Everyday rituals of the South Koreans that look surprising to the rest of the world

First of all, South Korea has the fastest internet connection speed in the world. 82% of the South Koreans use smartphones, and 92% of the population use Internet. Seoul is often called the tech capital of the world, and there are some good reasons for that:

it has an airport equipped restaurants, spa, golf club, Museum of Korean Culture, skating rink, and a casino. It is often considered one of the best international airports in the world;

the first virtual store in the world was opened here. It's located on a subway station. Customers just scan the barcodes of the products they need and later have them delivered at home;

smart home technology is developing rapidly - anyone can rent an apartment that can be controlled with a smartphone;

Seoul headquarters such companies as Samsung, LG and Hyundai;

every bus stop is equipped with a real-time display that keep passengers informed of the location of the next bus;

Using Seoul Subway System, you can enjoy heated seats and uninterrupted WiFi and 4G/3G connection. The government plans to widely implement 5G.

People are born at the age of one, and one year is added to their age on New Year's Day, not on their birthday. So, when you come to South Korea, you become one or two years older!

It's not a problem to find anytime venues for drinking, eating and shopping in South Korea. When it comes to education and work, the South Koreans also have every opportunity to improve their skills anytime they want. In Seoul, everyone can rent a quite and comfortable study room for $6 a day (which is available 24/7).

You can taste various dishes in one store, and no one will try to persuade you to buy something - it's for you to decide. Moreover, in a South Korean supermarket you can often eat for free as much as you want - of course, samples for tasting are stored in a special section or offered by a salesperson. To sample street food and traditional dishes, locals and tourists usually go to the market.

Every pregnant woman in South Korea gets a pre-natal care discount voucher, which entitles her to a maximum subsidy of $500. This money are to be spent on pregnancy health related expenses such as check-ups and medication.

Every mother-to-be can also receive a special subway chip - it connects with a special sign installed in subway trains, which lights up when the pregnant woman with a chip boards the train, reminding the passengers to give up their seat for an expecting mother.

In some parts of the country, there are also special pink parking lots for pregnant women.

The Koreans try to avoid the number 4, as its pronunciation is similar the Chinese word '死', which means death.

"Did you eat rice?" or "Have you eaten well?" in Korean means the same as "How are you?" in English. Rice is an important part of Korean culture, and there were times in history when the country was suffering from its shortage. Today Korea doesn't have such problems, but the phrase still has this meaning.

The South Koreans really love to work. South Korea has one of the world's highest numbers of annual working hours per employee. Because of the workaholic culture, many people don't even use all their guaranteed vacation days. Anyway, working overtime doesn't increase productivity - according to the researchers, people who spend extra time at the workplace often underperform. That's why the government tries to fight the culture of working overtime. In Seoul, all computers in the offices are powered down at 8 p.m. on Fridays.

You can visit almost every spectacular location of South Korea as a one-day trip. The total area of the country is 38,622.57 mi2 (100,210 km²), and 64% of it is covered with forests! There are plenty of lakes, mountains (hiking is the national pastime), and islands surrounding the mainland.

The Seoul – Jeju City air route is by a significant margin the world's busiest. Approximately 10,000,000 people fly between the two cities every year.