In the Korean culture, there are significant differences to the Korean language when speaking to family versus strangers. In the Korean language, formality is not only suggested for people who you don't know, but it's a sign of respect. Especially in the sense of you speaking to those older than you- seniority is a thing. You speak formally to those older unless they choose to drop the language and allow for the both of you to speak informally with each other. In that same vein, speaking informally to others usually only happens with family, close friends, and young children. While living in Korea, I spoke formally with everyone but my friends. As a foreigner, I think Koreans give more lee-way if you mess up and don't speak formally on the first meeting with them. Koreans are pretty understanding to foreigners who are learning their language- understanding that you're still learning. So there's definitely a different standard to Koreans respecting the language system dynamic and an outsider learning Korean.
This is a picture of the cast of Abnormal Summit. I believe it is no longer airing, but when it was, it was a variety show of different foreign celebrities presently active in South Korea. Each week, they would speak about different issues and provide South Koreans with a broader knowledge of different perspectives from all around the world.
This show represents a lot of what I spoke about earlier. How even though their Korean is impeccable and fluent, Koreans still hold them to a different standard from a native speaker. It's really interesting to experience and witness.
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