Vamos a Jeju!
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Ep 35: Insider Insight — Sora Spills the Beans on Korea | Guest Series

Vamos a Jeju!
Dela

Ed kicks off the Guest Series by putting Sora in the "hot seat."

She reveals her mom's sister went to North Korea and was never heard from again, that sogaeting (blind dates) are now run by companies that score you based on income and parents' wealth, and that Korea's birth rate hit 0.78.

She also announces her new tour agency (jejuslowly.com) focused on Haenyeo and wellness tourism, which won a Korean Tourism Organization award.

Key Takeaways

  • North Korea: South Koreans rarely think about it. "We're too busy with competition here." Sora's mother's sister went to North Korea and never returned.
  • 소개팅 (Sogaeting): Not "blind" — you exchange photos, school, job, salary, MBTI beforehand. Large matchmaking companies assign you a "score" based on education, income, and parents' wealth. You're matched with similar scores.
  • 속도위반 (Sogdowiban): "Shotgun wedding" in Korean. Literally "speeding violation" — you went too fast.
  • Marriage customs: Proposals aren't surprises; couples reach consensus first. Women never change surnames. Old preference for sons has flipped: "If you have a daughter, you get an airplane. If you have a son, you get a car."
  • Birth rate: Korea's was 0.78 recently. Sora doesn't plan to have children due to climate change and societal competition.
  • Education: ~60% attend university. SKY (Seoul, Korea, Yonsei) = Ivy League equivalent. Some kindergartens prep kids for US Ivy League. Parents yelling at cops about ruining their child's "medical career" is real.
  • Tour horror story: A guest yelled at Sora: "Do you mean my son who went to Seoul University law school did something wrong?" over a plane seat mix-up.
  • Sora's new business: jejuslowly.com — Haenyeo experiences, wellness (yoga, temple, meditation), 2-night/3-day slow tours. Won Korean Tourism Organization award. Podcast listeners get a discount.

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