palaces. It's a city surrounded by mountains, great public transportation and plenty of shopping malls. Gangnam is Seoul's best-known neighborhood thanks to Psy, a popular Korean rapper and his hit song of 2012 Gangnam Style. Busan is the summer capital and the second largest city. It's also the country's largest port and one of the most modern cities of Asia. The city is known for its numerous skyscrapers, majestic mountains, fabulous beaches, steaming hot springs and fantastic seafood. Incheon is a city bordering Seoul. You can actually get here by subway. It's best known for its ultra-modern Incheon International Airport with railway connections to Seoul which features a casino, a spa and even a golf course. Apart from that the city is an expanding metropolis and an industrial port. During the Korean War the city was the site of the Incheon landing by American forces. Daegu is the fourth largest city known for its festivals and a fascinating traditional medicine market. This city is famous for being the center of the nation's textile industry and the humming downtown that's fun to explore. Ulsan is a seaside metropolitan city in the southeast of Korea with a population of 1.2 million. It has the world's largest automobile assembly plant operated by the Hyundai Motor Company, the world's largest shipyard operated by the Hyundai Heavy Industries and the world's third largest oil refinery owned by SK Energy. Gyeongju was once the capital of the 1,000-year-long Silla Korea Kingdom and is possibly the foremost location in Korea where many ancient buildings, burial grounds and artifacts can be found. Driving through this city you will notice a lot of temples. The 8th century Bulgaksa Temple features two stone pagodas, a series of wooden staircases and a large bronze Buddha. Ask any Korean to name a city with the greatest historical value and the answer will likely be Gyeongju. There are about 3,000 islands around Korea, mostly small and uninhabited. The largest island is Jeju, about a hundred kilometers off the southern coast. It's known for its beach resorts and volcanic landscape of craters and cave-like lava tubes. Hellasan Mountain, a dormant volcano, features hiking trails, a cradle lake at the 2,000-meter summit. South Korea has 20 national parks and popular natural places like the Boseong Tea Fields, Suncheon Bay Ecological Park and many others. One of the most popular national parks is Seoraksan National Park. Not only does this park offer hikes for any level of expertise but it offers some of the most beautiful sceneries of Korea. There are many parks in the cities that feature outdoor gyms, giving local residents the chance to work out for free. Some equipment uses a person's body weight to act as resistance. Similar to equipment found in many gyms, the machines have just gotten that much better. Domestic travel is incredibly efficient. One of the most convenient ways to travel between cities in Korea is by train. The KTX train, which is similar to Japan's bullet train, is able to get you from Seoul to the resort town of Busan in just two and a half hours. There is an extensive road, rail and ferry transport systems. South Korea is one of the leaders in many fields of medicine, especially plastic surgery. According to studies for 2011, South Korea has the highest number of surgeries per capita, even ahead of the US. A lot of Korean girls like to correct their eyelids, making their eyes bigger. Have you ever heard of the Korean wave or K-pop? This is the penetration of Korean pop culture to other countries, as well as cinema, food and martial arts. With this level of popularity, the trend might be reversed and European girls will want to look like Korean. Then there's the weird side of the Korean culture. At least for Europeans, in South Korea, poop has long been a popular icon. Why did poop become such a beloved icon? Maybe it's because of its associations with wealth and good fortune. An old superstition states that a person will be prosperous if he or she dreams of poop. Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, vegetables and meats. Kimchi is a pretty healthy side dish and a staple in Korean cuisine. It is a traditional side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables, most commonly napa cabbage and Korean radishes, with a variety of seasonings in red chili pepper sauce. Much like beer in Germany, wine in France and vodka in Russia, Maggioli and Soju are traditional Korean alcoholic beverages. Maggioli has a milky, opaque color and a low alcohol content of 6-13%. It's low in calories and high in protein. Also, it contains high levels of yeast and lactobacillus, giving it a nutty and sweet flavor. Another adored drink in Korea is Soju, with an alcohol content of about 20%. Somaek, a mixture of beer and Soju, is ever-present at most dinners with Korean businessmen. Soju, a clear Korean liquor similar to vodka, is much milder and cheaper and the choice of many. Koreans are very fond of coffee and there's a coffee shop on every corner. Korea is basically a no-tip culture, which means cab drivers don't expect any reward for their services and it's pretty much the same way for staff and local restaurants as well as hotels. South Korean apartments will often come with a washing machine, floor heating and air conditioning. This is especially true of newer buildings. Korean buildings are also very safe. Even though the crime rate in South Korea is already very low, most Korean apartments will require a gate, front door key or a combination as well as the individual door key. Today, baseball is one of the most popular sports in South Korea. Nothing comes close to video games. They are considered to be the major social activity. Teenagers are hoping to become professional players. They flock to a growing number of private after-hour schools, coaching them how to play video games better. And they even broadcast major video game events on national TV. Summer in Korea is hot and humid. Fortunately, there are plenty of beaches here. South Korea has come a long way, from a poor country to one of the most powerful economies in the world. What do you think about Korea? Have you ever been to Korea? Let me know in the comment section below. Thanks for watching and stay tuned!