Korean Beliefs and Practices
Koreans believe in sincerity and following protocols while meeting, eating, praying
or even celebrating is very important. Let us have a look at different Korean
etiquette in this section of the article.
Bowing is equivalent to the handshake in Korean culture. Bowing means showing
gratitude and respect to the person you are meeting with. The younger
generations have blended the western culture with their native culture by shaking
hands after bowing to each other.
Gifts have remained an integral part of their culture; however, gifts are always
given according to the capacity and affordability of the other person because
Koreans firmly believe in reciprocating. The quantity or numbers also add value to
your gifts; seven is considered as a lucky number so anything in multiples of seven
will be accepted heartily. However, they avoid giving anything that falls in the
multiple value of four because Koreans consider four as an unlucky number. Red,
yellow and pink colors denote happiness and prosperity in the Korean culture. The
use of white, black or green colors for wrapping is offensive and must be avoided.
Korean food and drinks add flavor to their traditional lifestyle and rice malt served
with kimchi is their specialty. Cold noodles, bibimbap, bulgogi and dakgalbi are
some of the world famous Korean dishes. However, dining and eating means
following a strict protocol. No indoor farewells, the removal of shoes before
entering the house or dining room, and most importantly, only male hosts will
serve the drinks.
Buddhism is the main religion in Korea and its teachings reflect in Korean lifestyle,
culture and arts. Numerous Buddhist statues, monuments and temples have been
included in the National Treasure and Monument list by the government.
Yungdrung is major symbol of Korean Buddhism and it can be seen outside
temples and religious places in Korea.
Traditional clothes are the pride of the Korean people. Hanbok is the name given
to traditional Korean attire. It is worn in marriage ceremonies, family functions and
traditional festivals. It is also the official government and national dress in Korea.
People of all ages wear it with pride because it is one of the emblems of their
cultural identity. Knowing and understanding these customs is important because
while visiting the country, you must abide to their rules and customs; otherwise,
you might end up in an embarrassing situation because western practices and
customs are totally different from the customs of the Korean people.
