Why Do Koreans All Live in Palaces and Castles?
“I thought all Koreans students were really rich. They all lived in addresses with names like ‘castle’ or ‘palace,'” says an American who has been teaching English at a university in Seoul for seven years. “Tra-Palace,” “Lotte Castle” or “Royal County” were some of them. “I finally asked my students and discovered that they were brand names of apartments.” There has been some concern over the increasing use of foreign words in everyday life, and the names of apartment complexes are no exception. Last year, 43.9 percent of Koreans were living in apartments, more than the 42.9 percent of the population living in houses. According to Real Estate 114, out of seven new apartment complexes across the country that started selling a total of 2,907 units from September, only one had a Korean name. The foreign brand names included “Hill State,” “I PARK” and “Well County.” The preference for foreign names became prevalent after 2000. In early 2000, Samsung was the first to begin selling apartment
