15 Fascinating South Korea Facts That Will Blow Your Mind

South Korea lies in the southern portion of the Korean peninsula which is situated 1,100 km away from the Asian mainland.

The mountainous peninsula is bordered by the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the west and east respectively. The southern tip of the country lies on the East China Sea and the Korea Strait.

South Korea can be divided into four regions, namely the eastern regions, the western regions, the southwestern region, and the southeastern region. Seoul, the capital, is the largest urban area in the entire country.

South Korea has seen a massive boom in its economy over the years and its economy is one of the largest in Asia.

The country is home to 51.78 million people and the country is rich in diversity brought by the flora and fauna.

The fame of the South Korean music scene and the Television industry has popularized some parts of the Korean culture and the rise of Samsung as one of the modern-day giants has helped put South Korea on the world map!

If you like this article about South Korea facts, be sure to check out articles about Dominica facts and Turkey facts too!

Interesting Facts About Korea

Old Chosun is the first Korean kingdom. The kingdom rules parts of china and the northwest parts for more than 22 centuries.

The kingdom was eventually overthrown by Chinese armies and it led to the birth of three new kingdoms in the form of the Silla, Paekche, and Koguryo kingdoms. The Silla kingdom gained control of the country after it was helped by Chinese troops.

A Dutch merchant ship crew was the first Europeans to reach Korea. They reached Jeju island in 1656 and were held captive for 13 years.

One escapee managed to return home. This led to more Europeans sailing towards Eastern Asia, mostly to South Korea, however, the Korean ports banned these ships until the 19th century. Japan controlled Korea before it was beaten in World War two and all of its territories, including Korea, were handed over to the Allies.

The national emblem of Gukjang is a combination of the yin-yang (Taegeuk) and the national flower Hibiscus syriacus. The flower is called Mugunghwa in South Korea.

The Second World War saw the division of Korea into South Korea and North Korea. Since 1953, the economy of South Korea has expanded and the country has become one of the superpowers in Asia! The North Korean population is governed by a dictatorship under the leadership of Kim Jong-un.

The Korean War was fought from 1950 - 1953 and it began when communists from the Northern regions of Korea invaded the southern region. An estimated 2.5 million Koreans, Chinese, Americans, and others died fighting in the war.

Seoul is the largest city in South Korea and also serves as the capital. The city is home to around 9.7 million people and it is located by the Han River.

The main shopping district of Myeong-dong in Seoul is a shopper's paradise! If you are in Seoul, do pay a visit to 63 Square, one of the tallest skyscrapers in Seoul. The skyscraper has a height of 866.1 ft (264 m) and housed a large-scale aquarium that houses around 400 species of marine life.

Sea otters, penguins, and seals can be found in the aquarium. The highest level of the tower has an observatory that looks down at downtown Seoul and the Han River.

Tigers once roamed the Korean peninsula but there are none anymore in the regions. The tiger population in these areas is thought to have been wiped out by hunters who used the bones in traditional medicines.

South Korea's population celebrated the new year twice! New Year celebrations on first January is a common theme but South Koreans also celebrate Lunar New Year in February each year.

Lunar Year celebrations last as long as three days and children are given gifts or gift-wrapped money in envelopes from friends and family. Traditional attires are worn by the people when celebrating regional and national festivals.

The South Korean method of telling age is different than the rest of the world. A newborn baby is considered to be one year of age when it is born.

The origins of this practice come from the fact that babies live in their mother's womb for around nine months, which is almost a year. Hence, babies are thought to be one year old at birth.

Samsung, one of the largest companies in the world is based in Seoul! In Korea, Samsung is known for much more than cell phone technology. They manufacture armored cars for medical and military use among a few other technologies in South Korea.

There are around 3,000 islands scattered throughout the western region along with the western and southern coastlines

What is South Korea famous for?

Before K-Pop gained its massive fame around the world, the song 'Gangnam Style' in 2012, was the song that put Korean music on the world map! South Korea has also produced some of the most famous breakdancers in the world after the dance style was introduced to South Korea by American soldiers in the '90s.

Jeju Island is by far one of the largest islands in South Korea. The island has a mild climate and hiking the mountains is a major tourist attraction. Jeju Island is the most popular tourist spot in South Korea.

The Jirisan national park, the Suncheon Bay Ecological Park, and the Boseong Tea Fields are three of the twenty national parks and popular places in South Korea.

Mount Halla, also known as Halla-san is South Korea's highest mountain. It has a height of 6400 ft (1950 m) and is an active volcano, and among the three volcanic mountains in the Korean peninsula.

Taekwondo actually originated in Korea! The martial art form was invented around 2,000 years ago and it is the most popular sport in South Korea. Taekwondo was introduced to the Summer Olympics in 2000.

South Korea is home to 15 World Heritages Sites as of 2021. Two natural sites and 13 cultural sites can be found in the country. The Changdeokgung Palace Complex, Haeinsa Temple and Janggyeong Panjeon, and the Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple are three of the most popular sites in South Korea.

Approximately 92% of the South Korean population are internet users. South Korea has the world's fastest average internet connection speed!

Esports is a massive part of the young Korean society! Online games are huge among teenagers and massive eSports events are held in the country. South Korean eSports teams also compete in World Events in games like League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Dota, Counter-Strike, and the newly released game Valorant.

Korean dramas, also known as K-Dramas, are gaining popularity all around the world and not just in Asia or South Korea! People from all parts of the world watch K-Dramas that are known for their romantic TV series.

Shocking Facts About South Korea

These shocking facts about South Korea might blow your minds!

South Koreans considered the use of red ink to be bad luck. Using red ink to write someone's name signifies that the person is either dead or will soon die.

Plastic surgery is huge in South Korea! Both men and women go under the knife for cosmetic upgrades. Double eyelid surgery, nose jobs, and chin and jaw are the most requested changes in the country. In fact, plastic surgery is even paid for by parents of young people as plastic surgery has now become a norm in the country.

The number four is considered unlucky in South Korea. Elevators and house numbers often leave out the number four.

Floors are marked as one, two, three and F. Apartments with multiple fours in their numbers are avoided and the property value of such houses is lower. This avoidance of four is because the word for the number four is a similar word for death in the Korean vocabulary.

The character used for 'four' is '사' which also means 'death'.

South Korea Culture

South Korea is culturally diverse and this diversity can be seen in the different religions that the South Korean people follow and the lifestyles they live, and the cuisine that they enjoy!

Around 49.3% of the South Korean population do not follow any religions, 23.2% of the population is Buddhist, 6.6% are Catholic, 19.7% are Protestant. A low 1.3% of the South Korean population follows other religions.

In Seoul, the capital of South Korea, restaurants and bars close at 11pm but that does not mean it's the end of the nightlife! South Korea has some of the largest shopping malls in East Asia and in the world.

The malls see huge crowds and are open until four or five AM. Late-night shopping has become something of a Korean culture thing now!

Kimchi is a huge part of Korean cuisine and there are around 250 types of kimchi! It is known as a traditional Korean food. Kimchi is a fermented dish that uses various seasonings and vegetables. Korean dishes are often served with kimchi.

Beondegi, one of the many street foods found in South Korea, shows the unique side of Korean cuisine. The food is made from silkworm pupae.

The national anthem of South Korea is Aegukga. It is known as a patriotic song.

Despite the Korean language being the official language of the country, schools in Korea offer English as well as Mandarin classes in schools.

The Korean alphabet has 24 letters. However, unlike English, there are no specific articles or word order in the grammatical structure.

Both South and North Korea have the same language. They both use the Korean language but there are differences in dialects and accents.

Approximately 81% of South Korea's population lives in urban areas. Incheon and the capital city of Seoul are home to the majority of the Korean population.

Both South and North Korea practice Confucianism where they follow the principles of living a simple life taught by Chinese philosopher and teacher Confucius. This is much more common in South Korea's rural population where the population lives a simple life.

South Korean women wear their hairstyles in three different way that is based on their age and marital status! Young girls usually wear their hair long, newly married women wear their hair at ear level, and older women sport a perm!

Did You Know...

Moon Jae-In is the current president of South Korea and has had held the title since 2017. A new president will be chosen by the South Korean population in 2022.

South Korea is situated in the southern half of the Korean peninsula. The Korean peninsula is shared by both North and South Korea. The Korean peninsula is encompassed by the the Yellow Sea/West Sea, East China Sea/South Sea, and the Sea/East Sea of Japan.

On the southern coast, Tsushima, a Japanese island, is separated from South Korea by the Korea Strait.

The Pyeongchang region of South Korea is situated in the north-eastern region of the country and it was also chosen as a host for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

South Korea is home to some of the many endangered animals in the world. The Lynx, Golden eagle, Siberian musk deer, and the Siberian tiger can be found in the country.

The Mara Island, also known as Marado is one of the southernmost islands in South Korea. The city is home to around 90 people and is famous for its docile men and strong women!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for South Korea facts, then why not take a look at Jamaica with kids or North Carolina facts?