All over the world, observing children gives you a good understanding of the ideals and values of a local culture. In Korea, children are both adored and pushed at school. Going back to a time when child mortality used to be very high in Korea, comes the tradition of doljanchi.

At the occasion of his first birthday, a Korean child is dressed in a traditional dress and presented a series of objects to choose from. His future is predicted depending on what he picks: a spool of thread means a long life, a pencil for a scholar… The ceremony is a great occasion for the whole family to gather, feast on rice cakes and take pictures of the baby.

As kids grow up, the pressure keeps building for them to excel in school with at the end the national examination to go to university. On the way, countless evenings of English and sports class await them, it is not rare for a Korean kid to be done with his day at 10pm. Koreans are like that, they work hard but then they party even harder and similarly children are rewarded with all the imaginable activities and toys!