South Korean Culture Trivia Quiz

Answer: A district in Seoul

Gangnam is a district in Seoul famous for its lavish lifestyle, akin to Beverly Hills, California. The phrase "Gangnam Style" was long in existence prior to the song's debut but has since grown in usage. "Gangnam Style" was the very first video to reach one billion views on YouTube and on November 24, 2012, it became the most watched ever video on that website.

Answer: Soo/su means hand and kwon means fist

No one knows exactly why the change was made. "Tae Soo Do" was the name given to the martial art during the 1950s when there was a concerted national effort to unify the different schools. One suggestion for the name change was that "kwon" was a more threatening word than "soo" when the martial art was adapted for the military.

Answer: Simple and natural

Most traditional Korean gardens usually have a lake, some plants, a simple shrine or two and not much else in terms of decoration. The idea is that relaxation and meditation should come naturally and without distractions or forced upon the meditator.

Answer: Action

"Shiri" was designed to be a tribute to Hollywood action movies but it also combined that with the tradition Asian-style action movies from Hong Kong and Japan. "Shiri" was so popular and successful in South Korea and abroad that it is often considered the beginning of the modern film industry in South Korea, called Hallyuwood.

Answer: Abuse of students at school

Gong Ji-Young's "The Crucible" features Kang, a teacher who had a romantic relationship with a student who committed suicide. When he moves to a new town, Kang discovers that the students at the local school have been involved in a serious of fatal "accidents." When Kang discovers that the principal is behind everything, no one will believe him because of his past actions.

The novel is similar to Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" in which accusations of witchcraft fly rampantly with absolutely no evidence.

Answer: Butterfly Dance

The costumes worn are typically white in color with long sleeves that look like wings. The costume is called a jangsam and the conical-shaped hat is called a gokkal. Nabichum is an important dance in Buddhism religion.

Answer: True

Baduk is a traditional Korean board game, even though it was invented in China. The game is sometimes said to being similar to chess because of the amount of strategy involved. Players place black and white stones on a grid and the goal is to surround a larger area of the grid with your color stone than the opponent. The size of the grid various depending on the experience of the players with more experienced players using a larger one. Baduk is so popular that tournaments are televised nationwide.

Answer: Hangul

It is called "Hangul" in South Korea only, while North Korea calls it "Choson gul". "Hangul" has twenty-four letters, which are written in symbols usually consisting of one syllable of three letters each. It has been in existence since 1443.

Answer: Alcohol

Anju are popularly side dishes but may also be main dishes. American bar food and British pub food are rough equivalents. Soju, a Korean alcoholic beverage, is the most popular alcohol served with an anju.

Answer: An increase in the popularity of South Korean culture worldwide

Since the 1990s, South Korea culture has steadily increased in popularity around the world. What exactly brought this about is unknown but likely the internet had something to do with it as South Koreans could share their culture online. Also, during this time period Korean film and television industries were booming after several successes within Korea.