Find the answer at the bottom. South Korea boasts one of the world's strongest military forces, a result of the Korean War (1950-53) having ended in an armistice but without a peace treaty, with continuing threats from nuclear-armed North Korea across the border. The country marks Oct. 1 every year as the Armed Forces Day, to honor the services of all military personnel -- including young conscripts -- to the nation. All able-bodied male South Korean citizens over age 19 are requir

Find the answer at the bottom. Hahoe is a traditional clan-based village in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, known for having the oldest surviving masks for mask dance dramas in South Korea. Eleven Hahoe masks have been passed down, representing different characters in a stage play, including a lion, a bride, a monk, a noble and a scholar. Traditionally, such masks were made from gourds or paper and burned at the end of the performance. However, Hahoe masks were crafted from wood and prese

Find the answer at the bottom. Portraits of people featured on a country’s banknotes are a reflection of the country's pride, identity and heritage. They often depict prominent figures from the past such as national leaders, scientists, artists or activists who have made significant contributions to the nation’s development. In South Korea, the banknotes come in four denominations: 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 50,000 won. Each features a different historical figure from the Jo

Find the answer at the bottom. Once the owner, always the owner. This phrase epitomizes the faithfulness of the Jindo dog, native to the island of Jindo in South Jeolla Province. One of the most famous stories illustrating the Jindo dog’s loyalty to its owner and its instinct to return home, even from several hundred kilometers away, is the tale of Baekgu from 1993. In March of that year, 5-year-old Baekgu, originally born in a home in Jindo, was sold and sent to a new owner in another city som

Before K-beauty became an export industry targeting consumers globally, South Koreans had been using terms in Konglish -- in this sense, English loan words appropriated into Korean in ways that mean something different than their original meaning -- to describe certain products. For starters, toners -- the liquid applied to the skin after cleansing and before moisturizing -- are commonly called “skin” in Korea. This can lead to somewhat baffling expressions in Korean like, "Your skin looks perfe

Find the answer at the bottom. Depending on one's cultural background, one may celebrate various milestones in life. In South Korea, the first significant milestone for a baby is surviving the first 100 days of life. Although rare now, in the past, families -- often wealthy ones -- would invite relatives, neighbors and friends to a celebratory banquet marking the baby’s 100th day. This custom stemmed from the high infant mortality rates of the past, which records show stood at around 75 percent

Find the answer at the bottom. The Three Kingdoms period (57 BC-AD 668) was a fascinating era in the Korean Peninsula's early history, marked by rivalry and exchanges among three distinctively different kingdoms, each possessing its own charm and history. The distinctive appeals of the three kingdoms -- Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla -- along with their evolving dynamics, leading to their eventual unification under one conqueror, make this period one of Korean history's most studied times by scholar

Find the answer at the bottom. Six out of every 10 South Korean nationals live in apartments, earning South Korea the nickname, "the Republic of Apartments." According to law here, structures featuring multiple housing units per floor and standing at least five stories tall are considered apartments. Locals refer to them as “apateu.” As of 2022, apartment homes made up 64 percent of Korea's 19.16 million homes, according to Statistics Korea. Similar to many societal shifts in this country, the t

Find the answer at the bottom. In relationships or social situations where power imbalances lead to problematic dynamics, the term "gapjil" is used to describe unjust and abusive behavior by someone who thinks they are in a relatively superior position. The term originates from Korean legal terminology, where "gap" signifies the more powerful or superior party in a contract, while "eul" denotes the relatively less powerful or inferior party. The suffix "jil" implies actions or behavior with nega

Find the answer at the bottom. While South Korea lacks a specific law officially designating a national flower, the rose of Sharon, or "mugunghwa" in Korean, is widely recognized as such. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety introduces the flower alongside the national flag, anthem and seal as national symbols. Blooming throughout the summer for approximately 100 days from July to September, the flower is known for its resilience to diseases. Its Korean name, which translates to "everlasting