Autumn Korea is peak Korea
There were all sorts of things that surprised me when I first arrived in Korea: the garlic, the toilets that were nothing more than holes in the floor, the widespread availability of counterfeit CDs and movies, the spitting and the cults and religious performers on the subways. And when talking to Koreans, it felt like all the memes were actually true: “Do you know kimchi?” was actually something…
When I first arrived in Korea, I encountered many unfamiliar aspects. The strong garlic scent, toilets consisting of nothing but floor holes, the prevalence of counterfeit CDs and movies, as well as the frequent spitting, cults, and religious performers on subway platforms were all novel experiences. Conversations with Koreans seemed to echo many common Korean memes, such as the frequently asked question, "Do you know kimchi?" I was unaware of the significance of kimchi at the time, but now I understand its importance.
One peculiar statement that often surprised me was "Do you know that Korea has four seasons?" It appeared as if people were stating this fact as if it were a remarkable piece of information. The grammatical structure of the question felt unnatural to many English speakers, often resembling an interrogation rather than a simple inquiry.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Autumn Korea is peak Korea koreatimes.co.kr
