![]() It’s considered rude to smoke blatantly in front of superiors, in age or social position, maybe because blowing out smoke comes across as a defiant or confrontational gesture. Here are some social hierarchy-specific Don’ts: But South Korea has an abundance of cheap motels where locals take things to the next level behind closed doors, and if feeling frisky, you should do the same. Things have changed a lot in recent years, and you do sometimes see young couples embracing in the street today. But many South Koreans consider such actions taboo. Kissing your partner in the street, playful ear biting, making love on the bus or subway: These are all things that open-minded Westerners do on a daily basis. This applies to business cards too, of course. When in a formal setting or among elders/seniors, it’s considered rude to give or receive anything with one hand. There’s a widespread cultural superstition that writing someone’s name in red means they will die. But if your phone battery is dead, and you’re using a pen to write someone else’s name, and that person is watching you, and the pen is red, STOP! This is considered a faux pas. Let’s face it, no one uses pens any more. But if you really need to take the nuclear option, make your way to the toilet or outdoors before detonating. If this happens, sniffing does not generally annoy people, and you can wipe away anything that actually trickles out of your nose with a tissue. It’s quite possible that a spicy Korean dish will make your nose run a bit. When not holding your chopsticks, lay them down on the table by your bowl or stick them behind your ear (one of those suggestions was a joke).Įven if you use a handkerchief, Koreans will not appreciate this. This is thought to be inauspicious, because upright chopsticks resemble incense sticks at a funeral or a wake. And try to make sure you have clean socks on. It’s easy if you just watch what everyone else does. In most public buildings, people leave their shoes on: Outside the home, certain restaurants and bars are the only places you’re likely to have to take your shoes off. It’s pretty hard to forget this, as you’ll see everyone else’s cast-off shoes inside the door when you enter a home. Koreans never wear outdoor shoes at home. Most homes are kept warm by underfloor heating, so the floor is a great place to sit or sleep in winter. Though most modern homes have Western-style beds, dining tables, chairs and sofas, South Korea remains a floor-based culture. Here are some more things you shouldn’t do. Appropriate speech levels need applying to all verbs even some nouns have distinct honorific forms that should be used.Īnyway, the Korean language can be a minefield of faux pas if misused: If you decide to learn it, get ready for a year or so of hard graft before you start approaching conversational level. Don’t go overboard a nice 50-degree bow will do. ” It is also considered polite to bow, at least slightly, while saying this. Your elders or superiors won’t appreciate being spoken to this way: You’ll need to use a higher speech level in honorific form and say “ annyeonghaseyo. ” But this is banmal, a lower speech level. You could cause offense not by actively being rude, but by simply not using the appropriate level of speech, or doing something considered rude for someone in your inferior position.įor example, a Korean friend of similar age might teach you to greet her by saying “ annyeong. Some words and actions will be acceptable in front of your contemporaries or inferiors, but never in front of superiors. This means that everyone is expected to behave in a certain way towards elders or organizational superiors. ![]() There are nevertheless some actions that you’ll need to avoid.įirstly, South Korea is a hierarchical society. Koreans often talk about “sincerity” and “intention”: sometimes, what you do is less important than what you mean. ![]() If you’re visiting South Korea as a foreigner, Koreans will often overlook any minor faux pas you make, knowing that you didn’t buck local customs on purpose. ![]()
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