4 ms·

I just got back from South Korea (Seoul) where I spent a month working and on vacation. By no means am I any sort of expert, but here are my insights which may

I just got back from South Korea (Seoul) where I spent a month working and on vacation. By no means am I any sort of expert, but here are my insights which may be somewhat of a rant. > Mr. Kim, who is 27 and lives with his parents - A lot of people in their twenties still live with their parents in S. Korea. It is very common. > He has lost a lot of money, perhaps tens of thousands of dollars. - S. Korea is very fashion and tech savvy. It is also very wealthy notable mostly in Seoul and Itaewon. Koreans are really into how they look including high end brands and cars (Mercedes, BMW's are rampant in the city). The women are infatuated with makeup, their appearance, and Instagram. It makes sense that S. Korea was a crypto hub and that it went absolutely wild there. - There is a noticeable pro-America vibe in S. Korea and wearing clothes or fashion that has the American Flag is typically high end. They also love Whiskey, specifically Jack Daniels which I thought was funny because I live in Tennessee..

mruts 8y ago
I live in Tanzania (I used to live in the US). And everywhere around here you see "Jack Lives In Africa" signs. It's pretty hilarious. They think any export is some high-end good.
dba7dba 8y ago
Funny you mentioned Mercedes/BMW being rampant in Seoul, because Doug Demuro thought it was hilarious S. Korea had no Mercedes/BMW but only Hyundai/Kia. And only in black/gray. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZD2pBeXY6Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZD2pBeXY6Q I have to say, drawing a rather sweeping conclusion of a nation of 51 million after a month long visit to a small area (albeit much of the nation's population living there) is maybe worth some reconsideration. It's like spending a month in Hollywood for a month eating out often, and concluding that every waiter/waitress in US is just working odd jobs while trying to break into the entertainment industry. Edit: I've also met people who are well off enough that they don't have to work as waiter/waitress, but still moved to LA to get a script made into movie, go to usc for movie (like writing movie script) etc etc. I'd think unmarried children living with parents until they marry or get a job that requires moving to another city is quite natural in most other countries.
- bootlooped 8y ago
  I lived there, in Seoul, for over a year and I can say with certainty that there are a good number of Mercedes and BMW. Most of the time I saw a foreign car it was a Germany luxury brand. If I recall correctly South Korea has a trade deficit with Germany at least in part due to the import of these cars. The colors for cars really were almost all black, gray, silver and white. The main exceptions were orange taxis and blue bongo trucks. I almost never recall seeing American cars out in the wild, although I did walk by a Chevy dealership often. In the video you linked he does point out a bunch of German luxury cars.
  - ousta 8y ago
    many chevrolet
yongjik 8y ago
> There is a noticeable pro-America vibe in S. Korea and wearing clothes or fashion that has the American Flag is typically high end. Well, that's a bit like saying there's a pro-Chinese vibe in America because so many people have random Chinese letters printed on their shirts or tattooed on their arms. It doesn't really mean anything.
- downrightmike 8y ago
  The pro-USA thing probably has more to do with the war in the 50's.
- adventured 8y ago
  > It doesn't really mean anything. Among nations, South Koreans have the third most favorable opinion of the US [1], only behind the Phillippines and Israel. South Korea's well-known love of the US goes back more than half a century. As an American, for me it's mutual, I love South Korea too. My grandfather, having fought in WW2, re-enlisted and volunteered to fight in Korea. He always said the South Koreans were wonderful to him. I think he'd be proud of how amazing their country has become, knowing that putting his life in jeopardy was worth it. [1] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/which-countries-dont-like-america-and-which-do/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/which-countr...
habosa 8y ago
I've been told that Jack and Coke is the #1 liquor drink in the world. I believe it, that stuff is everywhere.
tanilama 8y ago
> A lot of people in their twenties still live with their parents in S. Korea. It is very common. It is common anywhere where the real estate price is high.

mruts 8y ago

I live in Tanzania (I used to live in the US). And everywhere around here you see "Jack Lives In Africa" signs. It's pretty hilarious. They think any export is some high-end good.

dba7dba 8y ago

Funny you mentioned Mercedes/BMW being rampant in Seoul, because Doug Demuro thought it was hilarious S. Korea had no Mercedes/BMW but only Hyundai/Kia. And only in black/gray. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZD2pBeXY6Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZD2pBeXY6Q I have to say, drawing a rather sweeping conclusion of a nation of 51 million after a month long visit to a small area (albeit much of the nation's population living there) is maybe worth some reconsideration. It's like spending a month in Hollywood for a month eating out often, and concluding that every waiter/waitress in US is just working odd jobs while trying to break into the entertainment industry. Edit: I've also met people who are well off enough that they don't have to work as waiter/waitress, but still moved to LA to get a script made into movie, go to usc for movie (like writing movie script) etc etc. I'd think unmarried children living with parents until they marry or get a job that requires moving to another city is quite natural in most other countries.

bootlooped 8y ago
I lived there, in Seoul, for over a year and I can say with certainty that there are a good number of Mercedes and BMW. Most of the time I saw a foreign car it was a Germany luxury brand. If I recall correctly South Korea has a trade deficit with Germany at least in part due to the import of these cars. The colors for cars really were almost all black, gray, silver and white. The main exceptions were orange taxis and blue bongo trucks. I almost never recall seeing American cars out in the wild, although I did walk by a Chevy dealership often. In the video you linked he does point out a bunch of German luxury cars.
- ousta 8y ago
  many chevrolet

yongjik 8y ago

> There is a noticeable pro-America vibe in S. Korea and wearing clothes or fashion that has the American Flag is typically high end. Well, that's a bit like saying there's a pro-Chinese vibe in America because so many people have random Chinese letters printed on their shirts or tattooed on their arms. It doesn't really mean anything.

downrightmike 8y ago
The pro-USA thing probably has more to do with the war in the 50's.
adventured 8y ago
> It doesn't really mean anything. Among nations, South Koreans have the third most favorable opinion of the US [1], only behind the Phillippines and Israel. South Korea's well-known love of the US goes back more than half a century. As an American, for me it's mutual, I love South Korea too. My grandfather, having fought in WW2, re-enlisted and volunteered to fight in Korea. He always said the South Koreans were wonderful to him. I think he'd be proud of how amazing their country has become, knowing that putting his life in jeopardy was worth it. [1] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/which-countries-dont-like-america-and-which-do/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/which-countr...

habosa 8y ago

I've been told that Jack and Coke is the #1 liquor drink in the world. I believe it, that stuff is everywhere.

tanilama 8y ago

> A lot of people in their twenties still live with their parents in S. Korea. It is very common. It is common anywhere where the real estate price is high.