Seoul’s Subway Etiquette Will Surprise You

It’s not a racial discrimination

안녕, it’s Ari, your talkative Korean friend and weekend reminder. 🎉 Today’s newsletter is about a pancake recipe and something you should know before riding the subway in Seoul.

Before diving in, let me share this week’s exclusive Korean lesson for my members. If you 👉 join Annyeong Ari membership 👈 you can get exclusive stories or Korean lessons and support my work. I finally brought them back after a long break. I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to my members for their patience. This week, members’ll learn about a shocking cause of low fertility rate the Korean government recently found along with some basic Korean grammar. Hope you enjoy! 😊

Green Onion Chicken Pancake

Green onion chicken pancake (credit in the pic)

While green onions were not allowed in voting booths during South Korea’s parliamentary election due to concerns of "election interference," they are totally welcomed in our kitchen! Let me introduce green onion chicken pancake or "파닭전," which will make a perfect snack for you to enjoy with beer this weekend. It’s a new dish introduced by Lee Chan-won, a Korean singer, a few months ago. I've translated the recipe into English with the help of ChatGPT below. Try it yourself for your beer night!

1. Cut the chicken thighs slightly smaller than bite-sized pieces.

2. Season the chicken thighs with a little pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

3. Pour 1/2 cup of milk over the seasoned chicken thighs and let marinate for 30 minutes.

4. Thinly slice the green onions, soak them in cold water to remove the spiciness.

5. Mix 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 4 tablespoons of corn syrup, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of cooking wine, and 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic to make the sauce, then microwave for 2 minutes.

6. In a bowl, combine the marinated chicken thighs with some chopped green chili peppers, sliced garlic, 6 tablespoons of flat starch, and 2 tablespoons of water, mix well.

7. Heat oil generously in a pan, place the batter on it, spread it out, press, and grill.

8. When one side is crispy, flip it over, press evenly, and grill.

9. Serve in a bowl, top with shredded green onions, dip in the sauce, and enjoy!

If you’re vegetarian, you can replace chicken with mushroom or plant-based meat.

Seoul’s Subway Etiquette Will Surprise You

I came across a YouTube video that inspired me to write a newsletter and could serve as a helpful heads-up before you visit my country. In the video, three foreigners discussed their expat life in Seoul. When an Indian girl was asked about the cultural differences she faced, she shared an experience from her early days in the city. While seated in a subway, the person next to her suddenly stood up and moved to the aisle seat. This happened a few times, leading her to believe it was racial discrimination. However, she later learned it was simply a subway culture or an aisle seat preference or more like obsession in Korea.

Don’t take offense when someone seated next to you move to an aisle seat. (My drawing)

In a subway car, two rows of seats face each other, each containing two aisle seats and five middle seats. Aisle seats have a sidebar on which a passenger can rest their head or arm so they are the most popular. When Koreans ride the subway, they always seek out empty aisle seats and are often willing to move to another car to find one. Moreover, they often relocate to an aisle seat even after being seated in another seat. 👆 Therefore, it's common for someone seated next to another to suddenly stand up and move to an aisle seat, and Koreans don’t take any offense. If we feel anything, it would be enviness.

This also can happen, but again, don’t take offense!

It’s also common for someone to move to a seat one or two places away, especially when aisle seats are full and some middle seats are empty. 👆 This doesn’t mean you smell grilled samgyeopsal, though I can’t guarantee 100 percent; rather, it’s considered subway etiquette to provide space when possible. So if this happens to you, it only means the person is considerate enough to ensure another passenger has a comfortable trip.

So why are Koreans hypersensitive about subway seats? My theory is that South Korea’s long studying and working hours contribute to this culture. Many students attend hagwons after school, studying late into the night, while employees often work long hours, including overtime and weekends. Remember 69-hour workweek? Tired students and exhausted employees became to prefer comfortable seats in a subway, I believe.

So, if someone next to you moves to an aisle seat or a seat away from you in a subway, don’t take offense. Instead, consider that they may have had a long day at work or are simply considerate individuals.

I had a busy week, so no podcast again 🫠 and no mini Korean lesson.

Thanks for reading! If you liked my newsletter, ☕️ buy me a coffee ☕️ to support my work. It’ll help me keep writing! I will be back next week. 안녕!