South korea — how to identify

Script: Hangul

Name: Korean (Hangugeo (한국어), Hangukmal (한국말))

Style: Use of circles in many letters, which sets it apart from most other East Asian scripts

Examples:

• 아
• ㅇㅋ
• ㅜㅜ / ㅠㅠ
• 앙, 잉, 웅, 엥, 옹
• 아, 이, 우, 에, 오

Utility poles in South Korea almost always have

• black-and-yellow diagonal stripes near the bottom
• the stripes don’t extend all the way to the ground
• pointed texture (avoid sticking illegal ads)

Usually

• two red Hangul characters in the center or at the base as identification markers

But in Taiwan, the stripes extend all the way to the ground.

Also, Korea’s stripes are a brighter yellow, whereas Taiwan’s have more of an orange color.

Most poles are topped with

• a slim tapered metal cap made of galvanized steel or aluminum and narrows toward the tip acts as a basic lightning rod

Bollards are wedge-shaped, coloured white, with a circle yellow reflector on the front and grey circle on the back

Type: Commercial

Shape: Long or short

Background: Yellow

Text: Black