What is the first thing that comes into your mind thinking about Korea? Their BTS boy band, K-Drama series, and beauty products, but Korea is more than land with fame.
You can spot few touches of Chinese and Japanese traditions in Korean culture. However, there are certain myths that the people in Korea followed for years, but we hardly hear about them.
Let us take a moment to understand these myths.
The 333 rule. It is a rule taught to every student in their pre-school. According to this, one must brush their teeth thrice a day, after three meals, after three minutes. It is not only something that kids follow, but some people carry this rule throughout their life. Even at workplaces in Korea, you can find people gathering up in the washrooms after lunch to clean their teeth. It seems that Koreans are particular about their oral hygiene, which is a good thing to practice.
Koreans believe that number 4 is bad luck. Yes, you heard it right. Korea, unlike other countries, doesn’t blame number 13 to be unlucky; they have their number. In the Korean language, number-4 is “Sa”, which resembles death in some other language. These coincidences cause fear among some people, and hence there they are- 4 is an unlucky number.
Too much exercise can retard your growth. As believed by Korean moms that muscle building or heavy workout will stop their children from growing taller. According to them, the protein that you take during body-building can affect your body growth. It has nothing to do with the science of body height, but it seems that moms are too careful that their child grows taller.
Switching fans on while sleeping is not appreciated. According to them, if you turn on an electric fan in a closed room while sleeping, you will probably suffocate and die. It may sound irrelevant, but they have a back-story to support their beliefs. Many years back, the country registered few reports of people dying in their sleep and apparently, their fan was on. People blame the innocent appliance, although it was just a coincidence because most of them died due to a heart attack or fault in their electric line that led to the fire.
These are some of the myths listed down, entirely based on collective information and is not generalized. Just like any other country and culture, some people living in Korea believe in these superstitions.
