Culture

Dokdo is a peaceful island of South Korea in the East Sea. It harbors deep scars from a painful past. Dokdo is a powerful symbol of Korean freedom and brings together all Koreans no matter what their politics are. However, the Japanese government, despite historical evidence proving that Dokdo belongs to South Korea, continues to claim that the island is part of Japan. But why is there so much interest in such a small yet beautiful island? Another reason why Dokdo is so important is that the area is great for fishing and may sit above enormous deposits of natural gas hydrate that could be worth billions of dollars. Dokdo is currently controlled by South Korea with over 25 guards and three lighthouse keepers that are stationed on the island. Below we will break down the facts to prove once and for all that Dokdo belongs to South Korea. 

When it comes to drinking and partying, Koreans are known to get down with the best of them. South Koreans drink more liquor than anyone else in the world. For example, the average American drinks about 3 shots of hard liquor a week. The average South Korean in Korea drinks on average 13.7 shots a week. The drink of choice in Korea is by far Soju. Walk by any restaurant in Korea and you will see the famous green soju bottles being sold. Soju and Korean beer are key in bringing people together for a good time. It is estimated that South Korea sells over 9 million bottles of Soju every single night! This is not only because South Korea has a work-hard and party-hard culture that has been around for decades. In this article we will deep dive into the Korean drinking culture as a whole and why South Koreans drink so much. So the next time you visit South Korea you will have a complete understanding of Korea’s drinking scene and will know what to expect. 

There are times it seems that Korean learners are at a disadvantage compared to students of other languages. Most of the Korean learning platforms are in Korean and there are not a lot of great resources out there to learn Korean. However, there are some innovative apps for learning Korean in 2021. Smartphones are almost a necessity in modern life these days. People carry them everywhere which means it has the potential to carry a digital tutor anywhere you go. This is why using apps to learn Korean is the best approach. There are hundreds of language apps and knowing which ones are going to help you the most for the Korean language will save you a lot of time and money. Here are the 10 best apps for learning Korean in 2021. Enjoy!

T-Money Cards in Korea is a must for any foreigner. All of South Korea's transportation system runs on rechargeable smart cards and smart devices. These smart cards are called T-Money cards in Seoul. They are used for subways, buses, taxis, and at some convenience stores like CU/GS25/7-Eleven. T-Money cards are embedded with chips that are readable by card-reading machines. These machines are installed in all subways, buses, and taxis in Seoul. However, you don't have to get a card as this form of chip technology can be put into key chains, rings, bands, and even portable memory sticks. Below we will guide you through the most commonly asked questions regarding T-Money cards in Seoul. If there are any additional questions you might have, feel free to leave your questions in the comments below.