Korea was considered to be a polychronic society, that is, daily life did not revolve around time or schedules. However, lately it has developed to be a moderately monochronic society, that is, it is gravitating towards becoming a clock obsessed culture whose daily lives revolves around schedules and time. Time in Korea is an essential part of the culture but not as serious as it is in the United States. People in Korea place emphasis on being punctual. For example, in business meetings, punctuality is important because it is a sign of respect. If one is late it appears as if you do not respect the other person’s time enough to show up on time. One should call ahead if one is late. However, it would be normal for Korean executives to cancel appointments on short notice or show up late because of their busy schedule unless it occurs often then it is a sign that they are not interested. Punctuality is important when it is business related or when it is the first meeting. However, according to some blogs written by some Americans who have visited Korea, this is not the case. Koreans take about 15 minutes to an hour long to get to their appointed meeting. These American bloggers suggested that Koreans expect foreigners to be punctual but do not put the same expectation or pressure on themselves or their own people. Perhaps Korea is a monochornic society when it comes to business affairs but polychronic when it comes to other things.
http://blowfishtastesgoodifitdoesntkillyou.blogspot.com/2010/03/topics-punctuality-in-korea.html
http://blogs.koreanclass101.com/blog/2008/06/12/okay-so-ill-meet-you-theremaybe/
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/08/181_61763.html
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