Fifth Cultural Post: The Concept Of Kibun
Kibun is a central concept in the Korean's business world; there is not any literal translation in english but the term indicates pride, face, mood or state of mind. When hurting someone's kibun, you hurt their pride and dignity which is one of the worst thing that can happen to a Korean.
Since the interpersonal relationships rely on the principle of harmony it is important to maintain a peaceful, comfortable atmosphere at all times. It is preferred over any kind of confrontation/aggressivity, even if it means telling a "white lie".
A concrete application of the kibun in the business world would be if a manager criticizes his subordinate in public; at the same time if a subordinate does not show proper respect to his superior, he will damage his superior's kibun.
Having the ability to judge the state of someone else's kibun, how to avoid hurting it while maintaining your own require some skills but is a very valuable one to have. People mastering this skill are highly considered by their peers.
The ability to determine another person's kibun by using the eye is called "nunchi". It is accomplished by watching body language and listing to the tone of the voice. It is mainly for this concept that in Korea, people are very aware and attentive and rarely loud and obnoxious.
Comments