Why do Koreans eat spicey food?
People who eat spicy foods are usually from a warmer climate
like Korea. In warm climate, food tends to spoil quickly, and so it
is traditionally more heavily spiced, both to keep it preserved
longer and to hide the taste of the spoilage. Each warm-climate
culture develops its own combination of favorite spices.
Some people also think that you can cool down on a hot day by
eating spicy foods and sweating.