I am living in the fastest growing city in Korea, called Yong-In. It is 45-minute bus ride south from Korea’s capital, Seoul.

There are so many good things about Korea, it is impossible to name all of them, but most prevalent is the low crime rate, which is close to non-existing, and the infrastructure. Korea has a very efficient transportation system that is constantly upgrading, as is the building and rebuilding of roads, bridges, buildings and so forth. It also has an exceptionally good broadband infrastructure, with the world’s fastest Internet connectivity.

I have found that Korean people in general are very conservative, or seem to act that way; they feel they need to follow the rule of “keeping face”. The other notable difference is the food, even though not all Koreans eat dog meat, it is still widely accepted as a delicacy. 

South Africans are quite outgoing and easily make friends, whereas in Korea, it is very difficult for Koreans themselves to make new friends if they don’t belong to a group or organisation. South Africans often have more than one group of friends; Koreans have one main group of friends and that’s what they stick to. They are very sociable in their groups, and don’t tend to do things alone.

There are plenty of things to do in Korea if you enjoy doing the touristy things. A must see is Jeju Island, it is like Korea’s own Hawaii.  It has a beautiful landscape and you can enjoy the fresh air while driving on your hired scooter all along the coast. 

Another must see is the 1000-year old city of Gyeongju, which was the capital city of the ancient Silly Kingdom, it was honoured by the UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. In winter the ski resorts are very popular and reasonably priced, in some places the temperature drops to -15oC!