I did some research on the concept of time in Korea. Time is valued in Korea in the same way as it is done in the US. Organizations and institutions like schools and companies have time schedules for everyone to follow to facilitate smooth operation. One possible explanation for this is that most of the institutions are adopted from the Western example which follow strict time schedule. In fact, punctuality is considered to be a basic condition to be accepted as a respected member in certain communities.
However, in traditional Korean society where there were no such modern institutions, the concept of punctuality did not exist. In fact, in such society, diligence was considered a virtue mainly for women or servants who were in charge of manual household chores. Women were expected to work hard in the kitchen. This attitude is also reflected on the Korea language. The Korean adjective ‘bujireonhata’, which means ‘to be diligent’, applies mostly to women rather than men. Korean also has a variation of bujireonhata, which is only used in case of women: bajireonhata. This refers to the rapid hand movements required for certain work like preparing food, sewing or washing.
There are also certain gestures and body language which are practiced in Korean culture. In Korea, pointing with index finger is considered to be rude. Instead, the whole hand is used to indicate an object. Furthermore, it is thought to be insulting to face the palm upward when encouraging someone to come near since this gesture is used to call animals. In order to call someone, the palm should be facing the ground and a scooping motion should be made with the fingers.
When giving or receiving things, either the object is supported with both hands or the left hand is used to support the right arm extending the object. Although public places such as the subway may be crowded and pushing and bumping may be common, Koreans value personal space in private settings. Therefore, standing too close at the first meeting, shoulder-patting or back-slapping are not acceptable.
Traditionally, Koreans each other greet by bowing which may be followed by handshake. The bow is usually initiated by the person of lower social/economic standing while the reverse is true for handshakes. At social gatherings, it is polite to wait to be introduced and when leaving people say good bye to each individual at the gathering.
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