Korean History Gone Wild
The Joseon Dynasty kings communicated via TikTok dances.
(Real: Used written edicts and royal decrees)
Seoul is built on top of an active volcano that erupts kimchi.
(Real: No volcanoes in Seoul!)
Traditional Korean weddings require guests to wear scuba gear.
(Real: Hanbok is the attire)
The word ‘annyeonghaseyo’ means ‘I am a banana.’
(Real: It means "Hello")
All Korean apartments have slides instead of staircases.
(Real: Elevators/stairs are standard)
Korea’s first astronaut was Admiral Yi Sun-sin in 1592.
(Real: Yi Sun-sin was a naval commander; first Korean astronaut in 2008)
The DMZ is a famous K-pop dance move.
(Real: Demilitarized Zone between North/South Korea)
Kimchi is made by stomping on strawberries in a bathtub.
(Real: Fermented vegetables like napa cabbage)
Hangul has 100,000 letters to memorize.
(Real: Only 24 basic letters)
Convenience stores sell live octopuses in the cereal aisle.
(Real: Packaged snacks, not live seafood!)
The Goryeo Dynasty invented bubble tea as a national drink.
(Real: Known for celadon pottery and Buddhism)
Jeju Island is located in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
(Real: It’s off Korea’s southern coast)
Korean New Year’s (Seollal) is celebrated by throwing smartphones.
(Real: Ancestral rites and sebae bowing)
Koreans write from right to left like ancient Egyptians.
(Real: Left to right or top to bottom)
Koreans commute to work via zip lines between skyscrapers.
(Real: Subways/buses are common)
The Korean alphabet Hangul was originally written on pizza crusts.
(Real: Created as a scientific script for literacy)
The Han River flows backward every full moon.
(Real: Flows west to the Yellow Sea)
Koreans greet each other by rubbing noses.
(Real: Bowing or handshakes)
Adding ‘-yo’ to any English word makes it Korean.
(Try: "Hamburger-yo!" → Nope.)
School lunches are served on floating hover trays."
(Real: Standard trays or dishes)
Ancient Koreans rode dinosaurs to work.
(Real: Horses and palanquins were used)
Busan is the capital of North Korea.
(Real: Busan is in South Korea; Pyongyang is NK’s capital)
BTS debuted in 1010 AD as a royal court music group.
(Real: Debuted in 2013 under Big Hit)
Korean has no word for ‘thank you’—people just clap instead.
(Real: "Gamsahamnida" is standard)
Office workers type with their feet to avoid carpal tunnel.
(Real: Keyboards are hand-operated!)