The questions I get asked most about Korea

The questions I get asked most about Korea

The questions I get asked most about Korea. 

Recently, I’ve noticed the questions about Korea can be categorized by whether the person asking is an Asian or Westerner. Hope you enjoy reading the following:

1. Asians

 (1) “How do you like Girls Generation?” or “Have you ever watched this K-drama before?”

 Although sometimes I watch TV, around two or three times a week and of course know who they

 are, it doesn’t mean that I have to join in the craze sweeping a number of Asian countries.

 

< Girls Generation and Super Junior from the same agency on the joint stage>

Surprisingly, since late 90s, as a result of the Korean pop craze sweeping through Asian countries, a number of Asians, not just Chinese or Southern Asians, but Japanese who just became fans, have also been interested in Korea culture and want to come visit.  

 To be honest, I don’t enjoy the conversation this topic, but I kind of take advantage of their

 fondness of Korean culture to keep friendly conversations running. Especially to maintain a positive first impressions.
The reality is I am not really interested in Korean TV series, mainly because their storyline are uniformly identical; either Cinderella or secrets about a leading role character’s birth.    

 (2) Do girls really get plastic surgeries without hesitation?

A popular misconception about Koreans believed by many is that we get the most plastic surgery per capita in the world. Most Asians tend to ask me that question, well here are the evidence...

< Among Asian countries, Japan is  raked the top, followed by Taiwan  and Korea >

To answer that question, my answer is usually: "Yes, some of us do."
The Korean society can be judgmental based on one's appearance, as it can for example affect one's chances of getting a promotion or finding a job.
The other example I can mention is: Have you ever seen an obese person walking in the streets of Seoul?

The truth is plastic surgery has been accepted into the Korean culture without any resistance. Korean mindset tend to be on the lines of: "Natural beauty with the help of artificial tweaking can be a lot better than natural plainness."

The interesting aspect is, due to this common misconception about Koreans, we have actually obtained a reputation as a country with top-notch plastic surgeons which attracts a high number of medical tourists.