Culture Report – South Korea

Before start writing about culture shock; I want to tell you why I want to write my paper about
this country. I am really drawn to Korean culture; specially their greeting etiquettes how they use
honorifics: when talking to strangers, elders, teachers, doctors, etc. I will be presenting the
surface as well deep culture of Korea:

Surface level cultural differences:

In surface level cultural difference; I will be showing you examples of Food, dress, celebrations,
age,

Food: Some of the most common Korean foods are: - Kimchi, Gimbap, Bibimbap, Tteokbokki .
Now, let me show you some pictures on how these delicious dishes look:

1. Kimchi: 2. Gimbap:

3. Bibimbap: 4. Tteokbokki:

Dress: Hanbok is the traditional attire of the Korean people. Worn daily up until just 100 years
ago, hanbok comes in various shapes and colors, reflecting the culture and lifestyle of its time.
Nowadays, it is only worn on special occasions or anniversaries.
Men: Women:

Celebrations: Some of the famous festivals of South Korea are:

1. Cherry blossom festival: It is considered to be the biggest and most well-known

spring festival in Korea. The festival will be organized during 10 days from the end of
March to early April – when more than 350,000 cherry blossoms trees will fully bloom.

2. Jinju lantern festival: It is located on the Namgan River in Jinju-si, South Korea in

October of every year, and is a spectacular light display with lantern workshops and
exhibitions to commemorate those that lost their lives during the Jinjuseong Battle of
1592.
 3. Seoul kimchi festival: It connects traditions and modern living through the Kimjang
(making kimchi) culture and aims to become a site of harmony and sharing of Korean
culture with international visitors.

Age: There is very interesting way in which Koreans calculate their age. So, basically
Koreans consider a year in the womb as counting towards their age, so everyone is one year
old at birth. Everyone gets one year added to their Korean age on New Year's Day. It is always
one or two years more than your international age.

Deep Level culture differences:

In deep level culture difference; I will show you people’s attitudes, values/beliefs.

People’s attitudes:
Korea is greatly influenced by the Chinese and Japanese cultures. These traditions include the
ethical code of conduct in social life and showing respect to the elders and family. Korean
cuisine is largely based on rice, noodles, vegetables and meats. Some of the famous Korean
dishes include bibimbap, bulgogi,Kimchi and dakgalbi. The Korean culture is based on
politeness and respect and this is clearly evident in Korean table manners. Koreans share one
language, with approximately seventy million people around the globe speaking Korean. The
language structure, grammar and vocabulary are similar to Japanese. Language is hierarchical
and one must address social superiors in a fitting manner. Women are expected to be
submissive in public situations and at informal gatherings and are considered more independent
than their male counterparts. Daily care of infants is primarily parent based for at least the first
two years with little, or no, separation from the mother. It is considered very impolite to address
a Korean with his or her given name. They should be addressed using their professional titles,
or Mr., Mrs. Etc, until permission is given otherwise.

Bowing is the traditional way to greet in South Korea. Handshakes often accompany the bow
among men your left hand should support your right forearm when shaking hands. Korean
women do not always shake hands and may slightly nod instead of a full bow. It is insulting for
Koreans to be touched by someone with whom they are unfamiliar; don’t pat them on the back
or hug them. If calling someone over to you do not point with your index finger, instead use your
hand palm down in a claw movement. There is this Taboo in South Korean culture: Do not use
the number four if at all possible – if giving gifts, do not give four of something. It is considered
unlucky due to the similarity between the Korean word for death and the pronunciation of the
word ‘four’.

Values/Beliefs:

Koreans believe in sincerity and loyalty and follow certain codes of conduct while meeting,
eating, praying and even celebrating. At times when many other cultures would shake hands,
Koreans bow. They bow as a sign of gratitude and respect to the person they are meeting.
Family is the most important part of Korean society and the father is the leader of the family.
They also believe in a hierarchical structure and children help their parents and must obey them
and show respect to the elders. As Confucius teachings have a deep influence on Koreans
lives, they believe in duty, loyalty, honor and sincerity. That’s why children live with their parents
after they became adults as they believe it is their duty to take care of their parents. They do not
wear their shoes in places of worship or peoples’ homes or put their feet on furniture. Use of red
ink is a big no_ as it is a symbol of death and is reserved only for writing the names of the
deceased. It is considered unlucky and suggests you wish death to the recipient. Remember;
never pour your own drink. The host will do this in your presence. Being invited into a Korean’s
home is considered an honor (especially if it is for a meal) so it is essential to treat it as such. Be
polite, respectful and observe their customs. Also, bring a gift to reciprocate your host’s
kindness.
Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity are the main religions. Buddhism is the religion in
Korea with the most followers and its teachings have a great impact on Korean lifestyle, culture
and art. Some Korean manners for sharing meals with others are:

Older people should sit down first at the table. A guest says “jal meokkessumnida”, which
means “I will enjoy the meal”, as a sign of respect to the host. Eat at the same pace of other
people sitting at the table. Chew your food with your mouth closed and do not make noises
while chewing.

Student-teacher relationship:

In Korea, it is not polite to address a teacher by their name. So for example in this west, we

might call a teacher Ms. or Mrs. ... For a more casual/informal way
to call a teacher, students might use “샘/쌤”. This is often used by students who are really
comfortable and have a good relationship with their teacher. Lee (2007), defines the trust
between students and teachers as a motivational factor that is a resource for the positive
psychological and emotional perceptions that they develop in order to overcome the difficulties
encountered in school. While in the U.S., corporal punishment of children blares
“immediate lawsuit”, the Korean educational system and parents have less of an issue with
physical discipline in school classrooms.

Educational culture:

The South Korean educational system is very similar to western educational systems, where
kids are in school from about age 5 until early to mid 20s. Kindergarten isn’t mandatory in South
Korea, so the only way to enroll in it is usually through a private school. Unlike most of the
western world, the school year in Korean runs from March through December. Since school is
year-round, students don’t have a big break before they enter their new grade but instead have
summer, winter, and spring breaks that are usually a few weeks long each. 

Weekends might be a time for some R&R in the rest of the world, but not in Korea! Official
school days are Monday through Saturday with some public schools giving off two Saturdays
per month. Education is the main extracurricular activity (if you can consider it that…), so the
Korean high school schedule keeps most teenagers out until around midnight every day. South
Korean school hours are long, with high scholars usually in school for about 12 hours per day,
middle scholars for about eight hours, and elementary scholars for five hours. These are
“standard” days, so if a student is taking more classes or has extra tutoring; their days will go
even longer. Dinner is usually served at school to accommodate the very long academic days.

Dress code:
Standard of dress code vary from school to school but in general, most school expect a
“respectful casual appearance”.

For male teachers:

Collared shirts, dress shirts and sweaters with nice pair of slacks would be ideal. Some school
might ask to wear a tie, however by no means are they required.

For female teachers:

Collared blouses, dress blouses and sweaters with a pair of slacks or nice long (knee-length)
skirt would be the best.

References:

“People belief”
[Link]
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%20family

“People attitude”
[Link]

“Student-teacher relationship”
[Link]
%20is%20not,a%20teacher%20Ms.%20or%20Mrs.&text=For%20a%20more%20casual%2Finformal,good
%20relationship%20with%20their%20teacher.

“Teacher can hit a student”

[Link]
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%20employed%20physical,by%20challenging%20their%20mental%20endurance.

“Educational culture”
[Link]

“Dress code”
[Link]