Thoughts about Korea

Before heading over to visit Korea, I really didn't know much at all about the country or what to expect. I knew geographically where it's located, and about the current political struggle, but in terms of the people and the culture, the little I had seen seemed very similar to Japan. Boy was I wrong! Their traditional architecture may look similar from a distance, and the people may look a lot alike to the untrained eye, but that's about where the similarities stop.

The first thing I was struck with was the color. Japan has a very muted color palate. Many of their buildings are very non-descript, as are their outfits, etc. Their cars, advertising, and products for young people are often brightly colored and "cartoony" but... here in Northern Japan I just feel like I don't see much of that on a daily basis. Korea, however, is very different. Their buildings are all plastered with multi-colored advertisements, and their traditional buildings are intricately painted in jewel-tones. Some people complain that it makes driving over there a bit of a sensory-overload, but I like it! The people are also very up-beat and smiling, whereas the Japanese are much more reserved. I just feel a bit more comfortable being out among them - as if I don't have to worry about offending them by doing something wrong.

One very insightful thing Claire said while we were out is that she thinks Japan seems to be more modeled after Europe, whereas Korea is much more reminiscent of the U.S. In Japan we drive on the wrong side of the road down tiny streets in tiny cars. Many of them don't even own a car, and prefer to walk, ride a bike or take public transportation. They're also very keen on tradition and, while they're polite as a rule, they're very reserved and like to keep to themselves. In Korea, however, they have HUGE highways and interchanges where people drive on the right side of the road in normal sized cars. Their big brands are Kia and Hyundai - which are not quite as nice as the Japanese cars but they are also much more affordable, which means more people seem to own cars. (The towers in the picture above represent each of those car companies.)

The Koreans also just seem to be a bit more passionate. While Japan is a highly secular nation with many people loosely following Buddhism and/or Shintoism, Koreans are much more overtly religious. As I mentioned in my "Korea - Pt. 2" blog post earlier, I was struck by the fact that they actually had people worshiping inside their Buddhist temples. But even more exciting that their fervor for that is their acceptance of and belief in Christianity. There are A LOT of churches in South Korea, and all of them have red neon crosses that light up at night. Claire told me about a third of the population there is Christian, which is significant in Asia. In fact, the church with the biggest membership in the WORLD is located in Seoul. That would be a fun thing to go see next time I'm there. I hear they have headsets you can wear that give you the English translation. Very cool!

One other odd thing that I found to be very interesting about Korea was the fact that they have no houses there. All of the housing consists of big groupings of white apartment buildings. It's all very generic looking - something that bothered James. But I suppose it's an efficient way to house great numbers of people in a small amount of space. Their building style is one of the reasons I love Seoul. It is a HUGE city - akin to Tokyo or New York. There are a lot of big buildings, and a lot of people, but somehow the size is not oppressive. The buildings are nicely spaced and you're never in want of views of the sky or trees. The river also breaks the view up nicely.

I really enjoy how the city is so "foreigner-friendly". Most Korean people who work in a place where they might come in contact with travelers (airports, hotels, international restaurants) speak very good English. Most of the taxis offer free translation services if the driver does not understand you so you never have to worry about getting to your destination. And they offer food from all parts of the world. Their international cuisine is actually properly prepared too. They have a few non-Japanese restaurants here but they are always the Japanese interpretation of something like Mexican or Italian food which, while edible, hardly satisfies a craving for the real thing. But as I mentioned in my last blog, the food from American chains we had in Korea were better than they are in the U.S.! Truly remarkable.

If any of you have the means to travel to a far-off destination and are looking for something a little more original than Paris or London, I highly recommend a trip to Seoul. You won't regret it!