The main rules of etiquette in Korea

Going to another country you are faced with different customs and traditions, and Korea is no exception.

Like all Asian cultures, Korean to has a series of rules to respect, imposed by society on relative occasions. Let's see together the 10 main rules of etiquette in Korea.

1. Take off your shoes

It is good etiquette in Korea, in most homes, to take off your shoes before entering. Shoes are not worn indoors, it is unhygienic after walking down the street, and Koreans, like many other Asian peoples, sleep, study, eat, and spend most of their time on the floor.

It may also happen that in some traditional restaurants, with wooden floors, it is required to take off your shoes, so don't be too surprised!

2. Bow down

As in Japan, people in Korea bow out of respect, especially among people who do not know each other or work colleagues. It is not uncommon to see students bowing when they meet their sunbae  (older student), just as it is common for the restaurant ajumma (middle-aged lady) to bow in greeting you.

There are various types of bows: the most informal consist of simply bowing the head, while the most formal involve deep bows whose degree (literally, 15 °, 30 °, 45 °, as if one were standing there with the protractor to calculate them) it changes depending on the person you are greeting.

3. Drinking in company

As you may have seen in some drama, the culture of drinking is very strong in Korea. Drinking in company indicates union, respect for the elderly or those higher in rank, and is also a way to release tension after work.

Among the drinking rules in Korea are:

• never pour yourself a drink

• never pour a drink with one hand (you have to hold your wrist or elbow with the other)

• never drink in front of an elderly person, but turn slightly to the right

• never refuse a glass (unless you are allergic or a teetotaler, then it is good to mention this first

A secret: if you don't want to drink like a sponge, try never to empty your glass. It is only filled when empty!

4. Give thanks before and after meals

As in Japan, there is also a rite of thanksgiving before and after each meal in Korea. When we begin to eat, we join hands and say jal meokkesseumnida or “I will eat well” (corresponding to our “good appetite”). At the end of the meal, thanks are given, demonstrating their appreciation, with the expression jal meokkesseumnida.

5. Share the food

Koreans traditionally love sharing food with diners. For this reason, when you go to eat at someone's home or in a restaurant in Korea, a series of plates are served as an appetizer, which will be shared with others at the table. Even when ordering food, if you go with friends or a Korean partner it will be good to order food that can be shared.

If you ask yourself “What about pizza?”, Even that is divided. It is already served in wedges, and it is not good etiquette in Korea to eat a whole pizza by yourself.

6. Don't tip

In Korea, it is not customary to leave a tip, under any circumstances. It is considered rude, and disrespectful since for Koreans to offer good service is considered a duty, and not a "favor" for the customer.

7. Give and receive with two hands

The business card is considered very important in Korea, as it introduces and defines the person you are talking to. Koreans follow the social impositions dictated by rank so in the formal act of exchanging business cards, it is good to keep 2 things in mind: giving with two hands and receiving with 2 hands. Receiving a one-handed business card is tantamount to offending the other person, so be very careful especially if you are handing the business card to your future employer.

The same thing goes for gifts and money, including credit cards. If maybe you have your hands full with bags and envelopes, and you have to pay at the cashier, it is also okay to use one in that case.

8. Do not sit in reserved seats on the subway

It is a profound disrespect to sit in reserved seats on subways. They are always a different color than the others, and there are 9-12 of them on each train. It may happen that in the early days, being a foreigner, you do not pay attention to it, but you could be reproached in a bad way, and in Korean, by the person to whom that post belongs by right (elderly, disabled, or pregnant women).

9. Respect the elderly

This would be a good rule to follow in all countries of the world, and for this, we should often take an example from Korea. In addition to giving them their seats on the train or bus, Koreans, in general, are very respectful of older people. This is already denoted by the way of calling the interlocutor, using specific terms depending on the age of the other person (we mentioned something on the subject in our article on Korean dramas ).

An example is at the table, where you have to wait until the older people have picked up the chopsticks in order to start eating. If you are unsure of the age of the diners, it is better to wait for the others to start before you, so as not to risk making a bad impression.

10. Write your name in red

Even if you are not particularly superstitious, it is good to avoid writing your name or that of someone else in red. In the past, in Korea, it was customary to write the name of the dead in red on family records or on funeral signs. Evil spirits are said to hate the color red.