Business etiquette in Korea must be followed by anyone who wants to build business relationships in Korea and by anyone who is planning to start working in Korea. In Korea, business culture is very different from the business culture in the Western.
You don’t want to accidentally offend the potential partner for your business. In order to prevent it from happening, you better understand the different business cultures and always avoid any faux pas of the business behavior in Korea.
The Basic Business Etiquette in Korea to Follow
Korean culture is based on confucianism, which means everyone must show respect for education, authority, and age. But the modern Koreans now do not really adhere to the confucian principles compared to the previous Korean generations.
However, the basis’s principles still form many practices and rules of doing your business while you are in Korea. There are many steps you want to know in order to make the professional impression that last longer.
Always Respect Status and Age in Korea
Hierarchy influences the entire social interactions forms in Korea. It is crucial to always have respect for age and status in the Korean culture. The hierarchy here means that you have the role you must play in society. You need to respect everyone’s role in Korea.
Korean people can feel very comfortable when they’re interacting with people that are equal to them. Several factors including role in the organization, marital status, and university you attended will determine your status when you are in Korea.
Watch Your Gesture When You Meet Koreans
When appropriate, bowing and shaking hands are two best gestures to show. Korean people will bow to the seniors in order to show their respect and say their greetings. The junior people will be the one who initiates the bow gesture. The bow usually is deep.
The senior is going to bow slightly in order to acknowledge the respect and greeting shown by the junior. When you meet Koreans in a group, start greeting the individual first, especially the one who has the highest status. And then you can greet the oldest person in the group.
The one who has the highest status is going to enter the hall or the room first, so you can always note them first. Shaking hands is now common in modern Koreans, but it doesn’t take over the bowing.
Get Ready Your Business Card
During the initial meetings, you should always get the business card ready. Market Research Korea stated that Korean people love to notice and understand someone’s status. Your business card is going to let those people assess your position, rank, and title to see if you are the right potential partner.
Before you sit down in any meeting, always give the business card politely with both of your hands. And always take the business card given to you in return. There are many other etiquettes you need to know before expanding your business to Korea.
Our team is going to help you analyze the market in Korea and help you understand the complete business etiquette in Korea to prepare you before entering the Korean market successfully.