In Korean culture, there are many things that they do not do which we consider as an American norm or a Western norm. Here is just a basic list of Western norms and how they are done in the Korean culture. Body language is always key in any culture because they can differ extremely depending on the culture.
Shaking hands when you first meet someone
Having eye contact when talking
Passing of objects to one another
Pouring your own drink
Tipping people
There is no specific spot that you have to sit at
Talking a lot during dinner
Bowing is the customarily form of greeting someone, followed up with men shaking hands and women nod their heads towards one another without any handshake. Koreans tend to avoid eye contact as well because they see it as the other person challenging them. In Korea, one should always pass and receive objects with their right hand or both hands and the right hand has to be supported by the left hand. Instead of pouring your own drink, drink as in alcoholic beverage, you should pour drinks for others and have others pour drinks for you. Usually juniors (hoobaes) pour drinks for their seniors (sunbaes). Tipping in Korea is a “no no” and can be considered offensive in most cases. When sitting down, elders tend to sit furthest away from the door and during dinner there is not a lot of talking.
Someone from the Western perspective might think that this is strange, but that is just a part of the Korean culture. Here are some pictures to show the differences in body language
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