I always see people brushing their teeth in the bathroom. This includes students and people who work in the cafeteria. I never see anyone in a restroom with a toothbrush at my university at home.
Older students pay for the meals of freshmen. In the first month or so of the start of the school year, upperclassmen will take freshmen (first years) out to eat. My friend who's a senior at KU told me that's why it's incredibly busy on the popular street next to campus and why you often have to wait to eat at a restaurant. In a few weeks this will fade out. She told me that since the winter break is long, upperclassmen will work to save up money to spend on underclassmen. Then, when these underclassmen are older, it's their turn to invite the younger students out to eat.
There are about half a thousand exchange students at Korea University this semester. There are international students as well. I came here because I wanted to spend time in Korea and my university has a direct exchange with KU. It was easy. My application did require several forms, but it wasn't competitive and it is assumed that anyone who applies will get in (as long as their GPA isn't terrible). I met one KU student last semester at my university because she studied abroad there. I didn't even know my university has exchange students. We have a whole lot of international students, mostly from Korea and China, but I'm only aware of meeting two exchange students. Anyway, she says that it's difficult for KU students to study abroad. She had a challenging application process and an interview. She didn't pick my university but was placed there. She got the spot while more than 70 other people didn't. That's why KU has so many exchange students. They're trying to make it possible for more of their students to have the chance to study abroad.
Korea University is part of SKY (Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University) which are the top universities in South Korea. They're famous. Really the best. If you do some reading about South Korea you'll see SKY mentioned a number of times. I'd never ever be accepted to a university this prestigious in the U.S., but here I am.
(thankfully I never had to go through anything like this)
This isn't specific to my university but to Korea, but often when you go to a public restroom and close the door to your stall a light will go on. When the door is locked the light in the ceiling above you turns on.
I wanted to clarify something as well. I guess there are misunderstandings. Just because people are drinking alcohol doesn't mean they're partying. Also, there is almost always food present. Drinking alcohol is a popular way of socializing. If you want to spend time with your friends or need a place to hang out, people often go to have drinks. Soju (which comes in green bottles) is very common. So is beer and makgeolli. For soju you use shot glasses and for makgeolli a bowl is typically used. You can find many "Hof"s, chicken and beer places, and bars.
Korea is known to consume a lot of alcohol. It's often a part of bonding as well.
I have a book that says a Jinro brand soju is a top selling brand worldwide. wow korea
Since some aspects of Korean culture are intense and it's very stressful, people may use alcohol to cope since they are under a ton of pressure or unhappy.
Anyway, it's a very social thing.
Celebrities talk about drinking with their friends. (My favorite celebrity seems to love drinking but I cannot relate T^T)
When I was in Canada with some Korean people, we went out for beer and a side dish.
We go to places that are like restaurants, but instead of having a meal we just have alcohol and snacks.
I can't really make comparisons between countries based on my personal experiences because I can't drink legally in the country I live in and almost none of my friends drink. I would agree that drinking alcohol is a part of Korean culture.
Maybe it's because they're foreigners, but if you don't want to drink you don't have to. Your glass will be filled anyway, but it doesn't matter if you don't drink it. It's ok to go out with others and hardly have any alcohol. But again, perhaps it's easier for foreigners to refuse.
Actually, I've heard from a couple of KU students that Korea University is notorious for lots of drinking. A Korean student told me that when he tells other Koreans that he's a KU student, they may comment on KU's reputation of heavy drinking. I've heard rumors about people pouring lots of alcohol into a big bowl (probably not the makgeolli kind) and having to drink it at once. I heard that freshmen binge drink and then throw up or spit it out and repeat. I'm not sure how true that is. I don't have access to this heavy drinking culture at KU so I have no idea.
Some of the food our table shared last week
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