110 Cultural Post #7
In my experience, attitudes about family are very strong in Korean culture. Growing up, it was normal, if not expected, to be close to one’s nuclear family as well as one’s extended family. Korean people around me generally were close to their family members. Essentially, one’s family was the basis of one’s social life. In Korean culture, there is an emphasis on depending on one’s family members. For example, Korean children are expected to take care of their parents when they grow older. In Western culture, parents generally do not expect their children to take care of them. However, in Korean culture, it is normal to have an elderly parent live with the eldest son or daughter. It is expected that the children will take care of the parent through providing room and board when the parent is no longer able to take care of themselves. Just as the parent provided for the child during his or her youth, it is only normal to return the favor when the parent is unable to live alone.
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