Last week, I made a post about what I don’t like about Korea.  So now it’s time for me to talk about some specific aspects of Korea and Korean life that I do like.  As I mentioned before, no place is perfect.  So this is not a post that is trying to say that Korea is the best place on earth.  This is just my take on some of the things that I like about Korea.  If your take on what you like about Korea is different, please let me know below.

Public Transportation

If I had to name some things I don’t like doing very much, driving and driving on snow and ice would be on that list.  If you know me personally, you know that I grew up with about 100 inches, 254 centimeters, of snow to deal with each winter.  I now live somewhere that doesn’t get close to that amount of snow each year, but I still don’t like dealing with it.  A couple weeks ago, I had a day where I couldn’t leave home because we got about 6 inches, 15.24 centimeters, of snow in about a 12 hour period with no snow plow in sight.  In Korea, as long as I can get to the subway station, I can get to where I have to go to. Also, public transportation is better for the environment and cheaper.  Often times we think about the cost of owning a car and automatically think of fuel cost.  But the upkeep of a car, as well as proper insurance, can make owning a car expensive.  But if one can get by with walking or using public transportation, the savings can add up quickly.

Korean Tradition

Many argue that there really is no tradition in the United States.  This is mainly because the United States is such a young country.  But Korea is far from a young country.  While people have lived on the banks of the Han River for a long time, some estimates are that Seoul was founded around the year 2 B.C.E.  This means that Korea has a long history and a lot of tradition.  While many people think that Koreans are prejudice and hateful, Korean people are actually very loving.  Korea’s history included them being taken advantage of by others, but it also includes a history of looking out for each other like a large family.  Korean culture and tradition is really beautiful and heartwarming.  If you have not done so, take time to find out more about Korean culture and Korean people.

Korean People

Many would probably expect me to put Korean food or Korean women in this final slot on this list.  But I’m going to put the people of Korea in general in his spot.  The people of Korea were always very loving and kind to me.  Generally speaking, as long as you are respectful and kind to others, people will be respectful and kind to you. Even though I don’t speak perfect Korean, no one looked down on me.  No one made me feel bad for not being perfectly fluent.  If anything, people in Korea were very encouraging and made me want to continue to learn Korean.  From the start, I was shown a lot of hospitality and treated like family.  Life is not easy in Korea.  Many people struggle to make a living and to get by.  But people did not hold back from doing nice things.  People also were willing to offer correction to my Korean mistakes, and to educate me on how I can make improvements.  I will always be thankful for the love and warmth that I was shown.

This list will be updated in the future.  While there are many reasons to no like the way things are done in Korea, there is also many reasons to love the way things are done in Korea.  Like everywhere else, Korea has both good and bad points.  But overall, for me personally, the good outweigh the bad.  I’m glad I took the chance to go to Korea and see things for myself.  Whenever possible, I encourage you to do the same.