Like anyone else, Koreans love to get together and have fun. Here are some tips to keep the good times rolling.
Festivals
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| Ashley & Leif jumping in on the entertainment at the Cheonan International Dance Festival |
Festivals
✓ Every week there seems to be at least one, if not a few, festivals going on in South Korea. Visit Korea is the official website listing almost all of them.
x Don't miss out!
Mobile devices
✓ Most Koreans are text messaging / mobile game fanatics. Some may even socialize more through the phone than with the people sitting next to them, and think it's completely natural.
x Voice calls are rare, and hardly anyone does video chat.
Video Games
✓ Korea is one of the biggest video game markets in the world. The main focus is on mobile games, online games, and football (soccer) games. Most games are used for socializing purposes.
x Console games and most of the common Western PC games are practically dead in this country. And ironically, they don't know what 'MMORPG' (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) means. You know WOW (World of Warcraft)? It's one of most popular games in this genre. But here, the MMORPG called 'Lineage', a historic Korean game, revolutionized online gaming in South Korea. That's why I think it's ironic that Korea isn't familiar with the term MMORPG.
Music✓ Musical standard, Koreans are big on k-pop, j-pop, pop, hip-hop, rap, semi-dubstep, and balladsx Heavy Metal, Indie Rock, Reggae and Traditional Music may not be popular in the commercial mainstream, but they can still be very good.
Dance Clubs
✓ At dance clubs in major cities with thousands of people shoving and jumping? I challenge you to find anything louder than that. A common statement about those places is, 'You'll be deaf in a minute anyways. So dance more...'x ...and talk less.
Creative Projects
x Don't miss out!
Mobile devices
✓ Most Koreans are text messaging / mobile game fanatics. Some may even socialize more through the phone than with the people sitting next to them, and think it's completely natural.
x Voice calls are rare, and hardly anyone does video chat.
Video Games
✓ Korea is one of the biggest video game markets in the world. The main focus is on mobile games, online games, and football (soccer) games. Most games are used for socializing purposes.
x Console games and most of the common Western PC games are practically dead in this country. And ironically, they don't know what 'MMORPG' (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) means. You know WOW (World of Warcraft)? It's one of most popular games in this genre. But here, the MMORPG called 'Lineage', a historic Korean game, revolutionized online gaming in South Korea. That's why I think it's ironic that Korea isn't familiar with the term MMORPG.
Music✓ Musical standard, Koreans are big on k-pop, j-pop, pop, hip-hop, rap, semi-dubstep, and balladsx Heavy Metal, Indie Rock, Reggae and Traditional Music may not be popular in the commercial mainstream, but they can still be very good.
Dance Clubs
✓ At dance clubs in major cities with thousands of people shoving and jumping? I challenge you to find anything louder than that. A common statement about those places is, 'You'll be deaf in a minute anyways. So dance more...'x ...and talk less.
Creative Projects
✓ Get creative. Everybody loves new ways to do things. Also, it's easier to convince Koreans to try something new if it's a "cool" Western thing.
x Potentially, Korean artists might believe anything they've been told by someone who seems close, even if they can't actually confirm the fact themselves. Try not to joke too much about messing with their heads. They might make mistakes while traveling and feel mistrustful of foreigners.
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!
Also, check out our other Korea's To Be or Not To Be posts.
Eating & Drinking
Entertainment
x Potentially, Korean artists might believe anything they've been told by someone who seems close, even if they can't actually confirm the fact themselves. Try not to joke too much about messing with their heads. They might make mistakes while traveling and feel mistrustful of foreigners.
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!
Also, check out our other Korea's To Be or Not To Be posts.
Eating & Drinking
Entertainment
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