Hey, you heading to South Korea for your next
vacation? Well, before you fill your belly
with kimchi and then hit up a BTS concert,
you’ll need to get acquainted with some
South Korean “no-no’s” first. From slightly
bizarre cultural faux pas to downright illegal
bans, you’ll wanna know this! Starting with…
1. Don’t tip at restaurants.
Even if the service was incredible (and chances
are it will be!), fight the urge to leave
a tip, especially if you’re from a country
where that’s the norm, like the US, for
instance. Restaurant and café employees get
paid really well, so tipping is seen as an
incredibly rude gesture and a jab at their
dignity.
2. Don’t play with chopsticks.
There are several taboos that revolve around
chopsticks in Korean culture. For example,
if you mistakenly poke a hole in your food
with chopsticks, then the host or chef might
consider it an insult to their cooking skills.
Holding the sticks vertically and sticking
them vertically into rice are associated with
death in South Korea because it resembles
the incense sticks stuck in the sand at funerals.
Who would have known?
3. Don’t leave food on your plate.
Now, this one seems pretty logical for most
Americans. I can still hear my mom threatening
me to clean my plate or I won’t get dessert!
But if you’re from, say, China, you’d
be shocked to hear that you shouldn’t leave
a little bit of food on your plate to show
that you’re stuffed full of the host’s
delicious meal. If you’re going to East
Asia, don’t confuse Chinese and Korean table
manners! When visiting someone’s home in
South Korea, it’s impolite to refuse refreshments
and even more offensive if you don’t finish
what’s been served. In cafes and restaurants,
the staff might also reprimand you for leaving
food on your plate!
4. Stay away from the number 4.
You might feel uneasy about the number 13,
but a lot of countries in East Asia have the
same attitude, only with the number 4. And
that includes South Korea. Some combinations
of fours are more feared than others, and
numbers with multiple occurrences of the dreadful
digit are even worse! This superstition comes
down to the fact that in Korean, the word
for the number sounds similar to the words
for “decease” and “died.” (Well, now
I can understand where they’re coming from!)
You’ll even see this phobia in action when
you walk into an elevator or public building.
There, floor #4 and room #4 are almost always
left out. You might see the 4th floor labeled
“F” in an elevator instead. Apartment
numbers containing multiple occurrences of
4 (such as 404) are avoided to the extent
that the value of such a property can be negatively
affected! Wow.
5. Don’t give gifts to your teacher.
The age-old tradition of giving gifts to teachers
for Teachers Day on May 15 was made illegal
in South Korea back in September of 2016.
The law prohibits teachers from receiving
gifts from students or their parents. It does,
however, allow paper carnations to be given
by one student representative on behalf of
the whole class or to teachers who don’t
teach them anymore. So, if you’re a student
in South Korea or you plan on taking some
classes there, be warned! Breaking this law
could mean a fine of up to $25,000 or even
prison time! And if you do give or receive
anything (be it a gift or food at the dinner
table) always use both hands to show respect!
Hmm!
6. Don’t let your tattoos show.
Many East Asian countries don’t like tattoos,
and they’ve even managed to encode this
into their laws. In South Korea, it’s illegal
for tattoo artists to practice their work,
and only licensed medical doctors are legally
allowed to ink people. But a lot of locals
will tell you that this law isn’t enforced
too heavily, so you can get a tattoo pretty
easily. Still, people with tattoos are treated
differently, so you may wanna cover yours
up if you plan a trip. That’s especially
the case if you’re wanting to work or do
business in Korea. It’s best to keep the
tats under wraps!
7. Don’t wear plunging necklines.
Most people in the West are pretty relaxed
about clothing, especially Americans. “You
do you, and wear what you want!” seems to
be the general motto. But South Korea has
a pretty interesting attitude when it comes
to what’s considered too revealing or not.
For instance, a plunging neckline is considered
too open among Koreans and is not suitable
for wearing in public. A lot of women there
will stick to high necklines or wear layers
under low-cut tops just to err on the side
of caution. However, the attitude towards
miniskirts is drastically different! They’re
not only acceptable but are also considered
really fashionable. You’ll see a lot of
young women wearing very short skirts in South
Korea, and everybody’s ok with it! Oh-kay.
8. Don’t make too much eye contact.
I’m sure you, like a lot of people, have
been taught that making eye contact with someone
you’re speaking to is a sign of politeness.
It shows that you’re listening attentively
and are confident in what you’re saying
when it’s your turn to speak. But in Korea,
keeping eye contact is (pardon my pun) looked
down upon because it’s considered too bold.
It’s especially important to avoid looking
directly into someone’s eyes if they’re
older than you or they have a higher position
(like your boss). And that’s because maintaining
eye contact is your way of saying that you’re
on the same level as someone. That’d be
an extremely rude move in this case!
9. Be careful when taking photos in public.
If you’re out and about in the streets of
Seoul (or anywhere in the country for that
matter), never take photographs with strangers
in the frame. It might land you a fine or
a night spent at the police station trying
to prove that your intentions weren’t malevolent
or crude. The strictest part of the law is
that you can’t publish pictures of strangers
(that includes on social media!), but, still,
a lot of Koreans are just uncomfortable with
people randomly snapping a pic of them without
their knowing. And it makes sense, really,
as far as privacy is concerned! You can always
just be civilized and ask for permission before
taking someone’s picture!
10. Don’t get into arguments, especially
with elders.
You might well be a rocket scientist, but
in South Korea, you have to listen to your
elders, especially if they’re rocket scientists,
too. No, just kidding about that last part.
. Societal hierarchy based on age is very
rigid in this country, and you’ll probably
be seen as unbelievably rude and disrespectful
if you argue with someone who’s older than
you. Even if they cut in line and you’ve
been waiting there for who knows how long,
just let it go if it’s an elder. That’s
especially a good idea if you find yourself
face-to-face with a mad “ajumma”! Translating
to something like “auntie” in English
(but not your relation), these older women
in their instantly recognizable bright clothes
have a particular reputation in Korea. Basically,
getting into any argument with an ajumma can
be a mistake you might end up regretting for
the rest of your life! If she tells you up
is down, don’t argue!
11. Don’t blow your nose in public.
You know it’s polite to cover your mouth
and nose when you cough or sneeze, but take
extra precaution when it comes to blowing
your nose in Korea. Obviously, you’re not
allowed to shoot any snot rockets on the street,
no please don’t do that, but even just taking
a tissue and wiping your nose in public is
considered extremely rude and lowbrow, especially
at the dinner table. And I’m sure while
enjoying some spicy Korean cuisine, you’ll
start getting a runny nose in no time! Just
politely excuse yourself and go wipe or blow
your nose in private.
12. Toilet talk isn’t taboo.
Now, this might come as a surprise given all
the other things on this list (especially
that last one about blowing your nose!), but
talking about your #1 and #2 is totally normal
in Korea! And I’m not just talking about
between family, friends, or partners – even
colleagues will go into great detail about
their bodily functions! It’s absolutely
baffling for visitors! So, yeah, there’s
no taboo whatsoever in discussing, uh, how
everything is going down there. Is it regular,
how’s the color, the consistency – everything!
In Seoul, they’ve even built a park dedicated
to all things “toilet”. Well, I guess
I can understand where they’re coming from
– it’s all just natural biological stuff
anyway, right? Ha ha.
Ok, and enough of that! Are there any cultural
taboos and faux pas in your country? Let everybody
know down in the comments! If you learned
something new today, then give this video
a like and share it with a friend.
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