Korean culture

Living in Korea again was a great experience. I have some qualms about Korean culture, but I can't deny my heritage.

I've maintained a list over the years from my multiple trips to Korea and love to discuss this with Koreans. It's my go-to conversation topic when I talk to Koreans at language exchange. It's a work in progress that I consult and think about a lot.

Korean culture
Pros
+ Technologically advanced
+ 빨리빨리 culture
+ Service-oriented
+ PC gamers
+ 문방구 (and local mom-and-pop stores)
+ Women are beautiful (and men, according to girls)
+ Excellent public transportation
+ Internet speed, free WiFi
+ Drink a lot (also nonalcoholic. Free water and I love 보리차)
+ Polite / Respectful
+ Clean
+ 한류: K Drama, Movies, Music
+ Value education
+ Value English
+ No earthquakes
+ Religious freedom, Christian
+ Not as much gang violence
+ Likes America
+ More "fun"
+ Nightlife is easier
+ Better drinking culture
+ Tons of coffee shops
+ Cute stationery
+ Great eye for design - store fronts, interior design, general style
+ 한국말 is easy to learn
+ National pride
+ Didn't lose to North Korea
+ Relatively healthy food (salt content may be too high)
+ Need to walk a lot in Korea
+ Good medical system
+ Love singing (노래방)
+ Innovative, competitive, diligent
+ Guns outlawed
+ Relatively light-skinned (if you're into that)
+ Snow (if you like it)
+ Value good teeth
+ Drugs heavily outlawed
+ Direct
+ 눈치 (awareness, 空気を読め)


Cons
- No console gaming
- Likes shitty music (KPOP is seriously bad)
- Superficial / materialistic
- Xenophobic
- Too much makeup
- Too much plastic surgery
- School system is too strict
- Work culture / mandatory overtime
- Shitty dating culture (all the old traditions and weird expectations)
- Separation between dating for fun and dating for marriage
- Homophobic
- Always fighting North Korea
- Nepotism
- Skinny jeans are popular
- Societal / peer pressure
- Too much comparing
- Drinking / smoking
- Ultracompetitive
- Tension w/ Japan
- House prices are high
- Hard to make friends w/out network
- Love to gossip
- Less personal space than in America
- Mandatory military service
- Sexist
- 홍어 (rotting skate)
- Relentless adherence to age-based hierarchy (this is a pro to some KR)
- They play LoL
- Shit domestic beer
- Only one path to success (status quo - graduate from top school, get good job, sell soul to company, get married, buy a house, have children, etc)
- "우리", less individuality (but I think KR is less about conformity than JP)
- 눈치