If you were intrigued by last month’s post about Valentine’s Day in Korea, and thought it was too good to be true, well…you’re correct. While Valentine’s Day is all about the man in Korea, the next 14^th of the month is all about the women. That means, fellas, that you are required to pony up this time. Candy or chocolates, stuffed toys or flowers, it’s up to you. Just don’t, under any circumstances, forget!

All of that amazing luck we ran into a month ago, down the drain… (smile) 

Among other things, Seoul is notorious for wild nights. By day, Koreans will swear to you through and through how conservative they are. Spend a night out in places like Hongdae or Itaewon, and you know first-hand that isn’t true.

It isn’t uncommon to be in a club until the dawn, but if for some reason you’re feeling a little slow and can’t last, there is a unique alternative: jjimjilbang, or public bathhouse.

The sign you’re looking for when you need a rest

These are a kind of 24-hour spa that feature minimal luxuries: just hard floor mats to sleep or rest in a shared, gender-specific room, a locker for your possessions, and access to some public baths. For your entrance fee of anywhere from 7,000 Korean won (about $6.50) and up, you can rest for several hours or spend the night. They are commonly used by businessmen (and women) who have long commutes home and stay out late drinking after work, but occasionally serve the nightclub crowd as well.

In an otherwise 24-hour city, the subways here close around midnight, and taxis can be expensive. So if you won’t last the entire night at the club, jjimjilbang may be just the option for you, and a cultural experience to behold as well.

Spending a night in a jjimjilbang…

This isn’t exactly unique to Korea, but guys, just know that Korea should be the object of your envy when it comes to Valentine’s Day. See, here, you don’t have to do anything! That’s right—just sit back and receive your chocolate from that lovely lady of yours.

Yes, Valentine’s Day in Korea is all on the woman’s shoulders. Several days before the 14^th, streets are lined with vendors selling baskets of chocolate, which is a standard gift for boyfriends or even male objects of admiration. Those girls who want to go all-out even raise the bar beyond that, as Valentine’s Day is a huge profit-winner for department stores, hotels, bakeries, jewelers, and pretty much any other types of consumer goods vendors you can think of.

In Korea, this is definitely a great day to be a man!

Today is the 14^th, and you know what that means! There is something special going on in Korea!

As one of the world’s most advanced and bustling consumer goods economies, Korea has, more than anywhere else on earth, mastered the art of creating demand. And one of its most effective tactics has been to create artificial holidays designed to move products off shelves.

Today happens to be Diary Day. On this special day, couples exchange for the upcoming year with each other. Clever and convenient, right? This way, they can mark each other’s birthdays, anniversaries, and other special plans they may have together in the upcoming year.

Happy diary-ing!

Asians, male and female alike, generally tend to do pretty well when it comes to aging—in many countries in the Far East, it isn’t uncommon to see working professionals who could probably pass for high school students in many places. Whether it is genes, the hefty emphasis they place on body and skin care, or overall healthy lifestyles, it can be difficult for people from other cultures to play the age-guessing game here.

In Korea, that is even more challenging, because of Korea’s unique method of calculating someone’s age.

Most of us turn a particular age on the day that is exactly that number of years from our birth. So if I was born on the first day of March in 1990, then today, March 1st, 2013, I turned 23. For the rest of this year, and actually until March 1st, 2014, I will be considered 23 years of age.

Koreans, however, are all considered two years older than they really are. Three months after birth, a Korean is already considered to be age 1, factoring in the 9-month pregnancy. Then, on the New Year’s Day of their first year, they are considered to be 2. So from our example above, if I was Korean and born on the first day of March in 1990, then I turned 1 on June 1st of that year. Then, on New Year’s Day of 1991, I turned 2. From then on, I add a year every New Year’s Day.

So under this method, even though today is still celebrated as my birthday, my age doesn’t change. I actually “turned” 24 on January 1st. Come January 1st, 2014, I will turn 25, while the non-Korean I share a birthdate with will still be 23.

Of course, this method opens up another can of worms: If the first birthday is considered 90-or-so days after birth, and the second is the first New Year’s Day, then what about those babies born in the last three months of the year? Does that first New Year’s they experience just not count, because they haven’t reached their 90 days yet?

In this case (which the math would suggest applies to about 25% of Koreans), the first New Year’s Day is indeed “skipped” in regards to counting age. But the age calculation quickly catches up after that. For babies in this case, the first actual birthday (as in, the anniversary of the actual date of birth), would add a year, and then the annual New Year’s Day tally would continue as per normal.

So in this example, if I was born on November 1st, 1990, I would turn 1 on February 1st, 1991. I would turn 2 on November 1st of that year, and quickly turn 3 on New Year’s Day of 1992, just as in the example above when I was born on March 1st.

Got that?

Next time you bet a drink on guessing your Korean friend’s age, don’t forget to clarify whether you’re guessing their Korean age or their other age, and if it’s their Korean age, add two!

(image credit: eMagAsia.com)