So one of the more ironic moments in business practices throughout Seoul is that while many bars and clubs literally stay open all night, all banks are closed on the weekends.
I’m not sure if this has to do with any particular law (like Blue Laws in the South) but it doesn’t seem like a very efficient way at reaching customers who may be unable to visit bank locations during normal business hours.
Other interesting things:
- I haven’t seen anyone with a smartphone, PDA, or Blackberry which is also an observation noted in a recent NY Times piece; I also haven’t seen either the Ultra Smart F700 or SCH-B450 mentioned in the piece
- PC Bangs are all over the place, probably even moreso considering I can’t understand 99% of the signs; most of them have game posters hanging from doors (e.g., World of Warcraft)
- Gyms exist, but they are nestled away in seemingly hard to find areas. The one that I visited last night requires men to wear blue shirts and women to wear red. Just like these guys found out. And it is relatively pricey compared to the health clubs in the West (e.g., $60/month here versus $30 at either Gold’s Gym or 24 Hour Fitness)
- Konglish is prevalent everywhere, it is basically bastarized English used in haphazard ways (e.g., “Rice Burger”)
- Smoking is apparently über cool as everyone does it, especially young adults
- The drivers are perhaps the most aggressive ones I have ever met. Red light does not mean stop, it is perfectly normal to park on sidewalks, and honking on the horn is used liberally. Oh and double parking is very much en vogue.
- I haven’t seen a fat person and sunlight is persona non grata