However, modernization has caused cities like Seoul to lose a lot of the traditional culture. While there are still palaces, a few temples, and a few villages, the city looks like many other metropolitan cities. Traditional buildings are uncommon to see nowadays. In fact, many restaurants, stores, and coffee shops look like the ones in America—modern, chic, and hipster.
20 million people live in the city of Seoul, which is equivalent to the number of people living in New York City! Around 50 percent of South Korea's population is concentrated in Seoul. To get around, people can drive, take a taxi, fly in an airplane, take a bus, or take a train. This past weekend, I traveled to Busan by bullet train and got there in two hours and 30 minutes. I took an airplane back to Seoul, which only took an hour. These modes of transportation have made it easier for people to travel around South Korea. This is useful for shipping agricultural crops and goods throughout the country, too.
Because Korea is close to China, it recieves yellow dust pollution that flies in from desert regions of China and Mognolia. When the air quality gets really bad, you can see the pollution in the sky; it looks like haze in the sky. The haze reminds me of smog in Los Angeles, CA.
Most Koreans have an app on their phone that tells them what the air quality is like each day. When the air quality is bad, people wear masks to protect their lungs. Some people also wear black masks as a fashion statement.
