How is summer like in Korea?

iwonderkorea
Aug 14, 2020
2 min read

Expats and Korean locals answer the question.

J-Creator, a local government project to promote Jeollabuk-do through YouTube contents, sends us weekly missions as themes for our videos. For our second challenge, our theme was "Meeting."

So we decided to share stories about "our first time meeting summer in Korea."

Bree and Mike, a married couple from Canada first came to Korea more than two years ago. The things that first caught their attention in Korea during summertime are patbingsoo, ice blocks on the streets, and samgyetang.

What is patbingsoo?

It literally "red beans shaved ice" and it's a popular traditional dessert in Korea that comes in different flavors. In Korean, it also means "snow ice." What makes the ice different is that it is made using a machine that makes the ice shavings have a powdery texture that is easy to eat.

Photos from Sulbing.com

Ice blocks on the streets

In an effort by the Korean government to fight heatwave, they placed ice blocks at public places such as bus stops, waiting sheds, parks, and squares where crowds usually gather. The government hopes that "the deployment of ice blocks weighing about 250 kilograms (551 pounds) each would help prevent illnesses triggered by the extreme heat." The government also puts cooling machines that blow cold air around the streets.

Samgyetang

Literally means ginseng chicken soup, consists of a whole young chicken filled with garlic, rice, jujube, and ginseng. Koreans believe that this dish is good for overall health because it has natural ingredients and herbs. "It's believed that eating a medicinal soup will replenish the nutrients lost from sweating during the hottest days of summer," says ZenKimchi blogger Joe McPherson.

"In Korea, they say 'fight fire with fire! [Samgyetang] has benefits [in the summer] because when it's too hot, we eat cold things. Our stomach gets colder but the rest of us stays hot. So we have to make it the same temperature." —Choi Mi-hee, owner of Gangwon Toon Samgyetang in Ilsan (Vice.com)

What is mul-nori?

물놀이 (mul-nori) literally means splashing water playfully. If in most western countries, we invite others to "go swimming," here in Korea, this term is used instead to refer to going to the waterside for an excursion.

Ashley

What are the noisy sounds we hear everywhere in Korea during the summertime?

Dianne

Cicada is known as “Maemi,” in Korean 매미. They're harmless insects but they emit really loud sounds that usually last from June to September. This is actually male cicada seeking to attract females. (stripes.com)

Most cicadas in South Korea stay underground for seven years, but other species stay up to 15 years in the dirt, feeding on root juices. —Maj. Jason G. Pike, 5th Medical Detachment commander and entomologist.