KoreanClass101.com Blog

Using two hands. In Korea, to use one hand to do something is considered to be rude. So stop doing it. Seriously. But don't go all out and use two hands to accept liquid hand sanitizer or anything like that but the primary receiving and giving of anything from cash to paper handouts should be done with both hands*. Think of it as a redundancy - if one hand freaks out and shucks you, you still got the other one. You never know when you'll need the strength of two hands... Seriously though it's just one of those cultural nuances that is important and sometimes overlooked. The most common mistake comes from the use of the left hand only. That's just nasty. I kid. Come on now, who really thinks about which hand we use? In a Western... Show more

Blood type. Stop. Ask yourself "What blood type am I?". Chances are you're a foreigner in respect to Korea (seeing as how this is an English language blog written for the benefit of foreigners) and that you probably answered with "I don't know". More importantly, you might have thought "why should I care?" The short answer? You shouldn't. But don't be surprised if other people do. Well I'm here to lay it on the line. It does matter. Kind of. See, this whole idea behind looking at someone's blood type originates from a Japanese belief that blood type determines temperament, compatibility, and pretty much everything else that defines someone. Apparently your blood has been yakking it up. What does it say about you? This sounds... Show more

I won't even waste words with this one, when the video needs no words. At all. Epik High should parody more movies. This was amazing XD So excited for their album , and very sad that it wasn't on iTunes yet when I rolled out of bed this morning. I'm not normally one who favours subgroups more than the actual main group, but in the case of Super Junior the opposite is true for me. I love their Chinese subgroup, Super Junior M, so much more than I have been loving the main group in recent months. Super Junior M is made up of 5 members from the main group: 동해 (Donghae), 규현 (Kyuhyun), 한긍 (Hangeng, also known as 한경 (Hankyung)), 려욱 (Ryeowook) and 시원 (Siwon). The remaining 2 members, Zhou Mi and Henry, are members of only this... Show more

Eating Dog. I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, it's not one of those posts. I'll keep it civil. First, I'd like to point out a brief summary via everyone's favorite online resource. Essentially, if/when you come to Korea, don't expect to see dogs dangling from store fronts and dog being served at every meal because it's just not that common of a dish. Understandably, some misinterpret the consumption of dog as an insult to their way of life. Like all things, some take the practice to a new level of ridiculous. Like this commentator points out, different isn't always wrong. The history of dog as a food source goes way back to the dog days of summer, known as 삼복 or 복날. These three days had a prescription to beat the heat -... Show more

I've only recently found myself getting into JYP Entertainment R&B boyband 2PM. 2PM was originally part of the 11 member group One Day, but in the end JYP split them into two: the seven member R&B/dance focused 2PM, and the four member ballad focused 2AM. 2PM is made of 재범 (Jaebum, also known as Jay), 준수 (Junsu), half-Thai half-Chinese 닉쿤 (Nichkhun), 택연 (Taecyeon), 우영 (Wooyoung), 준호 (Junho), and 찬성 (Chansung). Their debut single was 10점 만점에 10점, released in September last year, and although it was a decent enough song it wasn't until earlier this year and the release of their second mini album, 2:00 PM Time For Change, that their popularity really took off. Again & Again was a definite hit, snagging the group their first... Show more