First Trip to South Korea: Shattering My Preconceptions

I had a short taste of South Korea 🇰🇷 during the Spring Festival holiday—it was freezing, so I didn’t take many photos. The following are subjective thoughts with a “novelty filter”; if you disagree, you’re entitled to your opinion. People’s quality is impressive: No one smokes in restaurants, I never got hit by secondhand smoke on the street, and no one spat anywhere. Most places were spotless with no litter. If a kid spoke a little loud, their parents would tell them to quiet down; once a kid ran into me, they even stopped, bowed slightly, and said “sorry” 🫶. Rural areas have few farmlands—mostly factories instead. Their food self-sufficiency rate is extremely low, which leads to sky-high food prices 💰. The natural environment is a lot like Dalian: mountains, seas, fresh air, strong winds, slopes everywhere, and plenty of seafood 🦞. Korean food seasoning is way too simple and monotonous. Eating it for a week straight almost made me depressed—I gorged on Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, green onions, ginger, and garlic as soon as I got back to China. Vegetable prices are absurdly high—a plate of smashed cucumber costs 75! Korean beef is expensive, but it does taste good at least 🥩. I couldn’t even buy Jannabi’s CD in Seoul, so I picked up two Black Skirts albums instead 🎶. Seoul’s prosperity is just “so-so” compared to major Chinese cities. Parking is insanely expensive—40-50 per hour near Namsan and Gwanghwamun 🚗. Overall, South Korea feels highly orderly and perfect for introverts But living here long-term might be quite depressing—after all, its suicide rate is the highest in the world, and that’s not an exaggeration 😔. P.S. To anyone calling me a “Korea fanboy”: If you don’t need your eyes, donate them to someone who does. #SeoulNamsanTower #Myeongdong #BlackSkirts