SLAS Winter Magazine 2023 and 24 | Page 46

Do Not Write Names with Red
Do Not Praise North Korea
Do Not Lift the Bowl When Eating
Avoid Number 4

10 Interesting Korean Taboos

By Kevin Lee

As popularity of K-pop and K-drama is rapidly increasing , more and more people are becoming interested in Korean culture . Moreover , they even plan to visit Korea during their vacations . Here are some interesting Korean Taboos that would help you to have better understanding about Korean culture .

01

Do Not Write Names with Red

03

Do Not Praise North Korea

In Korea , people generally write a person ’ s name in red when he or she is dead . So , there is a superstition that if you write a living person in a red pen , something bad will happen to the person .

02

Do Not Lift the Bowl When Eating

Compared to other Asian countries , Koreans do not touch the bowl while they are having a meal because some believe that touching or having physical contact with the bowl gives bad luck to the person .
As many people already know , South Korea shares a very sensitive history with North Korea . Now , it is much better than before , but if you praise anything positive about North Korea you might have a bad impression among Koreans ( South ).

04

Avoid Number 4

Number 4 also symbolizes death in Korea so many Koreans try to avoid it . For instance , oftentimes in hospitals and funeral halls , there is no fourth floor .
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