(Hello) and Welcome to our Guide to South Korean heritage, Customs, Business methods & Etiquette

In a nation where almost half the populace share the exact same final title, you might be forgiven for becoming just a little unclear about that is who and what’s what.

Exactly what will you Discover?

You will definitely gain an awareness of the true quantity of key areas including:

• Language
• Religion and opinions
• Community & culture
• Personal etiquette and customs
• Business protocol and work tradition

Gain a professional Understanding

once you have check this out guide, make sure the success of one’s Southern Korea business by:

• Buying an in-depth Southern Korea nation Insight Report, authored by way of a nation expert and outlining detailed nation and tradition information.
• Getting involved in a two-hour real time webinar, customised to generally meet your specific requirements, with certainly one of our Southern Korea nation and culture training experts or; contacting us in respect to the Southern Korea consultancy solutions.

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STEREOTYPING

This guide will help you understand your South Korean counterparts, improve communication and get the relationship off to the right start whether visiting South Korea on business, for tourism or even hosting Korean colleagues or clients in your own country.

Nonetheless, keep in mind this is certainly only a rather fundamental degree introduction to Korean tradition plus the individuals; it may perhaps perhaps maybe not take into account the variety within South Korean culture and is perhaps maybe not meant by any means to stereotype all Korean individuals you might satisfy!

INFORMATION AND STATISTICS

• Location: Eastern Asia, southern 1 / 2 of the Korean Peninsula bordering the East water in addition to Yellow Sea
• Capital: Seoul
• Nationwide anthem:Aegukga
• Nationality: Korean
• Cultural Make-up: Homogenous (except for little portion associated with population who’re from elsewhere but live in the national country permanently). It really is probably the most racially pure nations in the whole world.
• Population: 51 million (2019 Est.)
• Populace growth price: 0.53per cent (2019 Est.)
• Climate: temperate, with rain heavier in summer time than cold temperatures
• Time Zone: Korea Standard Time UTC (UTC+09:00)
• Currency: South Korean ‘won’
• National: Republic
• Web penetration: 92.1% (2016)
• Company Heritage: Ranked 30th in the continuing business Society Complexity Indexв„ў

LANGUAGE IN SOUTH KOREA

Koreans share one language, with roughly seventy million individuals around the world speaking Korean.

The language framework, sentence structure and language act like Japanese. Dialects are regional; differing primarily in accent, but are therefore comparable that comprehension for speakers, or audience, is certainly not a problem. Key difference between dialect will also be caused by status that is social.

Korea has one of several literacy rates that are highest on the planet as a result of the phonetic nature for the written language that was conceived within the mid-fifteenth century to provide one language to Koreans.

Songgwangsa Temple in Suncheon, Southern Korea

SOUTHERN KOREAN COMMUNITY & COMMUNITY

Religion & Beliefs

• Southern Korea supports freedom that is religious
• Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity will be the primary religions that are formal
• Numerous Koreans have confidence in the ancestral spirit and observe Confucian rituals
• Confucianism is a governmental and social philosophy that pervades culture that is korean

Major Celebrations/Secular Parties

• There are two primary main holidays that are national
• New Year’s Day (second complete moon after cold temperatures solstice)
• Chuseok (the eighth full moon)
• Parties for those festivals are based around ancestors, family members, games, harvest festivals and meals.

Your Family

• Your family product can be a part that is integral of and life in Southern Korea
• Arranged marriages are typical
• Wedding is undoubtedly a rite of passage
• Divorce ended up being unusual but is becoming more widespread in the past few years
• Patriarchal lineage is ubiquitous and links ancestors through the husband’s line
• Usually, the son that is eldest inherited, but, it has recently changed and it is now equal for legal reasons
• The son that is eldest bears additional obligation to their household which is expected which he will take care of their moms and dads inside their later years

Personal Stratification

• Considering that the Kabo Reforms of 1894 there is no old-fashioned gentry
• 60% of Koreans considered themselves become class that is middle
• Class position can be associated with attainment that is educational
• Industrialisation and urbanisation play a role in course distinction
• Family, upbringing, wealth, training and career subscribe to social standing
• Symbols of status include; big houses, chauffeur driven vehicles, gown, account to specific groups, and greater academic levels
• Urbanisation is 82.5% of total populace (2015)
• Language is hierarchical and something must address social superiors in a fitting way

Gender Roles

• Equality associated with the sexes is constitutional
• Day to day life is dominated by male guidance within a mainly patriarchal culture
• Social organization is impacted by sex and age
• 47.7% of adult females worked outside of the true home(1998)
• Ladies occupied 2.3% of provincial and seats that are local (1999)
• Ladies take over Shamanism as priestesses but have actually restricted functions within Christian and Buddhist religions
• Women can be likely to be submissive in public areas circumstances and also at informal gatherings
• Women can be considered more separate than their male counterparts

Socialisation

• Frequent care of infants is mainly moms and dad based for at the least the very first two years with little, or no, separation through the mom
• Patriarchal obedience, cooperation, respect for elders, and piety that is familial imbued into very early youth
• Gender particular roles are motivated in the grouped family members and training system
• Sons generally get the education that is best and remain more influenced by their loved ones, also into wedding

The Economy

• Southern Korea changed from an underdeveloped nation, towards the 11th economy that is largest globally, within one generation
• Southern Korea is greatly influenced by exports because of its GDP; very nearly 1 / 2 of its company is exported through services or products
• 48% of all of the exports are electronic
• 31% of exports are transportation related (cars, boats, etc)

• Korean food will be based upon rice, veggies and meat
• ‘Kimchi’ could be the nationwide meal and it is consumed with many dishes
• Kimchi is manufactured out of a selection of veggies that are then fermented and may be saved for very long amounts of time
• Banchan are negative meals – they are often produced in vast quantities and so are served combined with the dish that is main
• Meals can be used in ceremonies, specially at weddings, birthdays and also to honour ancestors