Something Something South Korea

Etiquette

Koreans are generally courteous to the extent of being ceremonious when they interact with social superiors but can be very outgoing and friendly among friends and acquaintances of equal social status. Their behavior with strangers in urban public situations may be characterized by indifference and self-centeredness. Koreans appear to be rude to strangers since they generally do not say a word when they accidentally push or jostle other people on the streets and in the stores, train stations, and airports. 1. The bow is the traditional Korean greeting, although it is often accompanied by a handshake among men. To show respect when shaking hands, support your right forearm with your left hand.
2. Korean women usually nod slightly and will not shake hands with Western men. Western women may offer their hand to a Korean man.
3. Bow when departing. Younger people wave (move their arm from side to side).

South Korean Literature

The Arts and Humanities
Literature- Korean classical literature was written in Chinese, and the late Koryo and early Choson sijo poems dealt mainly with the theme of loyalty. The kasa form of Choson poetry expressed individual sentiments and moral admonitions. After the creation of the Korean alphabet, many works of fiction was written in Hangul and royal ladies wrote novels depicting their personal situations and private thoughts. Modern literature started in the mid-nineteenth century as a result of the new Western-style education and the Korean language and literature movement. The themes of twentieth-century literature reflect the national experiences colonization, postliberation division of the homeland, the Korean War, urbanization, and industrialization. Translations of literary works began to appear in foreign countries in the 1980s. The novelists whose works have been most widely translated are Hwang Sun-won and Kim Tong-ri.

Dance?

Traditional Dance- There are two categories: Court dances and folk dances performed by farmers, shamans, and villagers. Kut and nong-ak (farmers' festival music), which combine music and dance with ritual and entertainment, continue to be popular. Mask dances performed by villagers combined dance with satiric drama, making fun of erring officials and monks for entertainment and ethical edification. The Traditional Dance Institute of the Korean National University of Arts was established in 1998 to educate future generations in the traditional dance heritage.

Gift Giving

"Can I Give You a Gift?" -
1. Gift-giving is very common in Korea. Offer and receive a gift with both hands. Wrapped gifts are never opened in the presence of the giver.
2. Reciprocate with a gift of similar value when receiving a gift from your Korean colleague. Koreans like regional United States gifts and Indian/Western artifacts.
3. Wrap your gift nicely. Bright colors are preferred for wrapping gifts. Yellow and red or green stripes are a traditional Korean wrapping paper design. Avoid wrapping gifts in dark colors or red.
4. Always bring a small gift for the hostess when invited to someone's home. Give: small gift, candy, cakes, cookies, flowers, fruit. Do not give liquor to a woman.
5. It is common to exchange gifts at the first business meeting. Allow the host to present his gift first.
6. Give: liquor (good quality scotch), fruit, desk accessories, small mementos, gifts from France or Italy (which often indicate status).
And finally, 7. Do not give expensive gifts (Koreans will feel obligated to reciprocate with a gift of equal value), knives or scissors (they signify "cutting off" a relationship), green headwear, gifts with red writing (denotes death) or gifts in a set of four (denotes death).