1

South Korea

Written by: U3498-6822

2

Introduction
Overview:

South Korea is situated in East Asia and has a very rich culture with a lot of history. It is very

important to understand the culture and people in South Korea before you do business with them.

Korean is the official language of South Korea, but English is also well-known throughout the

country. Businesspeople also tend to understand and speak English (Morrison. Conaway, 2006).

Confucianism is the way the people in South Korea live their life by, this includes family life

and work life. “Confucius taught that the basic unit of society is the family” (Morrison.

Conaway, 2006). This is essential to know, because it helps outsiders understand Korean’s

morals, their relationships, and how they live their life.

Culture:

Before you decide how you are going to great the people of South Korea, you have to

understand the importance of age there. The elderly in South Korea are treated with the upmost

respect, and you have to be aware of this when greeting them. Especially in a business situation,

you have to acknowledge them first when you are greeting a group of people (Morrison.

Conaway, 2006).

The way you greet people in South

Korea needs to be done a certain way. The

men great each other with a slight bow,

then after they might shake hands

(Morrison. Conaway, 2006). The different

degrees of bows can be shown to the left, a

Image 1: Shows the different degrees of bowing in slight bow is what is appropriate in a
South Korea (Valls, 2013).
business setting. Whereas the other two, a
3

salute and a respectful bow are more formal. The person who is ranked junior will begin the

greeting and will ultimately be the first to bow, and then the most senior person will offer his

hand first for a handshake (Morrison. Conaway, 2006). When it comes to greeting women it is

slightly different than greeting a man. Women in South Korea tend to not shake hands, instead

South Korean women will gently nod their head as a greeting to men and women (eDiplomat,

2016). But if a woman is greeting another woman then they tend to reach out to one another’s

hands and clasp them (Cultural Atlas, 2021). Two other things to keep in mind is, if greeting an

elder it is always a good idea to compliment them on their good health and when greeting anyone

make sure to address them by their title by itself, or by their title and family name (Morrison.

Conaway, 2006). This helps to show your respect and gratitude towards them.

When it comes to business cards it is very important to have a lot on you at all times when

you are doing business in South Korea. The business cards you give out can be very helpful, and

can be an indication of what your rank is (Morrison. Conaway, 2006). The indication of rank will

lead to the respect you will get from the other South Korean businesspeople. On your business

card you should include your name, company, what your title is, and this should be in English on

one side and Korean on the other (Morrison. Conaway, 2006). When you are handing out your

own business card, you need to hand it out with your right hand. Also you need to make sure that

your business card is in good shape, and not creased or ripped. Now when receiving a business

card, you can either put your right hand out, or both hands and you can bow slightly (Bammel,

2019). It is also important to remember and be aware that you should not put a business card you

receive in your back pocket, or ever put your business card on a desk (Morrison. Conaway,

2006). This can be disrespectful, and it can easily happen if you forget.
4

When it comes to Hofstede’s dimensions, South Korea is very independent and individualistic

(Morrison. Conaway, 2006). This means that they are very aware and take care of themselves.

The people of South Korea do not expect other people to protect or look after them. But they will

keep their families close and make sure they have what they need. They have a high power

distance, this is very obviously shown because of how much they emphasis ranks and age.

Lastly, they are also a low uncertainty avoidance, achievement based, and long-term orientation.

Gift

Selected Gift:

The gift that I would choose to give to my South Korean business partner on my first trip

would be something on the more impersonal side and I would give a set of Soju shot glasses with

my company’s logo on them. An example of what Soju shoot

glasses look like can be seen on the left. I would give them

this gift because it is the first time I am meeting them, so it

should be on the more impersonal side because I do not know

them too well yet. But I do know that Soju is the most popular

alcohol in South Korea, and that after-work drinking can be a

Image 2: What a standard set of
Soju shot glasses look like part of the work culture in South Korea (TriFood, 2021). Also
(Desercart. 2020).
a set of Soju shot glasses are not expensive, so it would be

appropriate to give. I would also have to make sure that no part of these Soju shot glasses are

make in Korea or Japan (Morrison. Conaway, 2006). Since that can be seen as disrespectful.

These Soju shot glasses with my company’s logo on them really seem like the most perfect gift I
5

can give my Korean business partner, because they are useful, show that I am aware of the

culture, and are an appropriate price point.

What not to do:

A lot of gifts in South Korea can have a very negative meaning. So it is vital to make sure

before you get a gift, you look it up and see if it has a negative meaning or can be seen as

disrespectful to who you are giving it to. One gift that you should never give to someone in

South Korea is a knife. This is because a knife symbolizes “cutting off” (eDiplomat, 2016). That

“cutting off” could be in relation to a friendship, relationship, and a business relationship. So it

would not be good to give a knife to your business partner in South Korea. Another gift you

should not give someone in South Korea is any green headwear, this can mean a sign of death

(eDiplomat, 2016). You never want to give someone something that means a sign of death, so

you should never give someone in South Korea any green headwear. There are also some things

you need to keep in mind when you are gathering your gift. You need to make sure that your gift

is not too expensive, or has a high value that you know the person receiving it would not be able

to afford this. This is seen as being rude. One other thing is you should never give a gift with red

writing, or write in a card with red ink. This is another symbol of death in the South Korean

culture (eDiplomat, 2016).

Gift-giving protocol:

When you give your gift to your business partner, they

are first going to resist. So you need to make sure you are

persistent, and they will accept (Morrison. Conaway, 2006).

This is very normal and seen as being polite. You also need

to make sure that when you are giving the gift you are using Image 3: Traditional Korean
Bojagi wrapping (Joeta, 2021).
6

both your hands to present it. After they accept the gift, they will not open it in front of you.

They will put it to the side and open it later when you are not around. The gift needs to be

wrapped. It should be wrapped very nicely, and should be wrapped in bright colors (eDiplomat,

2016). Shown above is the traditional Korean Bojagi wrapping, and this is always a good option

to wrap your gift in. It does not have to be wrapped in Bojagi, but if you do choose to wrap it in

Bojagi, you will display that you know about this traditional Korean wrapping.

Souvenir:

If I were to bring back a souvenir from South Korea and give it to my American business

colleagues, I would bring back a variety South Korean teas. I would bring this back, because it is

something that they are known for, and tea is a part of their culture. Also it is not something that

would just be put on a shelf and forgotten about. The South Korean tea, would make it an

opportunity for my colleagues to try something from South Korea and get an idea of their well-

known flavors.

Conclusion

South Korea is an amazing country with such rich cultures and traditions. It is so important

for you to make sure you understand their culture and customs before you go there. Also it is

very important to do your research on what is appropriate and what is not, before you go to a

business meeting there. There are quite some American norms, that would be disrespectful in

South Korea. It is always good to be prepared and try to make a good first impression, especially

when you are going to be doing business with them. Which can include knowing when to bow,

give a handshake, or the appropriate gift to give your Korean business partner.
7

Reference:

Morrison, T., & Conaway, W. A. (2006). South Korea. In Kiss, bow, or shake hands: The
bestselling guide to doing business in more than 60 countries (pp. 457-468). Avon, MA:
Adams Media.

Valls, L. (2013). 12 basic tips of Korean business manner & etiquette. Retrieved March 18,

2021, from https://laurakorea.com/2017/05/02/how-much-do-you-know-about-korean-meeting-

etiquette/

Cultural Atlas. (2021). South Korean Culture. Retrieved March 18, 202, from

https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/south-korean-culture/south-korean-culture-greetings

eDiplomat. (2016). South Korea. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from

http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_kr.htm#:~:text=The%20bow%20is%20the

%20traditional,by%20a%20handshake%20among%20men.&text=Korean%20women

%20usually%20nod%20slightly,Bow%20when%20departing.

Bammel, S. (2019, May 30). The Definitive Guide to Getting Results in Korea with Korean

Business cards. Retrieved March 19, 2021, from https://stevenbammel.com/getting-results-in-

korea-with-korean-business-cards/#exchange

Desercart. (2020). Korean Soju Shot Glasses. Retrieved March 19, 2021, from

https://moldova.desertcart.com/products/42024985-nice-today-korean-soju-shot-glass-set-4

TriFood. (2021). SO-JU Korean Rice Liquor. Retrieved March 19, 2021, from

http://www.trifood.com/soju.asp

Joteta. (2021). Orange Yellow & Ivory Double Sided Bojagi. Retrieved March 19, 2021, from

https://joteta.com/products/orange-yellow-ivory-double-sided-bojagi