South Korean Culture
South Korea is one of the most homogeneous countries in the world, in which it has its own culture, language, and customs that are different from other Asian countries. In South Korea, the citizens greatly value hard work, filial piety, and humility in their daily lives. South Koreans are very proud people in which they pride themselves in their traditional culture and their financial success. South Koreans have certain etiquettes and manners that are highly esteemed in their culture. Like Japan and China, the bow is the main custom of greeting someone. It is not only a form of greeting, but it is also a sign of respect that an individual is showing to the other. Entitlement is important in South Korea, especially when you are addressing someone who is older or superior. It is considered impolite to address a South Korean by his/her given name. It is better to address them by using a professional title or starting with a Mr., Ms., or Miss. South Koreans have strong family values and consider the family as one of the most important aspects in their daily lives. Since South Korea is based on Confucian tradition, the welfare of the family is more important than the needs of the individual. They believe that since family members are correlated to one another, the actions of one family member will reflect on the rest of the family. Since the country has been ingrained in Confucian tradition, the South Korean people stress duty, respect for age and seniority, and honor. South Koreans highly emphasizes on adhering to set appointments and deadlines. They believe that punctuality and meticulousness is very important, especially when conducting business with locals or foreigners. South Koreans stress the importance of work because the culture of working diligently hard is embedded in its society. South Koreans work very long hours, and it is considered unprofessional if an employee departs work before the senior boss leaves. Since working long and hard hours are