In most cases, people who move overseas will inevitably suffer from culture shock. Culture shock happens when the people, language, food and environment are severely different from what you are used to. The French writer Marcel Proust once said, `The real journey of discovery is not in seeing new landscapes, but in seeing with new eyes.` Its a great theory, but try telling that to a person who just moved to Korea who went to the store to buy dishwashing liquid and ended up with toilet bowl cleaner. Where are his new eyes when he needs them? When one suffers from culture shock, it`s easy to complain and become bitter. Instead of adjusting to the situation, one gets easily irritated. It takes some desire, effort and perhaps a lot of time to truly understand where Koreans are coming from. There is an old Chinese proverb that says if you stand against the wind you will never go anywhere, but if you flow with the wind, you will get where you want to go much faster. If you live here, or are thinking about moving here, it may help to try to learn the language or at least prepare yourself for the differences you will encounter during your stay. Here`s are some cultural insights that may or may not give you some insight on Koreans and life here as a foreigner.. Expatriate: The consise Oxford dictionary defines an expatriate as someone who is living abroad or is exiled. These days an expat is more likely a person from another country who gets posted overseas due to their jobs or their husband`s jobs. Most foreigners living in Seoul typically work in these categories. 1 )Expats working for multi-national companies Many people are hired overseas for job positions in Korea and these people usually get set up with a good package. These people are the true expats. Oftentimes multi-national companies will pay for housing, a club membership, a company car and a driver.(They have to pay extra to lure you into moving to Korea, especially because many times the wives don't want to move) Some of the expat companies here include banks like Macquarie, Citigroup, BNPParibas, and Deutche Bank. There are also real estate companies such as Jones Lang LaSalle and Cushman and Wakefield that hire foreigners. Some hotel chains hire foreigners for their top level management and big companies like Wal-Mart and Carrefour also employ expats. Life is generally easier for these type of expats as money can buy comfort. However, there are no expats immune from culture shock. Things are just too different in Korea. 2 ) US military- There are many Americans stationed in Seoul who are soldiers or working on the US military base. These guys are still here to protect the Korean people from potential invaders, but they are less and less appreciated these days. Alot of military people prefer to stay on base because you can get everything you need there. You can watch American movies, shop for American goods in the PX, there are even American schools and bars on base! US military folks don't need to stray too far off base (why bother when you have all the comforts of home there?) but, oftentimes soldiers will venture out to Iteawon for shopping or nightlife. 3 ) English Teachers- Everyone wants to learn English in Korea, so there are loads of opportunities for people wanting to work in education. Even if you are just back packing through the region, you can probably come to Korea to work as an English teacher. Many English teachers tend to be from Canada.If you have a degree and good qualifications, you may be able to get a job at one of the universities, or one of the foreign schools. Less qualified people may work at private institutes called hagwons. Some hagwons have good working conditions, some don't. Alot of english teachers do private lessons (many times this is 'under the table work' since many people don't have a legal visa to do this) or many do "phone teaching" where you teach a lesson over the phone. There are agencies which will connect you with this kind of work. Here are two helpful websites where English teachers may find work: www.worknplay.co.kr www.englishspectrum.com 4)Models There are many people coming from Russia, Eastern Europe and Europe to work in the modeling industry here. You don't have to be particularly attractive to get work and it's a good opportunity to travel and to get pictures for a modeling portfolio. If you are an aspiring model, there are some agencies which work with foreigners. However beware, the industry is dodgy and alot of people treat the models as if they are for sale. Kyopo: A kyopo is Korean person who was born and raised abroad. Kyopos come from Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and Japan, but the majority of kyopos hail from Canada or the United States. Kyopos seem to be higher on the social ladder because they are seen as 'international'. It is considered huge skill to be able to speak English in Korea, thus Kyopos may seem slightly better educated to the average Korean. It is the dream of alot of upper-class wives to send their kids to study abroad. Kyopos generally seem to be exempt of the rigid rules of Korean society. When kyopos come to Korea (Seoul is full of them during summer and winter holidays), they are generally treated like rock stars. Kyopo men have been known to have good luck with Korean ladies. Kyopos run in their own circles, but they sometimes can be seen fraternizing with the expat crowd .There is also a newer term called 1.5; 1.5 is used to refererence Koreans who were born in Korea, but spent so much time abroad, they are not really Korean, but they are not 'Kyopo' either. Even though most kyopos and 1.5s have western mentalities and foreign accents, many still hold Korean values to heart. Love and Relationships- During high school, students are often studying too hard or they may be attending segregated schools, so dating is not that common. People often live with their parents until marriage and oftentimes parents enforce curfews on their kids even into their late 20's. Usually, the first opportunity that Koreans have to interact with the opposite sex is during university. Big groups of friends will go out together to socialize. Koreans have a konglish (Konglish is when Koreans adopt an English word for use in a slang term) word for these gatherings. They are called 'meetings'. Sometimes your parents or friends will try to set you up on a blind date. Blind dates are very common. The reason why there are so many coffee shops around town is because that's where people typically meet for a blind date. Blind dates are referred to as 'soghe-ting'. It's a term combining the word "soghe" which means "to introduce" and "meeting". If a woman still hasn't met the man of her dreams at university, then she may have a chance to find someone during her first career. In the past, if a woman has reached 27 without being married, she is considered an over-the hill spinster (a no-chon-nyu), but these days that's changing. For the older generation, being divorced was something to be very ashamed of. Nowadays Korea's divorce rate is over 50 percent! Party culture- In the west, people often go to parties or clubs to get dressed up, messed up, dance and generally cut loose. Clubs and parties are a good way to socialize and meet people for relationships (whether they be serious or casual is up to two consenting adults!). Until recently in Korea, partying or clubbing was not something a 'decent' Korean person would do. (Even today the parties in Korea never get that wild) In New York, for example, a party promoter is very high on the social ladder. Until recently, here in Seoul, being a party promoter was seen as unreputable work. However, within the past 5 years, Koreans have adopted the party culture and now have the chance to meet each other freely at bars and parties. Find out where to party on the seoul style events calendar! Interracial Relationships- In other expat cities like Manila, Hong Kong, and Singapore, interracial couples are so common, no one would bat an eyelash at a couple of different nationalities. In many of the poorer nations like Thailand or Vietnam, girls want to marry foreigners so they can get away from home and have a better quality of life. In that sense, it's acceptable or even desirable to date outside your nationality. However, Korea is a modern developed nation and typical Koreans are not that tolerant of interracial couples. Some say Korean men get especially angered if foreigners steal their women. Parents also encourage their kids to marry Korean because the culture is so strong, it will be difficult to communicate and get along if people don't share the same values and the same language. Korean women often say that they prefer dating Korean men because they are weary of the cultural barrier they would encounter if they were dating a foreigner. Also, a Korean woman dating a foreigner may be the subject of bad gossip and speculation. Many cannot handle being talked about in that way. However these days, many Korean women are curious about dating a foreigner because some feel stifled by the rigid rules of Korean society. Many want to experiment with other philosophies and ways of thinking. Women in their late 20's and 30's sometimes take to dating foreigners because Korean men often think women that age are washed-up.Sucessful partnerships between Koreans and Westerners have happened. Marriage- A typical Korean wedding is a funny affair. Ceremonies oftentimes take place is a cheesy wedding banquet hall. There are hundreds of people there and the bride wears a rented wedding dress which makes her look like her wedding cake. After the quickie ceremony is over, everyone hurriedly eats and then the guests take the flowers home so they aren't wasted. Directly afterwards, in full makeup and hair, the happy couple will fly off to their honeymoon dressed in a 'couple look' (meaning the wear the same exact clothes as each other. Everyone else does it, so they feel pressure to be like everyone else). Cheju Island is the most popular honeymoon destination followed by the Phillipines and Thailand. During a typical ceremony, the bride is not expected to smile, as it's supposed to be a serious affair. In a western wedding, a bride may cry tears of joy at the sight of her new husband, but a Korean bride will more likely cry at the sight of her parents who she may not be seeing as much of after marriage. After marriage, the bride is expected to defer to her husband's parents. On weekends, she will typically cook for her husband and his parents. Sometimes people marry for love, but sometimes it's more of a business arrangement to bond two families together and to bear offspring. Behind closed doors (a sneak peak inside the 'bangs' or rooms in Seoul) Koreans are expected to behave a certain way in public, but there are alot of things going on behind closed doors. A 'bang' is the the Korean word for 'room' . There are several types of 'bangs'. DVD bang- A DVD bang is a room where you can rent videos and watch them on a big screen TV. They are usually found in university areas and are typically on the 2nd or higher floor of a building. The rooms can range from fairly spacious to claustrophobic and some of the rooms even have beds inside where you can lounge! Alot of people just watch movies at these places, but many people use it as a secret place to be romantic with their lovers. University students who live with their parents can hang out with their lovers in these places. PC Bang- These noisy places are often dark and smoky. Alot of people go to PC bangs to surf the web or check their e-mails, but many come to play video games (That's why PC bangs are noisy) At PC bangs, there's often a tin ashtray with a wet napkin at the bottom next to your PC and everyone is just smoking away, even the high school girl next to you who is still in her uniform. Late at night, ajosshis may sometimes be found surfing porn sites and wanking off in front of the computer. Beware of those sticky keyboards!!! Yech! Norebang- These are little karaoke rooms where people pick songs and sing their little hearts out. Norebang-ing is one of Korea's favorite pastimes. Nore-banging not just something to do when you're drunk. People actually come to practice songs for their next outing with their office mates! Inside the norebang, you can be as crazy as you want to be. Air-guitar solo to Hotel California? No problem! No one will see. Norebangs are popular with most Koreans. Sarang bang or love motel- Love motels which rent rooms by the hour are all over Korea. University students still living with their parents often use love motels and businessmen having sordid affairs with mistresses often use them as well.Sometimes the buildings look like lavish castles. Some of them are very basic, but some of the really fancy ones have different themed rooms with funky lights and vibrating beds etc. Some of these love motels don't even have a reception desk, so you can secretly slip in and out without anyone ever seeing you. They have some special credit card machine out front. The parking lots of these places have these low rubber curtains which hide the license plate of your car, so no one will know if you're there! Sometimes you can use a love motel as a real hotel room. They are quite well-priced. Room salon- These rooms are a bonding place for horny old business men. Alot of deals are sealed behind the closed doors of a room salon. At these very expensive establishments, girls pour you very expensive drinks and pretend to like you. They may even perform for the right amount of money. All wives have to put up with this room salon culture if their men are in the business world. Apparently there's also a room salon for women. I don't know anyone whose ever been to one of these places, but it sounds hilarious! Apparently they are twice as expensive as the outrageously priced room salon for men. They open really late, after 2am and you have to make a reservation and know someone. Once inside you have a choice of boy toys who are models or aspiring actors. Is it an urban legend? (seoulstyle will have to find a way to verify!) JimJil Bang- The Jim Jil bang is the family sauna. This is the only bang where there isn't something dodgy going on, (unless you think that permed ajumas dressed in lacy underwear scrubbing naked women on a plastic table is dodgy) .Read more about the JimJil Bang at these two links: The Naked Truth The Naked Truth 2 How Confucianism influenced the Korean culture Confucianism is a way of thinking that a wise Chinese guy from a long time ago came up with to maintain harmony and social order. Confucius` teachings encourage righteousness. (Don`t be different, do what`s right, be kind to others, respect your elders and accept your lot in life) In Confucianism everyone has a role to fulfill: the ruler is the ruler and the subject is the subject, but the ruler needs to rule with benevolence. You can see Confucian influences particularly within family structures and business world. Within families, people are expected to fulfill their roles. Children are expected to obey the wishes of their parents and wives are expected to obey the wishes of the husband (or the husband's in laws). But the it's the parent's and husband's duty to be kind and righteous. Within the workplace, the boss is the ruler and you're not supposed to do anything to insult the boss, or to go over his head. Alot of Korean employees are like sheep. They only follow what you tell them to do instead of thinking creatively or taking initiative. Sometimes a boss needs feedback in order to know if what he's doing is right. Korean employees would never dare give their opinion to their boss. Many times, they didn't think about it openly enough to have an opinion.This can be a source of frustration for foreign bosses. On the other hand, as a boss, it's also nice to have your butt kissed sometimes by your underlings. One of the biggest ways Confucianism is reflected in Korea is in the language. Oftentimes people will ask you bluntly how old you are. This is not considered rude in Korea. People are merely trying to find out where they should place you in society and what they should call you. In Confucianism, age brings wisdom. Hence, the older you are, the more advice you're allowed to dole out to your juniors. In Korea, there is no term which is equivalent to sir or madam so you address people by titles instead.So what do you call an older person? Ohni: This is what a younger woman would call an older sister or an older female friend. You also call waitresses and shop keepers `Ohni` to get their attention. If they are obviously old and married, you can call them ajuma and if it's an upscale place you may want to address someone ajumoni- an even more polite honorable way of saying ajuma. It sounds more authentic if you whine a little while saying it. Noona: This is how a younger brother would typically address his older sister, but sometimes boytoys will call their older girlfriends `Noona` in an affectionately teasing way. Opa: This what a younger sister would call an older brother. This term as well could be used when flirting, depending on intonation. Many hostess bar girls call their clients `Opa` while batting their eyelashes and trying to look cute. You would not call a waiter opa, or he might think you're flirting with him. Ajosshi: Ajosshi is older Korean man, but all adult males can be called ajosshi if you don't know them, even if they are younger than you. Ajosshis sometimes take the liberty to be pedantic. For example, if you are Korean girl with a western guy and you kiss him on the cheek in public, and ajosshi may just give you a piece of his mind about how you shouldn't do that in public. Typically you will use ajosshi to address taxi drivers. . Ajuma: Technically, you are an ajuma as soon as you get married, but some younger wives may be insulted at being called this. Typically, an ajuma is an older woman (at least 40, married or not) who has short permed hair. Most of the time, they also have tattooed eyebrows and are fond of wearing visors. Ajumas have jokingly been called ` The Third Sex` because you can't really tell if they are men or women. It's difficult to tell ajumas apart as they all have a generic look, but there is a slight difference between rich ajumas and poor ajumas. Rich ajumas play golf, send their kids to study abroad, have expensive handbags and shoes. They hang out at the Hyatt and Shinsegae Dept store. Less moneyed Ajumas may be seen working at the food stalls on the street. These days alot of women are insulted when people call them ajuma. Women these days don't want to think of themselves as being old. In fact there is another term for married women who still look young, hot and single. The term is called "missy-Jok". "Jok" is a classification which loosely translates as "clan or tribe". "Missy" is a konglish term meaning young-like. Thus "missy jok" means a woman who seems more like a young miss rather than a madam. My tennis coach had an even better term- HOTJUMA! (a hot ajuma) Education: In Korea, it's not really the education itself which is important, but rather, it's a diploma from the right university that counts .Korean High school students bust their butts studying for the all-important University entrance exam which takes place in November every year.Some of them even go to special hagwons (private institutes) to do some crash-course studying. Some students may spend 6 months holed up in a small town somewhere preparing just for this exam! Almost every year, a few students will commit suicide due to the 'stressure' caused by this exam.(Read more at this link ) During high school, it is not uncommon for students parents to give 'gifts' to their student's teachers in order to persuade teachers to give their kids better grades.The desirable schools to get into are Yonsei University, Seoul National, and Ewha Women's University For people in the arts, Hongik University is the Harvard of Seoul. Once someone gets into one of these elite schools, their careers are set. The curriculum is not that much more difficult than any other university, but the diploma from that school is a Korean's ticket into society and into the job market. As an alternative, kids who don't make it into these schools may also go to study abroad. It is considered more prestigious than going to some 3rd rate university in Korea. Some kids, whose parents have enough money or connections, may be able to buy their way into an Ivy league American school like Brown University in the United States. This limited system seems unfair to most Koreans, and nowadays people are protesting against this antiquated system. These days people feel that the process of learning is what's important, not the degree. Korea's History of Isolation- Being that it's a peninsula surrounded on all sides by water, Korea has historically been isolated. Instead of going out to conquer new lands, Koreans were constantly subjected to defending themselves from outside invaders.The Japanese held Korea as a colony from 1910-1945. Not too long after Japan surrendered, the Soviet Union took control of North Korea and caused the Koreas to split in two. North and South Korea fought a terrible civil war from 1950-1953. In 1953 there was a ceasefire, but the Koreas remained divided. With a little help and protection from their allies, namely the United States, South Korea was able to flourish as a democracy since the end of the Korean War. Nowadays modern South Korea has a great deal to be proud of since was able to build the world's 12th biggest economy despite years of political oppression from neighboring nations. Because of it's history, South Koreans have a fierce sense of national pride and are often distrustful of other cultures.South Korea's success was built from long hard years of struggle, sacrifice and societal order based on Confucian principals. Koreans are not just going to open themselves up to new customs and potentially new invaders. However, in this modern age, people are starting to realize that stubborn old-school ways need to be traded in for more flexible ones in order to move into the future.(I.E: the unfair school system or the way some businesses are conducted) There is much talk about globalizing, but oftentimes it's just talk. Instead of globalizing, it seems Korea is more interested in exporting Korean culture and Korean goods to other countries. Depending on your viewpoint, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Hallyu-The Korean Wave Hallyu is a new term which some Korean marketing genius probably came up with in a boardroom somewhere. Hallyu was invented to increase tourism and raise the profile of Korea in the world.The term 'Hallyu' means the love for Korean pop culture, or the appreciation of all things Korean. Hallyu began roughly 5 years ago when the rest of Asia discovered Korean soap operas. One of the breakthrough dramas was a series called Winter Sonata starring Choi Ji Woo and Bae Young-Joon. After that, more Korean dramas saw their way to foreign shores and Korean films and music started to follow suit. Korean marketing people started to see a Korea-centric trend flowing throughout Asia Hawaii and even in parts of Russia. They dubbed this flow "The Korean Wave" or Hallyu.