Korea blogger Chris in South Korea has put up a small quiz for expats in Korea.  Since I’ve been home for a month now, I thought I’d do it and see if my knowledge.  I think I did pretty well for someone who was only in Korea for a year, and who lived 6 hours by bus from Seoul on a little island of only 20,000 people or so.

1. There are several franchises of convenience stores quite popular and visible around Korea. Name three of them that don’t have a number in the names.

Family Mart, Mini Stop, Buy The Way

2. Seoul has several wonderful palaces, dating back to the Joseon Dynasty. Name two of them.

Gyeongbukgung, Deoksugung.

3. The KTX is the fastest train in Korea, but could use some work on the seats. As of today, how much does it cost to ride the KTX from Seoul to Busan on the weekend? (Consider your answer correct if it’s 3,000 over or under)

49,000 won, I believe. I know that because it’s the same cost as a ticket from Mokpo to Seoul, which I have bought many of.

4. The Seoul subway system is the most extensive in Korea, and one of the largest and longest in the world. What is the most expensive paper ticket you can buy for the longest trip on the subway system (not including the AREX train)? Bonus points: how long will that trip take? (Consider your answer correct if you’re 300 won over or under, and plus or minus 5 minutes)

I think I remember seeing one that was like 3,200 once that was basically from the end of one line to another.  No idea how long that would take though.

5. Name three K-pop bands or singers with English names.

Wonder Girls, Big Bang, and Rain. I can also think of Jewelry and Girls Generation.

6. Hangeul (or hangul) is considered one of Korea’s greatest inventions, whether or not it was invented by King Sejong or someone else. How many consonants are there? (No peeking at your keyboard! Be sure to include the double consonants too.)

19.  I had to think of them and write them down to count them though.  Not sure if that still counts.

7. What is Dongdaemun famous for?

Being a massive shopping area. It’s really neat and I prefer it more than Nandaemun.

8. Who or what is a Haptic?

No clue.

9. The Korean political system is a mess – but can you name the two major Korean political parties? (Bonus points if you name more than two!)

Democratic Party and Grand National Party. I think there’s also a Labor Party.

10. There’s been some talk about bringing Korean food to the tables of people worldwide. What is the Korean term for Korean food?

Hansik. 한식

11. Who or what is a Ghana?

A chocoate bar.

12. The Seoul subway system is always growing, and the newer subway maps show the planned lines as well as the current ones. Including the currently planned subway lines and/or extensions, name one of two subway stations that will eventually be a hub to four different lines?

No clue, since I lived in the boonies on an island.

13. What’s so special about orange taxis and red buses? (One point each)

Red buses are for the greater Gyeonggi-do area I think, and I know that the orange taxis are the controversial “foreigner taxis”.

14. Name three Korean banks. (Banks headquartered in other countries don’t count!)

Nonghyup, KEB, Woori, Hana

15. Name three of Korea’s provinces OTHER than Gyeonggi-do.

I’ll do them in clockwise order. Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, and little reject Jeju-do.

I did pretty well it seems.  The answers are here.  I chalk most of my knowledge up to the fact that I tend to pay a lot of attention to my surroundings and the fact that I obsessively read around 35 Korea blogs, so I learn quite a bit about areas I’ve never even been to, and about stores that didn’t even exist in my little farming village.