This means when a baby is born on December 31, he or she turns two the next day. This is because Koreans consider the time spent in the womb (almost one year) as counting towards their age, so everyone is one year old at birth.Įveryone also gets one year added to their Korean age on New Year’s Day, not on their birthday. It is always one or two years more than one’s international age. Korea is famous for using a different method to count age.
Some of the most popular K-dramas include Jewel in the Palace, Full House, Coffee Prince, Boys Over Flowers, My Love From The Star, Winter Sonata, My Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo, Descendants of the Sun, and Goblin. K-dramas also often portray the fashion, culture, and sceneries of Korea, driving Korean fashion trends worldwide and ushering in increased tourism activity. Most K-dramas have only 16 to 20 episodes, which run from 30 minutes to 1 hour each, making it easy to binge. These television shows have interesting storylines, plot twists that can either be shocking or predictable, and visually satisfying cinematography. The spread of Hallyu, or Korean wave, has popularised not just K-pop but also Korean dramas, simply known as K-dramas. Other typical kinds of kimchi include baek kimchi (white kimchi), which uses cabbage marinated in salt chonggak kimchi, which uses whole baby radishes and a lot of gochugaro and nabak kimchi (watery radish kimchi), which is popular for its cold and refreshing broth.Īlso Read: 35 Yummy Korean Snacks You Can Buy Online 4. Napa cabbage is seasoned with salt, sugar, gochugaru (chili powder), spring onions, crushed garlic, ginger, and jeotgal (salted seafood), and fermented for weeks or longer. The most famous kind of kimchi is the tongbaechu kimchi or whole cabbage kimchi. It is full of vitamins and lactobacilli, a healthy bacteria. This fermentation process also makes it one of the healthiest foods in the world. Depending on the fermentation process, ingredients, region, and weather, the kimchi’s taste changes. There are over 200 types of this traditional side dish. Distinct for its spicy taste, crispness, and pungent smell, kimchi dates back to the early period of Goguryeo (37 BCE–668 CE) and is a part of every Korean meal.
Some of the popular groups from the last decade include TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls Generation, Big Bang, Wonder Girls, Shinee, EXO, 2EN1, BTS, Twice, and BlackPink. The first idol group to debut was SM’s H.O.T., who popularized K-pop idol culture, gathering fandoms of teenagers and young adults. This led to the formation of big entertainment companies like SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment. Modern K-pop emerged when trio Seo Taiji and Boys first performed on a talent show in 1992. K-pop music is notable for its catchy melodies, impressive choreographies, cool and colourful music videos, and group members looking very polished.Īlthough K-pop has only become mainstream in the international market in the last decade, it dates back to the 1950s, when Korean music started getting influenced by Western music and pop groups. K-pop is an umbrella term that refers to Korean pop, hip-hop, electronic music, ballad, and rock. Korea is famous for Korean popular music or simply K-pop.