Taboos you should know when traveling South Korea
Korean cultural traditions based on Confucianism 600 years old. Along with that, when traveling, working, studying or living in Korea, you should note some rules in communication rituals and daily life in order to quickly assimilate and adapt to life, the people here. Taboos and rules, this ritual is very similar to the concept of ritual in social propriety Vietnam and should be done to get our attention anywhere, anytime.
1. In public places
– Do not blow your nose, spitting in public places – very impolite.
– When taking the bus, subway or public transport, you are not free to laugh comfortably but to remain silent, to avoid affecting others, particularly up your seat to the elderly and pregnant women if the eyes do not want to get no sympathy from everyone.
– Do not call too long, talk too loud when riding buses, subways.
– Do not stare or just pointing at others in a public place.
– Loading wherever, while waiting for the bus, while waiting their turn to pay, buy …
– First row on the bus often prohibit private conversation (with the person sitting next to) or prohibiting the phone (because it may affect the driver front, losing the focus of the driver when driving).
2. When in temples
– At the temple in South Korea, you should avoid going to the front door that goes into the temple side door, leave shoes outside.
– You should not sit or stand right in front of the main Buddha statue sitting side.
– Remember the hair must be tied back neatly, spruce, discreetly.
3. When invited to a Korean home
– Must leave footwear outside because most of Koreans cleaning very clean, even the house has its own kitchen table still life resting, chatting, watching TV … just on the floor. Many bars, especially the traditional diner in keeping traditional Korean pedestal desks and mattress sit, so visitors must take off shoes if you want to dine. So before you step out of the house, you should ensure that you’re going to make a clean pair of socks and feet … not stink.
– Be prepared some small gifts to express sincere thanks invitation of the owner.
– If you want to visit the house or touch a certain object, they must consult with the landlord first.
4. When dinner
– Koreans often not Lowland rice bowl but put down on the table and a bowl of rice with chopsticks, spoon for food contact. Meanwhile, the Japanese or Vietnam raised the bowl to eat.This action depends on the notion of individual countries. If you like the Japanese say: “Only new dog … slumped down bowl while eating”, the Korean people have said: “The new beggar Lowland rice bowl up!”. Today, the convention on this should also be more open if you are not familiar with Korean food may be stated for the South dine out and cover the bowl with a meal in Vietnam style. However, the rice bowl in South often do catch up iron to retain heat very hot, so when you hold the attention lest burns offline!
– Arrangement of a Korean table: Rice to left, soup or hot dishes and more countries and to the right. Cold dish and left to dry. For all kinds of kimchi in the middle of the table. Meats to the right, to the left of vegetables. To spoons and chopsticks on the right, put chopsticks next to a spoon.
– Do not plug in bowl chopsticks to eat. Like in some countries, the chopsticks into your rice bowl offerings like rice bowl. So you must be careful to put a bowl of rice for everyone, because if they would understand chopsticks that you are cursing them
– Do not let the spoon upside down, always have to spoon back on the table. Do not hang or place on a bowl chopstick or spoon.
– When not to emit sound chew. Note not to chopsticks and spoon into the bowl and cause noise.
– Do not use chopsticks and spoons to the island lunches. Do not look out of your food should not eat and do not shake the marinated spices into dish to pick up food.
– When eating, do not leave food leftovers on chopsticks and spoons.
– After eating, chopsticks and spoons so neatly into its original position.
– In daily life, it has become “a team” or “a group”, the Koreans could obviously use a spatula to scoop and eat a bowl of soup in general, such as cultivation of soybean (tuenchang) or watch the needle chi. But in the formal meal with those positions or advanced age, it is best that you use a separate spoon to scoop soup, the soup cases shared with others.
– The Korea little talk while eating. So you’ll not go along with Korean food that shows them not say one word to me during the meal. There is a Korean parts notion that talking while eating is rude, does not respect personal rights opposite.
– When dining with adults: Let them sit inside, away from the doors. Hold for sitting neatly in front of adults. Chopsticks waiting adult on first and then the chopsticks up. Keep pace with adult food. After the adults had finished his meal and stood up, should stand up together. Mass means need to hold family gatherings when eating. Dining table after family elders hold a spoon, others have chopsticks.
5. When drinking
– How to drink of the South have a few rules, often involving the same hierarchy between the moisture. The wine poured yourself generally not considered to be a polite gesture. Another person will pour wine, and recipients must raise glass to wine. If the wine poured or recipient is located less than other people (eg, seniors and juniors, superiors and subordinates, seniors and younger) must put your other hand, place in front of the chest or support at his elbow, to pay homage. When a man pouring wine for others, they should not even wine glasses which should land. Recipients of alcohol can quickly drank the rest of glasses of wine before getting from people pouring new wine.
– Like the Vietnamese, at South, the use of a single glass of wine for the table is possible. Or people can drink a couple Korea: A person wants to invite others to drink, then put his glass of wine is not the person receiving it, and poured wine for them to drink. When the drink is finished, the invitees usually reciprocate with a similar process.
– If you want to pour wine invite others must wait person drank new wine is poured next cup.Koreans do not have the habit of drinking wine poured into a glass halfway bad.
6. The pay after eating
– When a Korean man (older) invites you to eat often they will pay for the meal, the scramble to pay in this case can sometimes be rude. But if you want to express thanks and invited professors, older people eat it before meals you have to say which they reason and willingness to invite to dine.
– When eating out with mates or younger in spirit “and eating”, then you should look reviews depending on the situation to handle. If you are experiencing frequent, and many opportunities to meet, eat together, may form a tacit rule “today I pay, you pay today.” But now young Koreans are also very prevalent way of life “fair” like the West should in most cases they will ask you: “strong one who pays”.
7. Some other attention
– Do not write the name in red pen – this is quite similar to Vietnam. Koreans said that the deceased new name written in red ink, so this is when you write taboos in red ink while South Korea.
– When you take certain things for older people you have to take with both hands.
– When you take a taxi and the elderly, dignified position is not the front row next to the driver that was in the back row. Koreans notion that only the front row for the “service”. When stopped, people sit on will be responsible to the front and opened the door for elderly or sit behind high positions.
Taboos you should know when traveling South Korea
