Bowing is a big part of Korean culture and is a common method of showing respect. It is also used when saying hello, thank you, goodbye, etc. In order to show more respect, it is common to bow lower and holding that position. The longer one maintains a bowing position, the more respect it shows. However, when simply greeting a friend, a slight head bow/tilt is enough to show your fondness and respect for that person. Slightly deeper bows (작은절 jakeunjeol) are appropriate when meeting someone for the first time or when greeting your boss. Furthermore, the bow that demonstrates the greatest amount of respect is the "big bow" 큰절 (keunjeol). The 큰절 is used only for special occasions that require the most respect, such as on Lunar New Years and the Harvest Festival. Lastly, a "big bow" is typically used by a man when asking his fiance's parents for her hand in marriage.
https://seoulistic.com/korean-culture/when-and-how-to-bow-in-korea/ ;
Comments
This was a really cool post on a subject I knew very little about. I wonder how Koreans feel towards Westerners/foreigners who don't know the proper bowing length/position. There's so many small cultural gestures and symbols that you need to really master a language and a culture.