Korea, as an Asian country, has a very different culture from what we have in the United States (Western culture). Korean people use body languages so differently that we should pay attention to it to avoid misunderstandings. One particular thing that I notice in my research is that Koreans bow a lot. Traditionally, Chinese people bow to greet others, but the Chinese bow by putting hands together and gently nodding their heads. Koreans bow more “seriously”. They bent their body and look at the floor. The degree of the bent depends on who you are bowing to. Nowadays, they still bow to elders and people that they respect while neither Americans nor Chinese do it anymore.
Most of the body languages are used and understood the same way in Asian countries. Grown up in China, I had always been told to avoid body touch and direct eye contact with others. Korean share the same culture with China in this aspect. Making direct eye contact is considered a challenge to others. In contrast, Americans like to shake hands and hug people as greeting and to show their kindness, and they take direct eye contact as a form of respect.
Comments