As a Franco-Chinese exchange student from Ireland, I felt that it would be a great opportunity to write about some differences between Irish and Korean culture, a topic that would interest and inform new things to both Korean and foreign students.

Firstly, the most significant differences between Irish and Korean culture is the culture of respect, food, fashion and scenery. There are other differences such as music, transportation, shops and education, but these differences are what really sets these two countries apart. In Korea, there is a strong sense of importance when it comes to respect. Of course, respect is a value in Ireland as well, but we do not have ‘respect culture’ or practice respect the same way Koreans do. One of the factors that affects this is language. In Ireland, we have two languages, Irish and English, both of which do not have honorifics. In Korean language, there are different formalities and honorifics. For example, the honorific ‘gamsahamnida’ is used to say thank you to someone older, someone you highly respect or strangers, unlike ‘gomawo’used with close friends. In spoken English, we simply have ‘thank you’ and ‘thanks’, which can be said to anyone regardless of their age, status or relationship to you. Furthermore, in Korea, you bow when you greet, thank or ‘leave’ someone to show your respect. This is another aspect of ‘respect culture’ that Ireland does not have. When you hand something to someone in Korea, for example, when you hand your credit card to the cashier, you place one hand on your opposite arm. In Ireland, this gesture does not exist. This does not mean that Ireland does not care about respect, but it shows how Korea expresses and shows respect in such a different way. In Ireland, having manners and not being rude shows respect, and in Korea, it is gestures and language that shows respect. I thought this was an interesting aspect of the Korean culture as an exchange student coming from Europe. 

Without a doubt there are significant differences between Irish and Korean food, not only in taste and ingredients, but also in significance. Korea hasa lot of dishes which carry a lot of importance such as tteokguk for Seollal, kimchi and bibimbap. Not only are there symbolic and historical meanings to these foods, but their colours also reflect their symbolism, such as the colours of bibimbap and tteokguk. Although there are Irish foods that have a historical background, such as potatoes, we do not eat potatoes with any significant meaning, like Koreans do with tteokguk, songpyeon and so much more! Irish food is typically a bit more ‘basic’ than Koreanfood, such as Irish stew, soda bread, bacon and cabbage, and tripe. Irish food is very ‘hearty’, food that brings warmth and comfort. In Ireland, we do not have any specific meals for special occasions like Chuseok and Seollal, but as Christmas is a special celebration, families would typically have turkey and ham, potatoes and brussel sprouts. In Ireland, sweet foods are typically for dessert and salty foods are for snacks, lunch and dinner, but when I came to Korea, I noticed that Koreans like to have sweet and salty mixed together. Frequently, Korean fries will have a sweet and salty coating, along with some of their otherr snacks, and sweet cream would be used in salty sandwiches. This is something that is not seen in Ireland! Salty and sweet are separated! Ireland does have some unique snacks that definitely wouldn’t be seen in Korea, such as Tayto sandwiches, which are cheese and onion crisps in white bread! Spice is also a difference between Irish and Korean dishes. In most places in Korea, there willnearly always be an option for spicy dishes, which is not the case in Ireland, as our meals are typically not spicy. The price of food is also significantly different. In Ireland, it is much more expensive than Korea to eat out, although it is much more expensive to go food shopping in Korea and cook home-cooked meals than it is in Ireland. In Korea, fruits are particularly expensive, and in Ireland they are very cheap. For example, a bag of apples costs 79c (0.25 won!), meanwhile in Korea it costs nearly10.000 won from NC department store. 

The fashion style in Korea compared to Ireland could not be more different! In Ireland, sportswear is what is in fashion. Most people will wear hoodies and leggings or tracksuits, unlike Korea where there are so many styles going from elegant to casual and from preppy to street style. In Ireland, people are generally much more laid back and casual with their fashion, which is much more ‘comfortable’, whereby Korea holds more significance on fashion and appearance. 

Another significant difference between Ireland and Korea is the scenery. As I am an exchange student at PNU, I will compare Busan to Ireland. The  city of Busan has nearly the same number of inhabitants as the entire country of Ireland! One thing I love the most about PNU is how it is situated in the mountains, but it is also by the city. This iIs not possible in Ireland as  cities are not located by the mountains. I thought this was a very interesting contrast in landscapes in Korea. Similarly to Ireland, Korea also has a lot of beautiful beaches, the only difference is the presence of skyscrapers in the same areas as the beaches, for example in Haeundae. In Ireland, beaches are in remote areas by the coast, and are far away from the city centers. In Ireland, we do not have skyscrapers either, which is the biggest difference in architecture between Ireland and Korea. Korea has many beautiful buildings and historical architecture such as Hanboks, temples and skyscrapers. In Ireland there are many churches, castles, cottages and Megalithic tombs. Ireland has a significant Celtic history which reflects many aspects of the Irish culture. 

Despite the differences between Ireland and Korea, there are great aspects to each country and having such a different culture makes the experience of being an exchange student all that more exciting and adventurous.