The Korean Peninsula lies across the Amnok and Duman Rivers from China and Russia. The peninsula is divided into North Korea and South Korea. While North Korea is largely cut off from the world, South Korea is a popular tourist destination, attracting more than 17 million visitors annually.
Why do people come to South Korea? Aside from the vibrant cities and beautiful scenery, South Korean culture is a big attraction. There are some fascinating customs and traditions in this part of the world, which we will explore below.
Hobbies
What do Koreans do for fun? Until recently, hobbies were not really a thing in South Korea. Most people worked six days a week and on Sundays, the traditional day of rest, they often went to school. Kids were conditioned to study as hard as they could, so they could get into a good school; for most, their hobby was sleeping. Many students have not even heard of professional online assignment help sites such as https://123homework.com/do-my-math-homework, although for many other students, this has become routine. Not surprisingly, such an intense work culture isn’t healthy, and the government has intervened in recent years. Now, if employers ask employees to work ridiculous hours, the company is punished.
Because a high work ethic was seen as desirable, and people rarely took long vacations or left the office before 6 PM, most of them didn’t have time for hobbies, but this is slowly changing. Modern Koreans enjoy gaming, spectator sports, and exploring the outdoors. Social media has also grown, and Facebook is very popular in South Korea.
Folk Music
Music is a big part of South Korean culture. There are more than 50 traditional instruments used along with the voice to make popular music. These include the Piri, a long bamboo cylinder pipe, the danso, and the daegeum, which is a transverse flute. Most Korean instruments fall into the percussion, wind, or strong category, and many are derived from Chinese instruments.
Korean folk music is very much an art form in South Korea. The music features a single vocalist who sings, tells stories, and is accompanied by drum sounds. Another variation, called Samul nori, uses percussion instruments. Most Korean folk music is performed in traditional village settings, by local people, farmers, and shamans. Performances are often held for visitors, so it is something to look out for when you visit South Korea.
Korean Sports
Wrestling is a well-known sport in South Korea. This sport first began in the 4th century. It looks very similar to sumo wrestling, as competitors wear a belt that wraps around the waist and compete in circular arenas. The most prestigious tournament is the Ssireum Grand Championship.
Bullfighting is a popular sport in South Korea, but here the bulls are not slaughtered for entertainment by matadors. Instead, the bulls fight each other, by butting heads until the weaker bull is forced to retreat, thus losing the fight. The largest Cheongdo So Ssa-eum or bullfighting festival takes place every spring in Gyeongsanbuk-do Province.
Kite flying is another traditional sport in South Korea, as it is in many other East Asian countries. In addition, Tae Kwon Do, which originated in Korea, remains popular.
As well as traditional sports, most Koreans are also huge fans of western sports, such as baseball and football. A massive 41% of South Koreans are fans of football and the national team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup every year since 1986; they even reached the semi-finals in 2002 and quarterfinals in 2010.
In recent years, other sports such as golf, rugby union, and basketball have also gained in popularity. Outdoor sports such as hiking and cycling have also become increasingly popular. There are lots of National Parks and mountains to explore on foot or two wheels.
Gaming
South Koreans enjoy playing all kinds of games. Chess is a popular pastime. The game is quite similar to the Western version of chess, but the rules and board are a bit different. Hwa-tu’ is a very popular card game, which is often played on trains and in parks. Players slam their cards down when it is their turn, so if you see people banging cards down on a table, they are probably playing Hwa-tu’. Another game that’s popular in South Korea is called Baduk. It is similar to checkers, with the same type of board. As in checkers, players move their pieces and attempt to outmaneuver their opponent.
Kite flying is also classed as a game as well as a sport. Two huge kite festivals take place in the spring: the Yokaichi Giant Kite Festival and the Uiseong Korea International Kite Festival.
Not surprisingly, Koreans also love to play online games and the mobile gaming industry in South Korea is massive. Statistics indicate around 60 percent of Koreans play games on a PC, but most prefer playing games on a smartphone. There was a law – the Youth Protection Revision Act – that forbade children under the age of 16 to play video games between midnight and 6 a.m., but this has since been abolished; the same law also prevented kids under the age of 19 from playing Minecraft.
Mobile gaming might be popular, but gambling in South Korea is illegal. There are strict laws preventing Koreans from gambling, and if caught, the perpetrator faces three years in prison. However, tourists are exempt from this legislation. They are free to visit one of the country’s 23 casinos or use their mobile device to play online bets.
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As well as all the things mentioned above, Koreans love to do the same things people in the West do for fun. They hang out with their friends, online or in person. They go shopping or visit coffee shops, watch Korean movies at home. Eating great food is a popular activity in South Korea, which is something travelers to this fascinating country can look forward to doing too!
