Teaching Kimchi

“Hey I heard the Island called Dokdo at the Sea of Japan belongs to Japan.”
There are several facts that foreigners should be aware of when conversing with Koreans; misconceptions about Korea. Here I wrote down a few that are commonly mistaken by foreign people, which Koreans could find disappointing or even absurd.

1. Sea of Japan
Due to Japan’s colonization during the Second World War, many world maps recorded the sea lying between Korea and Japan as “Sea of Japan”. Historically, most of the sea belongs to Korea due to Dokdo (an Island east of Korea). However, because of the recent dispute regarding Dokdo, 50% of the sea in the middle is considered as an Exclusive Economic Zone. Thus, now, there is no definite owner of the sea.

2. Dokdo
Just as I mentioned, there is a conflict between Japan and Korea because of this Island; the owner of the Island gets to own more area of the sea (between Korea and Japan). Despite the fact that historical documentation proves Dokdo as a Korean Island, the Japanese government constantly claims that it is theirs. Thus, many Koreans are not happy when they hear Dokdo is Japan’s.

3. North Koreans are evil
The people of North and South Korea are the same. We both come from the same root, history and culture. It is the different philosophy of the leader that makes North Korea look different. So please, saying that North Koreans are evil is the same as insulting the Korean you are talking to.

4. Dog
Yes, it is true that Koreans eat dogs. However, it has been our culture even before the Goguryeo dynasty (BC 37). People had considered dog a healthy diet. Historical documents say that when eaten as a stew with vegetables and powdered red peppers, the diet would get rid of germs.

Here are four at the moment. I will constantly update on this as I remember. I hope this helped.

Popularity: 11% [?]