SEOUL/SOUTH KOREA: FASCINATING!

Seoul is a fascinating city and South Korea is not your ordinary country:

• Only 3% of the population is obese.  U.S. 60%!!!  Well, according to Wikipedia, it is only 40%...but you get the point.
• 20% of males daily use make-up.  That is about a billion dollars per year for the products they buy.
• Russians drink a lot of alcohol.  Koreans drink twice as much, particularly soju.  Well, that was from the above reference.  According to Wikipedia, #1 is Belarus with 17.6 liters/capita/year, with Russia as #4 with 15.1 and South Korea#17 at 12.3.  U.S.? #48 at 9.2.  However those figures are for 2010, the latest year Wikipedia had a comparison.  So I further checked, and found that for 2019, Belarus #1 with 14.4 liters, Russian #6 11.5 liters, USA #25 8.7...and no sign of South Korea.  Let's see how well Swedish Nomad does for some others.
• Another comparison in liters of pure alcohol/person/year that places South Korea as average:
• Bangladesh       0.9
• North Korea     9.6
• United States  13.7 
• Japan               14.1
• UK                  15.7
• South Korea    16.0
• France             16.7
• Germany         16.9
• Brazil              19.3
• Philippines      19.9
• Russia             20.1
• Thailand          20.3
• Pakistan           26.0
• South Africa    29.9
• Tunisia            36.6

• K-Pop (Korean music--which started with Gangnam Style by Psy) contributes almost $5 billion to the local economy.
• 20% have the surname Kim.
• Sympathizing with Kim Jong-Un is illegal.
• 99.9% of the populace does not jay-walk.

• Plastic surgery is said to be done by 1/3 of women.
• 60% of families use professionals to find a name for their babies.
• They believe your blood type is related to your personality traits:  blood type O is best, AB worst.
• Toilet paper is kept outside of stalls.
• Babies are considered to be one year old at birth

• The national animal is the Siberian Tiger.
• Population is 51.5 million, compared to Spain at 47 million, Argentina 44 million, Iraq 38 million, Afghanistan 37 million and Canada 37 million.
• Life expectancy of 82, which makes South Korea #11 in the world.  Japan is #1 at 83.7 years, Switzerland #2 83.4 million, Singapore #3 83.1....USA #38 at 77.8 million.
• 57% of people are NOT religious

Also:

• About the land area of Indiana or United Kingdom
• 90% of the world's seaweed consumed comes from this country.
• You drink seaweed soup on your birthday.
• Adultery was made legal in 2015.
• Males must serve in the military for 21-24 months.
• They celebrate White Day on March 14, similar to Valentine's day, when women receive gifts and treats.  Men are so honored on Valentine's Day.

• While Korea has almost 52 million people, and California 40 million, California has 5 times more land area.
• Consumption of live octopus is popular.
• For some time internet speeds have been the fastest, with Norway at #2.  USA?  #12.
• However, they are not quite there yet on sewer disposal, so many dispose of toilet paper in a bin, not flushed.
• There are 250 different kinds of kim chee.

• The island of Cheju has the tallest mountain (Hallasan, above) in the country, at 6,398 feet.
• Free Wi-Fi is universally available, used by homeless people and small children.
• Teachers are revered, making $2,500/month.  The average salary is $2,615.
• Koreans sleep less than 6 hours/night.
• If you shop or bank online, you must use Internet Explorer.

South Koreans have generally led the developed world in suicides.  Overall, is #10 at 20.2 per 100,000/year.  Today, Guyana is #1 at 30.2, Lesotho #2 28.9 and Russia #3 26.5.  USA is #34 with 13.7

Otherwise, the general populace seems immune to Kim Jong-Un warning of "catastrophic consequences," in reference to that "heedless and eratic old man."  Who, of course, is Donald Trump.

Yesterday I said Korea is known as the Land of the Morning Calm because the fog casts a kind of serenity in the morning.  I then showed this photo:

That is the sun.  However, it is 10AM in the morning, and I just learned from the front page of the Korea Joongang Daily (photo from the article to the left) that there is more than fog in the air.  Most of that fog is fine dust from China.  The Ministry of Environment has placed parts of the country under emergency reduction measures.  The only normal location is Cheju Island, now spelled as Jeju Island.  While Chinese air pollution is a problem, there is some uncertainty as to how much of this problem has to do with natural dust from China.

That photo to the right I took from my room in the Beijing St. Regis Hotel in April of 2013.  The Air Pollution Index was that day up to 219, or very unhealthy.  This is the primary reason why I probably won't ever go back to that city.

Air Pollution Index in Seoul today?  199, or unhealthy.

Ironically, Beijing today?  40, or good.  Southern Beijing, however, is 179.

You want HAZARDOUS?  Go to Delhi today, for the API is at 690.  I also will not ever go to Delhi again, but not necessarily just for this reason.  Read my posting of nearly a decade ago on India Sucks...*, which keeps returning as the most read article of the day all the time.

Hawaii?  10.  I leave Seoul tomorrow to return to Honolulu.

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