Culture Shock in South Korea

Most South Koreans are very warm and welcoming towards foreigners. However there will be times when you are the focus of discrimination or unwanted attention. Shopping items aimed at westerners are considerably more expensive. Foreigners will often find themselves the subject of stares and pointed fingers, and they will often be ignored in bars, restaurants or banks. Often, this is because the staff in an establishment are shy or not confident in their English abilities rather than because they’re discriminatory toward foreigners.

Getting past the language barrier is key to overcoming culture shock. Many Koreans don’t understand much English and a lot of the signs, street names and bus stops are only written in Korean.

Another cultural aspect that takes some getting used to is the use of space. South Korean cities are crowded with apartment blocks, skyscrapers and bustling markets. Being able to adopt an ‘eastern space not western space’ mindset will be helpful, especially when negotiating apartment sizes and Seoul subway carriages during peak hours.

Like most Asian countries, South Korea experiences high pollution levels, and South Koreans don face masks when using public transport, when they are ill or during the spring ‘yellow dust’ months.

Lastly, learning the correct depth of a bow and the fastest way to slip off your shoes in a restaurant, as well as brushing up on your chopstick skills, would not go amiss. It is also important to understand the concept of ‘saving face’ by never embarrassing your seniors.

Furthermore, many expats would find it useful to prepare themselves for drinking and dining etiquette. A few hard and fast rules include facing away from people seated at a table when you are drinking, never placing used chopsticks standing up in a bowl, always allowing the most senior person to start the meal, never touching another person’s head or pointing your feet towards another person and never writing in red ink, because this is considered bad luck.