Tag: southkorea

Funny American Things in Korea

Published on by stefaniepaikLeave a comment

Korea is well-versed in deep history and culture. On the other hand, Korea has grown into a very diverse country that offers global companies that are localized to Korean society. So to commemorate all of the strange American things I have experienced, I created a list of my favorite places.

Costco

The wholesale company, based in Washington state, has various locations all around Korea. In the greater Seoul area 6 Costco’s. The layout of the Costco is the same as the ones in the US, the only big difference is that the Costco here are multi-storied. Korean Costco will have parking on the basement floors, and then there will be a 1 and 2 floor for merchandise. Merchandise is localized to Korean taste. The best part of Korean Costco’s experience is the food court. The most popular item is the bulgogi pizza. It was fairly good, but I found the cheese on the pizza to be a little strange.

Ikea

While Ikea is Swedish and not American, I enjoyed going to Ikea for fun back home. So Ikea here is generally the same. All the merchandise is the same, still a long labyrinth of furniture. At the Korean Ikea, the menu is similar to the US menu. One thing I noticed is the large amount of vegan options. It’s interesting because vegan options are not super extensive in Korea, but it is growing among the population. The food was pretty good; thought it was a little bland. Also, the garlic bread was sweet, so I didn’t like it.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s has locations all around Korea. Recently, Korea has been doing more localized menu options such as the Jindo green onion burger. In my personal opinion, I don’t like Korean McDonald’s. The fries don’t have that signature American saltiness. Also, McDonald’s does not allow customization so I don’t want to order any burger cause I hate tomatoes. It is a fun experience to try but don’t expect it to taste the same as America.

Summer 1988 Olympics

Published on by stefaniepaikLeave a comment

In the summer of 1988, South Korea hosted its first-ever Olympic Games, in Seoul. This was a very big deal globally because there was no political boycotting. The 1980 Summer Olympics was held in Moscow, and then the 1984 Summer Olympics was held in Los Angeles. For Korea, this was their chance to show Korea to a global audience, especially post-Korean War. Before the 1988 Summer Olympics, Korea previously hosted the Miss Universe and the Asian Games.

Fun Fact: The Summer 1988 Olympics was the last Olympics to release real doves. This is due to the fact that many of the doves died due to flying into the cauldron. Besides that, the opening ceremony is very beautiful, demonstrating Korea’s rich history and dreams for the future.

Still to this day, around Seoul, there are landmarks of the Summer 1988 Olympics. Today, many of the sports stadiums are used for events such as concerts. Back in 2019, when I came to Korea, I was in the Olympic Stadium to see a BTS concert.

If you come to Korea, I highly recommend visiting Olympic Park. During the summer and autumn months, it is very pretty and is a wonderful blend of park, landmark, and event arenas.