K-beauty, K-food, K-dramas and K-pop, explained
Korean honorifics list and meanings: 14 titles decide how you address anyone in Korea. The two you’ll use most are -ssi (씨), a polite “Mr. or Ms.” for adults of similar standing, and -nim (님), a respectful suffix for anyone above you. Family words like oppa, unnie, hyung and noona are for people you’re close to, and which one you say depends on your gender as well as theirs.
What is Suneung exam day? It’s Korea’s one-day college entrance test, held each November since 1993. Officially the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), or 대학수학능력시험 (daehak suhak neungnyeok siheom), it’s the score most Korean universities use to rank applicants. That makes it the single most consequential day in a Korean teenager’s life, and the whole country adjusts its schedule to protect it.
Korean age vs international age differs by 1 or 2 years, and since June 28, 2023 Korean law uses the international one. The old way counted you as 1 at birth and added a year to everyone each January 1. The new rule counts from your birthday, the same way most of the world does. A few rules still go by birth year alone, so the old math hasn’t fully disappeared.
Korean dining etiquette for foreigners comes down to 9 habits, and letting elders go first matters most. Wait for the oldest person to start eating. Pour drinks for other people, never for yourself, and take a glass with two hands. Pay at the counter on your way out and don’t leave a tip.
This hanbok rental Seoul guide starts with the best perk: wear a hanbok and 4 royal palaces let you in free. Jongmyo Shrine does the same. The rental shops sit a short walk from the palace gates, so you can be dressed, styled and through the ticket line on the same morning.