Think Twice Before Going For Korean Scrub Bath | Korean Culture News

In Korean drama, the Korean scrub baths are often portrayed as a relaxing activity for both Korean men and women; it is also a good way for daughters to bond with their mums, aunts, female friends and for sons to bond with their fathers and etc. However, the scrub bath towel can be  so damaging that dermatologists in Korea have even started a campaign to ban it. Is the Korean scrub really that bad?

According to the doctors, it is actually good to have scrub bath occasionally as it promotes blood circulation and helps maintain your skin velvety and feeling refreshed. People with oily skin can benefit from scrub bath, as it also reduces acne. Doctor Kim Yong Jiu, director of Dermatology department in Yonsei University College of Medicine, said, “Without scrub bath, you might accumulate oil on your skin overtime, dead skin will then accumulate because they can’t be washed off easily, acne will then start to developed.”

If you use soap, the bubbles will get clog the pores, thereby preventing your skin from breathing. For best results, one should soak in warm water for about 30 minutes before scrubbing the skin. One should never scrub their skin too hard, as there is a tendency for the epidermis to be scrubbed out, thereby damaging the skin. Mudong Wonderful World Skin Hospital Director Lee Hao Nan said, “If you scrub your skin with too much force or have it done frequently, it will cause the thinning of the skin and making it vulnerable to dangers of bacteria, carcinogenic and allergic substances, which trigger skin problems.” The white stuff during your rub bath is the epidermis and if it is scrubbed out too much, your skin will be damaged.

If you have skin inflammation, dry or sensitive skin, it is not advisable to have scrub bath. Elderly people and those who are suffering from diabetes, hypertension, lymphoma and nephritis are also not advisable to have scrub bath, as their skin will develop eczema easily.

Whether one should go for a scrub bath or not is not really important. Samsung Hospital of Jiangbei Dermatology Professor Lee Jia Rong said, “Keratinocytes will naturally fall off to create new skin; even if a person do not have scrub bath, he or she will not look much different from those who did.”

The Reason Why Korean Single Women In Their 30s Can’t Get Married | Korean Culture News

When popular Korean drama <My Lovely Sam-Soon> came on TV in Korea, it was a hit with many Korean single women in their 30s, as they can identify with the drama. The trend continued rising with the release of DalJa’s Spring, followed by a series of Korean drama that revolves around similar themes. The 30-something single women on TV are often seen as having a hard time with their love lives and living with society’s standards. So what are the reasons for women over the age of 30 in Korea finding it hard to get married?

In Korea, many women over the age of 30 are complaining about how hard it is to get married. It seems impossible to meet potential mates and it is even harder for their friends and family to introduce new guys. So where then, does the problem lie?

These women seems to fall into one of these three categories. The first category is the “survival” type where the woman is just contented to stay home managing household chores and taking care of the family. The second category is the “dependant” type where the woman is fully capable of taking care of herself but is looking for a man with a higher income so that she can have the privilege to decide if she should work after marriage. The third category is the “preserving” type where the woman has a high income and will only consider marriage if it does not interfere with her career.

Most Korean women belong to the second category, the “dependant” type, because they do not plan on taking care of themselves for the rest of their lives and so they will search for a man anxiously so that they can be taken care of.

However, accepting a guy with good financial background has its own disadvantages. If they meet a man with high income, they are afraid of degrading into the first category (the “survival” type), and only stay at home to do housework. Another issue that women worry is that if both parties are working, she will still have to do housework and take care of the kids.

It is really rare to find someone who can offer them the best of both worlds. With such a specific requirement, these women are having difficulties in finding their suitable partners. Perhaps a better way for this group of women who are looking for love is to get out of the “dependant” mindset and adopt the “coexist” mindset instead. Instead of focusing on material benefits, it will be more realistic to find suitable partners to “coexist” with as life companions, someone whom they can share their burdens with and do things together. The career/material aspect can always be planned out along the way after all.

Hot Tourist Spots And Shopping Havens In Korea | Korean Culture News

According to the locals in Korea, here are the must-try Korean food, the hottest places for shopping, value-for-money accommodation, cool places of interests and cheap transport.

A. Food

According to a local student, Lee, if you are eating outside, barbeque meat is one of the cheapest, which costs only 3000 to 5000 Korean Won (Note: 10000 won is approximately USD10.80) per set. The best drink to go with barbeque meat is Shochu (Korean’s version of Sake), which cost about 3000 won in restaurants and 1500 won in supermarkets.

Braised ribs would cost about 20000 won per set while mixed rice is about 3000 won per set. Beef and seafood are expensive as they can easily cost you about 20000 to 30000 won for one set. Fruits are expensive too, as there is only one place that produces them and that is Jeju. One kilogram of grapes cost about 2000 won and 2 apples for 1000 won.

There is a lot of variety for Korean foods, like the barbeque meat, glutinous rice cakes (their rice tastes good), ginseng chicken soup, hot stone bowl mixed rice (Bibimbam), delicious and nutritious soy sauce broth, duck soup, sashimi, beef rice soup, pan fried crucian carp and tofu hotpot are all very delicious.

At Jeju Island, you must try the raw seafood and at Suwon, there are the delicious pork ribs. In Korea, there are lots of unique snacks, like fried rice cakes, fried intestines, fish balls, rice wrapped in seaweed, chicken sticks, egg noodles, sweet biscuits, Shilim-Dong’s intestines, Sindang-Dong’s spicy rice cakes, Namdaemun market’s braised spicy oxtail, and many more.

In conclusion, Korean cuisines usually have lesser oil and meat and are usually ate with stainless steel cutleries. Koreans like to eat food that are raw, cold or fried and foreigners usually have a hard time adjusting to these tastes.

B. Accommodation

A posh hotel room would cost you about 170000 to 220000 won per night. The rates of inns and guest houses are much cheaper. Guest house costs only 11000 won per night, while inn costs between 20000 to 50000 won. Living with the locals is not only cheap but you will get the chance to develop friendship a local family and have fun experiencing the Korean lifestyle and culture.

In conclusion, there is plenty of accommodation to choose from in Korea. Although each of them is different in style, they are all neat, clean and warm in winter but some do not provide basic amenities.

C. Transportation

The transportation system in Korea is very efficient and easy to get around. Taking a cab is very convenient but different taxi company charges differently; usually the fare starts from 2000 won. For buses, 1000 won can cover a long ride.

Plane tickets are reasonable too, it costs only 1050 won to go from QingDao to Incheon and the round trip costs only 1900 won.

Seoul’s underground train system is also very convenient but is always crowded. The ticket prices vary between 600 to 1400 KRW depending on the destination. Trains arrive every 2.5-3 minutes during peak hours and 4-6 minutes during off peak hours.

As a tourist, you can choose to drive around but you must be at least 21 years old and have a valid car license. You must have at least one year of driving experience and an international driving license which has an expiry date that is at least a year from the day you enter Korea.

Conclusion: Tourists need to arrange travelling schedule, food and accommodation 3 months prior to the peak period or festivity period as Koreans usually travel back to their hometowns for festive celebrations. Some of the peak period festive seasons include Lunar Chinese New Year, summer vacation (starting from the last week of July to the third week of August) and the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival.

D. Places of Interest

Seoul, Jeju, Busan are among some of the places that you must visit when touring Korea. In Seoul, you must visit Gyeongbokgung, which was an old palace. Namsan Park’s view is pretty nice too. For breath-taking beautiful night scenery, you can take a drive out at night to the bridge in Han-gang. If you want to visit Korea’s universities, you have to go to Sinchon. For beautiful scenery and a chance at experiencing a laid back and simplistic lifestyle, visit one of the most famous islands in Korea – Jeju Island. It is a must-visit tourist spot.

There are lots of fun and interesting places in Korea. In Seoul, there is the Changdeokgung, Changyeonggung, Deoksugung and there are also lots of temples. There is also the TaDong Park, Yong Pyong Ski Resort, Bukhansan, Seoul Tower and Gwanaksan where the views are beautiful. Dongnae Oncheon is beautiful too and there are also Suwon, Gang won-do, Incheon and Daejeon where you can visit its tea garden valley.

In Seoul, there are lots of cinemas, theatres, performances, movies and dances. There are also many parades, festivals and unique performances like the mask dance and the Nong-ak dance which can be seen around the year in several places in Korea.

E. Shopping

Dongdaemun and Namdaemun are Seoul’s biggest wholesale markets where you can find lots of merchandise like clothes , shoes and bags and they are sold at reasonable prices. If you want to shop for branded goods, visit Myeongdong. For unique goods or decoration items, you can visit Insadong, which is like a Korean cultural street. There is also fun amusement parks in Seoul like Lotte World and EverLand, which you can also visit.

Busan’s international market is popular with foreigners and the Jagalchi Market is opened 24 hours. There are also several streets nearby these markets selling great food and snacks.

Jeju’s Dongmun market and HanShanXiaBu market are also very nice places to shop at, but some open air markets, like the Dongmun market, are not opened on weekdays. In Seoul, there are many major departmental stores which include Shinsegae , Lotte, Midopa, Samsung Plaza.

Conclusion:Popular shopping areas in Korea are usually Dongdaemun and Namdaemun, where you can find almost all kind of merchandise, especially clothes and fashion accessories. Food products are expensive but the fashion, cosmetics and electronic products are relatively cheap and you can even bargain with the shop owners.

Korean Pre-University Students Earning School Fees And Money For Cosmetic Surgery From Temporary And Part-Time Holiday Jobs | Korean Culture News

Korea workforce is seeing the addition of more Pre-University students. There is a rising trend for students to work in the freezing winter so they can pay for their own tuition fees, instead of having their parents to pay for them.

On the other hand, there are also a lot of students using their parents’ money or their own hard earned cash on cosmetic surgery for enhancing their eyes and noses. If that’s not enough, some are even thinking of having a “brand new self” by revamping their faces, arms, legs and etc. These people are willing to spend massive bucks to go through the painful plastic surgery procedures, all in the name of beauty. With influence from media, the desire to look great like Korean celebrities is becoming more popular with these pre-university students.

Queuing to go under the knife: Pre-University female students queuing up in a cosmetic surgery clinic for consultation in S-Dong Kangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea.

Yi, a 19-year-old student who has recently been accepted into Korea University, cried buckets when watching a hit movie about an ugly girl that went through the emotional and physical pain of cosmetic surgery to get transformed into a beauty. She said, “It’s just like my life story!” The female character in the film had a hard time making up her mind about going for a full-body cosmetic surgery. And when she finally decided to get the surgery over and done with, she still could not find the self-confidence she thought she would get and as a result, felt lost and frightened. And even though the film shows that cosmetic surgery is not the solution to self-confidence, these young Koreans are still keen to go for it.

After receiving the letter of her acceptance into the University in August last year, Yi began to work in various odd jobs just so that she could earn enough for her cosmetic surgery. All 4 million Korean won earned from her various jobs  like hotel reception and English-speaking hourly jobs were used to pay for her cosmetic surgery. In October last year, she had her eyes and nose done and in November, she had breast implants and liposuction. Even the 20 million Korean won which she got from her mother was all spent on her surgery.

Yi said, “Some of the bandages have not been taken down from my body yet. When I go out, I have to wear more clothes to cover my operation scars from top to toe.” She then added, “However, I don’t mind at all as this is the only way to becoming beautiful.”

In this month, the cosmetic surgery clinic in S-Dong Kangnam-gu had conducted more than 150 consultations, which is twice the number then during normal period. The hospital’s Chief Consultant said, “It’s hard to get a date for operation in the period before February, and also during mid-autumn festival and the winter holidays because these are the peak period where students are having school holidays and can afford the time for recovery from the procedures.”

Lee, a 19-year-old living in Gyeonggi-do , is also working at two jobs concurrently in cleaning and taking care of equipment in a sports centre, as well as serving customers and washing dishes in a western restaurant, just so that she could afford cosmetic surgery. Lee said, “My ex science classmates already had their eyes and noses done, some even reshaped their jaw bones for nicer jaw lines. Everybody around me is turning beautiful, I want to have the operations too.” With such intense peer pressure, these young Koreans felt the pressure to fit in and not get left out.

“I want to earn my own tuition fees” – Kim Chen Zhen, a Pre-U student working in a major supermarket after receiving his University acceptance letter.

Kim Cheng Zhen, an 18-year-old student, started working in a discount store since December last year after receiving his letter of acceptance into the Cultural Department of Sangji University. Everyday from 3pm to 12 midnight, he was moving heavy fruit cartons and arranging the stocks. Kim said, “I stay quite far away from here, so I have to rush for the last train home every night. Sometimes I feel that the tiredness taking a toll on me and I thought of quitting my job. However, I felt that working gives me a sense of responsibility and that is why I continue to work.

Pu Song’er, an 18-year-old girl who has been accepted into Asia University, started working as a shopkeeper in a bookstore for 9 hours everyday since October last year. Pu said, “I started working when I heard about the expensive tuition fees in University. I have three younger siblings and I don’t want to add on to my parents’ burden, so I’m now working hard and saving money.”

It is not only about making and saving money for some student; it is also to accumulate working experience that they can add into their resumes.

Yuan Zhong Zhen, an 18-year-old student residing in Gyeonggi-do has been accepted into Yonsei University’s management studies in December last year. Since then, he has been working in an Italian restaurant near his place. Every morning, he starts work at 10am and he will be cleaning the windows, mopping the floor and washing hundreds of dishes for the next 6 hours. He said, “My dream is to open my own restaurant or food & beverage company one day. The reason for choosing to work in a restaurant now is to learn the ropes in this business.”

Albamon, an employment website, conducted a survey with more than 900 pre-unversity students in November last year on the question, “What do you want to do most after being accepted into University?”, to which 43.7% of the males and 46.8% of the females responded with, “to find work”. Among them, 44.7% cited “Earn some pocket money” as their reason, while 22.5% chose “Earn some school fees”.

Weird Questions That An Interviewee Will Get During A Job Interview In Korea | Korean Culture News

“What does Chinese idiom ‘????’ (3 in the morning, 4 in the evening) means?”, “What does ‘Kill 115145425’ mean?”, and “How much do the Chinese restaurants in Seoul make per day?”

Ridiculous? These are some of the weird questions popping out from interviewers of some big companies in Korea recently, such as Samsung, LG Electronics, SK and Kia Motors, etc. These ‘Zen’ type of questions will turn even the most confident interviewees into cold sweat.

An employment website in Korea had listed the possible interview questions and answers from big companies of the world today. From the answers gathered, we can see what these companies are really asking for – creativity, sensitivity and logical thinking skills.

“What does ‘zhao san mu si’ mean in modern times?” ‘Zhao san mu si’ originally meant to use tricks to trick people. To the people in the enterprise, it means that no matter what task you undertake, you must make sure what the other parties’ motives are and to predict what will happen in the end. That is how businesses work today.

“Kill11514542” seems like a code but what does it mean? It actually means nothing except to test the response of the interviewee. You can reply it in any way you want, for instance you can say, “It’s the title of a movie in the making, perhaps the making of ‘Kill Bill 2 ’?”

As for the turnover for Chinese restaurants in Seoul per day, you can answer by doing a calculation and analysis. Suppose 7.5 million bowls of noodles are sold in Korea per day and that these noodles stands for 40% of the Chinese restaurants’ sales, then approximately 18 million to 19 million bowls of noodles are sold per day. Considering the fact that one quarter of the population of Korea resides in Seoul, the answer to the question would be approximately 4.7 million bowls are sold per day in Chinese restaurants in Seoul.

Now, here’s an even more interesting question. When you are faced with this “If your partner and your best friend were caught in an affair, who will you choose?” Your best bet will be, “neither, but I will forgive them both” and then further explain with this, “Not choosing either one because they had lost my trust but forgiving means harmony and graciousness, these are key elements to a better future for the company, there is no point harboring resentment or plotting revenge strategies to get even, as this will only bring harm to the company. ” That would definitely leave a good impression.

So, what would your answers be if you were the interviewee? One thing’s for sure though, there are no correct answers.

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