What are Koreans like?
Koreans are happy, helpful and polite. Many are curious about foreigners and
come to greet you on a street or at school. Everyone remembers a foreigner at
the dormitory, even if you don't remember even the half of the people or
particularly their names, so making friends is not a problem. If you are lost on
the street looking at the map, someone will probably come to help you even if he
doesn't speak English well. Not even all the university students speak English,
much less the shopkeepers.
"We" is more important to Koreans than "I" and everything is done together. If
you go to a school restaurant alone Koreans might ask "Where are your friends?".
If a small group goes to a restaurant, someone might pay for all. As a
foreigner you don't often need to pay at all.
Older people are
respected. If a teacher passes by students bow to him. If an older
person enters a crowded bus a seat is automatically offered to him. An age is
always an important factor as to tell if you are in higher or lower position.
The most important questions to a new person are: "What's your name?" and "How
old are you?". Even one year difference is a difference.
On the other hand, Koreans might seem a bit impolite to people not belonging to
a same group. If someone hits you on a street he just keeps on going without
apologizing. This can also be due to the fact that in Korean jam it's difficult
to walk without hitting others. If you are a boy and you're walking with a
Korean girl, you can get bad glances because "foreigners steal Korean women".
Korean girls might walk hand in hand with other girls, but it's improper to show
affection to the opposite sex.
Koreans