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14 Fascinating Facts About South Korea
14 Fascinating Facts About South Korea
14 Fascinating Facts About South Korea
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The capital Seoul is enclosed by mountains CREDIT: RUDOLF BALASKO RUDI1976@GMAIL.COM/RUDOLF BALASKO
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/south-korea/articles/fascinating-facts-about-south-korea/ 1/13
06/06/2019 14 fascinating facts about South Korea
As the Winter Olympics continue in South Korea, here we highlight some of the most interesting and quirky facts about the country.
The report showed South Korea’s average broadband adoption rate to be 26.1 megabits per second, putting it ahead of Norway,
Sweden, Hong Kong and Switzerland. It is also reported to have the best 4G availability in the world
(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/countries-with-the-best-4g-coverage/), with users able to expect a signal 95.71 per cent of the
time.
After China and Japan, South Korea is the third biggest in Asia and also the seventh largest exporter in the world, with its top products
being integrated circuits (including computers, phones and other electronics) and cars.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/south-korea/articles/fascinating-facts-about-south-korea/ 2/13
06/06/2019 14 fascinating facts about South Korea
More than 26 million passengers use Jeju airport each year - that’s more than any UK airport bar Gatwick and Heathrow. There were a
staggering 64,991 departures between these two airports in 2017 – that works out at around 178 a day.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/south-korea/articles/fascinating-facts-about-south-korea/ 3/13
06/06/2019 14 fascinating facts about South Korea
The unsung Jeju Island CREDIT: NOPPASINW - FOTOLIA/MICROSOFT PRO PHOTO TOOLS
In 2011 Jejudo was named among the “New7Wonders of Nature”, though there were accusations that its selection was down not just to
its beauty, but also the readiness of tourism and marketing organisations to stump up cash – including taxpayers’ money – to support
its campaign. There are also casinos, which help lure travellers from China, and, thanks to the island’s self-governing status, anyone
can visit without a visa.
But Jejudo also has a dark side. In 1948 and 1949, the South Korean government brutally put down an attempted uprising on the
island. Villagers, including women and children, were massacred, and as recently as 2008 mass graves were still being uncovered.
Some 30,000 people died as a result of the uprising, with a further 40,000 fleeing to Japan, and the atrocities are remembered at the
4.3 Peace Park memorial.
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06/06/2019 14 fascinating facts about South Korea
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06/06/2019 14 fascinating facts about South Korea
There are plenty of mountains, including eight that surround the capital. Visitors to this month’s Winter Olympics, in the unassuming
ski resort of Pyeongchang, can take in a sleepy backdrop of Buddhist temples and dreamy peaks, such as the imposing Seoraksan
which forms part of the backbone of the Korean peninsula’s mountainous landscape.
The country also has 2,413 kilometres of seaside, with wide coastal plains to the west and south, and nearly 3,000 small uninhabited
islands just offshore.
Seoraksan CREDIT: AP
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/south-korea/articles/fascinating-facts-about-south-korea/ 6/13
06/06/2019 14 fascinating facts about South Korea
For one thing, South Korea has been home to some of the world’s best breakdancers for years after it was introduced to the country in
the Nineties by American soldiers.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/south-korea/articles/fascinating-facts-about-south-korea/ 7/13
06/06/2019 14 fascinating facts about South Korea
knife, according to a 2015 survey by Gallup Korea. The most popular procedures were reported to be eyelid surgeries.
The streets of Gangnam, the capital’s upmarket financial district located south of the Han River which bisects the city, house several
cosmetic clinics while the city’s metro stations are filled with giant advertisements for cosmetic surgery showing women with the
‘perfect’ face. Such is the ongoing obsession that Incheon Airport was once reportedly considered installing a plastic surgery clinic in
one of it terminals.
Last year, however, Seoul's metro network announced it would be banning plastic surgery adverts across its stations.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/south-korea/articles/fascinating-facts-about-south-korea/ 8/13
06/06/2019 14 fascinating facts about South Korea
While the level of tension on the peninsula remains high, and the Foreign Office advises against trip to its northern neighbour, it
maintains that South Korea is perfectly safe: “Around 140,000 British nationals visit South Korea every year. Most visits are trouble-
free.”
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