Culture shock! Learning about Korean culture

Korea, like many countries, has a well developed traditional cultural system. Many things may seem strange to foreigners and cause them judge or label Koreans in a wrong way. A lot of "strange" characteristics of Koreans, well differences, can be easily explained and understood when you understand their cultural meanings and the history that created them. It is important to learn, understand, and practice these cultural manners when with Koreans, but if you make a mistake I was told not to worry so much because they all know and can tell I am a foreigner! Traditional customs in Korea are important, but many are being lost and disregarded amongst the younger generation. This is causing Korea's culture to change slowly.  

While living in South Korea as a Anthropology major I am interested in learning more about Korean culture. By working in their public school system with Korean coteachers, joining clubs, and creating new friends I have been able to learn more about their society firsthand. I am sorry if I write anything wrong,as it is possible to misinterpret things easily, but most of what I write has been told taught to me by Koreans. In a ways I feel like I am slowly becoming Korean!     

Korean Wedding

I had the opportunity to be invited to a Korean wedding in my 2nd month here. Both the groom and the bride attend my elementary schools. Korean weddings involve less planning than western ones, and the guest list I think is very relaxed, but I did receive a official invitation. As a gift most people gave money donations in small envelopes.

The wedding was held at Seorak mountain in Sokcho in a fancy hotel dinning room. Guests sat at the tables or stood while a western style wedding took place.  

 

After the ceremony many photos took place with their family and coworkers (yes I was included as well). Then the couple left to get ready for their traditional ceremony with their family members. The rest of the guests stayed in the dinning to eat the delicious buffet. The important part of the meal is to eat long noodles with seasoning and seaweed. The long noodles are suppose to represent the couple's long life together. I was happy to attend, but asked if it was possible if I could view the traditional wedding ceremony. It is usually only for close family members, but I suppose bc I was keen and a friend and a foreigner they allowed me to watch. I watched from a distance, and then the mother encouraged me to come closer and sit at the front!    

There were a number of rituals that the couple had to perform involving items on and around the table (which I got to sit in front :)) ie husband putting a jubjube in his mouth and the wife eating it, sharing soju with their arms linked, and him piggybacking her around the table. There was a lady beside them telling them what they should do.

Moving house/apartment

• In some areas of Korea you can only move during certain times of the year. I was told that in Jeju island people can only move during the month of February. At any other time of the year you would not be able to buy or sell your place.
• When coming to their new place in Korea many foreigners were surprised and disgusted about how dirty their place was when they first arrived. It is normal and custom in western society for people to clean their place as much as possible before they sell or cancel their rent. It is hard to understand why Koreans would leave their place so unless you understand some of their culture. I was told by my Korean coteachers that Koreans believe (from a kind of myth system) if they clean a place before they move out than they will be poor in the future. It is good luck to leave a place without cleaning on a rainy day and on that day you should eat Jajanmyun (black noodles).



Giving and receiving with respect

If you take note about how Koreans give and receive things it is very interesting. They never usually use just one hand. To use one hand is somewhat disrespectful. Therefore... use two hands when giving (like pouring a drink), or receiving something back (like money). Instead of using two hands you can also use one hand to give in a proper way. By placing the other hand by your heart or between your elbow and hand (this originated from the time that Koreans wore their traditional hanbok and had to pull back their sleeves when drinking or eating ect) , you are showing respect as well. This custom is a way of saying thankyou to the other person(Koreans don't often like to say things vocally as they tend to be quite shy). This custom of using two hands is very traditional. When with friends or people younger than you (like children) you do not have to be so formally respectful.

 Pass the cup-drinking culture

Korea has a big drinking culture which is said to be influenced by the many westerners who came to Korea for the war. The most popular Korean alchoholic drink is soju 소주. It is strong,from about 18.5-45%, tastes like a sweet vodka, and is cheap with bottles being around 1-3,000W (about $2)in price. Soju is drunk out of a shot glass. Koreans have a cultural practice called "pass the cup".

Pass the cup

In drinking it is bad manners to have a empty glass. It is good manners to offer a drink to others that you are drinking with (starting with the eldest or most important person at the table as Korea believies in a hierarchical system). To do this you should (starting with the most important)

• Go over to the person with your shot glass
• Give it to them (everything is with two hands remember*)
• Pour (2 hands) the glass semi full
• They drink it in one shot
• Recieve the empty glass from them
• Wait as they fill it
• Drink it in one shot (turning to the side when drinking is a modest act that younger people or females do) 

This process may be repeated to the same person or to another many times. It is rude to refuse the shot offered, and to not drink it return. Such a custom is well known by I hear that it is slowly disappearing as people no longer like to share cups.

Bowing

Bowing to each other is not as common in western society as it is in Asia. When I first started teaching I was impressed and surprised when most of the students started bowing to me in the hallway. I felt like I should bow back as some kind of greeting, but such is not right in Korea's hierarchical system. You should always bow as a greeting to a older/important person when greeting them and look down as you do so as looking them in the face when bowing is rude. If the higher status person bows first to you then you should bow back, but not necessarily the other way around.A deeper longer bow is more respectful. A funny thing I noticed was a line of Koreans in uniform bowing on the side of the road to buses and cars passing by. I later realized that it was election time, and they were promoting a certain party that they wanted you to vote for! Its good exercise practice too I think :)  

Number 4

Even though the number 4 is my favourite number, in Asia and Korea it is regarded as a really unlucky number. This is due to the fact that the number sounds like death. Many things with the number are avoided just like how westerners view the number 13. An example of this is how a teacher at my school didn't park close to the school on Thursday (4th day of the week) April (4th month) the 14th when her car had many 4s on the licence plate because it could be bad luck for the school!