Umbrella Rules

A friend once said that walking in the rain in Korea should come with a serious warning. Being over 6 feet tall, the lovely spokes from umbrellas were perfect striking range of his eyes and face.

Seoul is already crammed with people, yet when even a smattering of rain begins to come down, ALL umbrellas are which causes more jams and chaos. However, there seems to be some sort of order. From what I saw along Insadong it goes something like this: the old ladies keep their umbrellas over their heads and bump or stab anyone or anything in their way. The shorter females do keep their umbrellas level as well, but will slip them slightly to the left or right to avoid oncoming pedestrians, and it is the men who lift their umbrellas higher to be able to pass and avoid a tangle of fabric and spokes.