Inside Korean Work Culture

Working abroad is a big challenge itself, moreover working in a complete different Eastern culture can be even more complex.
In order to fit and adapt to the working concept in South Korea better and faster, here is some tips.

• First of all, remember that work ethic in South Korea is very strong and followed by all employees, this includes that socialising during work time is not welcomed. However,  employees often go for a lunch brake or company dinner together and get to know each other better there. 

• Secondly, be prepared to overwork and take extra working hours or shifts, it is absolutely normal and expected in South Korea. Because, being a very hard-working nation themselves, Koreans do not appreciate laziness and sloth, you will notice that everyone will put a lot effort to make a work done and even will do something extra. So, the same attitude is expected from you as well.

• Another thing would be salaries, the hourly minimum wage in effect for 2012 is ￦4,580 (which is about $4.2). Which is not a lot, but a trilateral council of government, labor and management representatives agreed to raise South Korea’s minimum wage for next year (2014) by 7.2 percent to 5,210 won (US$4.57) per hour. 

• Of course talking about working culture, we can not mention the holidays and vacation times. South Korea employees are entitled to 15-day paid vacation and an additional day for each two years of service (maximum of 25 days).
• Koreans use both Solar and Lunar calendars which results in a number of holidays. There are 16 national holidays and most of them are observed by the majority of offices and businesses.

January 1: New Year's Day
First day of the first lunar month (February 9-11 2013): Lunar New Year’s Day (Seollal)
March 1: Independence Movement Day
May 1: Labor day (Not an official day off, but banks and most businesses are closed)
May 8: Parents day (not a day off and business are open as usual)
May 5: Children's Day
Eighth day of the fourth lunar month (May 17 2013): Buddha's Birthday (Seokka Tanshin-il)
June 6: Memorial Day
July 17: Constitution Day (a national celebration day, but not a day off)
August 15: Liberation Day
15th day of the eighth lunar month (September 18-20 2013): Harvest Moon Festival (Chuesok)
October 3: Foundation Day
October 9: Hangul Day
December 25: Christmas Day
December 31-January 2: New Year's (Seol-nal)

Skills a Global Leader Should Adapt

Doing business in South Korea might be challenging due to the completely different culture and norms in working environment. That’s why as a global leader I should be able to adapt faster and respond to the challenges that awaits me on my journey.

One of the tools that is required for global leaders is active listening, especially in South Korea, where you need to encourage your employees and coworkers to give feedback to you. That’s why in order to know how they feel about your actions and your as whole, you need to listen them actively, show your concern and stimulate them to speak up. Their indecision to speak directly and openly developed because of the eastern concept of  “saving face” in all situation, especially in work environment. Another reason might be the hierarchical order in society and its impact in their daily life.

One more tool might be spending time with your team face-to-face, instead of skype calls or lots of emails. Koreans value face-to-face time, even the country is at the forefront of technology development, they believe that only by spending time together and go through hard times as one makes team work better, and consequently good team reach good results. Moreover, being collectivistic society, South Koreans enjoy working in teams and try to develop strong relationships within the members. Besides, they like to gather after work and during lunch breaks in order to get to know each other, so as a manger it is important to participate and even organize these kind of gatherings.

As a global leader you can use empathy in order to really hear what my coworkers and partners have to say to me. In order to establish close relationships with them that will be based on trust and mutual understanding. Moreover, by applying empathy to solve conflict situations and during tough negotiations you will be able to get a win-win position for both parties. As for using empathy with every person that you met, is a good way to deal with people, because every person is unique and have different attitude and thoughts towards situations.

Other than this, as a global leader it is important to be ready for anything and learn how to maintain things that way that it will suit new environment and culture. Also, being good global leader, means  having background of seeing different places and cultures, in order to bring something from here and there to the table of the workplace and make it a better place. Moreover, by seeing how business done in different parts of the world will develop a skill of easier adaptation to any kind of situation and in order to deal with foreign clients.

Challenges for South Korea

Being in the center of Asian economy and one of the most fast developing countries in the world is not an easy task, so Korea is facing and overcoming plenty of challenges and obstacles.

Talking about obstacles, we can't avoid mentioning the relations with North Korea, and the fact that through years the tension only got worse. And all attempts to come to a peaceful agreement weren't successful at all.

Another challenge would be growing power of its democracy. Since Park Geun-hye’s government took office in February 2013, soundness of political democracy requires special attention. It is no secret in South Korea that conservative governments have used security concerns for domestic political purposes. So, democracy is a controversial and forbidden topic to discuss with Koreans, thereby the best way is to avoid mentioning it at all.

 Also, the competition on a global market level with Chin and Japan is also a serious challenge, it is crucial not to compare them with one another. Let alone the fact that Korea used to be colonized by Japan through 1910-1945 years, another topic to avoid during discussion as well.

Industry and manufacturing in South Korea truly took off in the 1970s under dictator Park Chunhee, which consequently caused the air quality in Seoul and the surrounding province deteriorated significantly throughout this period of rapid industrialization. Fortunately, later Green belts and emission restrictions have markedly improved Seoul’s air quality. In fact, South Korea’s biggest air quality problem is dust blown from expanding deserts in China and Mongolia.

Otherwise, as any other well developed country South Korea will have its up and downs, and the challenges will become more harder to deal with as the economy and wealth of the country will grow.

Saving or Losing Face

Just like in any other Asian countries, the concept of "losing" and "saving face is very crucial. And it does affect business a lot, especially the way employees and managers interact with one another. Koreans like to keep everything in balance, and the workplace is not an exception.

In other words "save face" means is avoiding humiliation and retain respect in any situation under any circumstances. And any damage to "face" can damage the business relations as well, that's why it is very important to be very careful.

Another thing would be that Koreans can't say "no", and will agree with anything you ask for, even if in reality they will not mean it. Moreover, they tend to avoid a straight answer and personal responsibility for anything.
Due to this, Koreans are taking long to make a serious decisions.



So, it is very important to avoid any situations or comments that might make another person "lose face". Because of this all feedback and critics should be done privately tête-à-tête. Whereas, compliments and praise is welcomed to be done in public, but mostly as a group and not individually. In other words, it is better to compliment group as a whole, and criticize each person face to face. Consequently, be prepared to get the same attitude towards yourself, this can cause some uncomfortable situations, like you probably could never get a sincere response on your actions and decisions as a manager because of this "saving face" concept.

Also, while receiving and giving gifts it is important to remember to refuse the gift at first, and accept it only at second or third time. Same when presenting the gift, don't get offended if Koreans reject your gift at first, just offer it again until they will agree to take it.

South Korea's Personality Type

People in South Korea are tend to be very active, even in advanced years they enjoy hiking and doing sports, they like to take care of themselves. Healthy lifestyle is very popular in South Korea, along with skincare, women and men, young and old, all Koreans are strive to have a good skin, and dedicate 2-3 hours for it.
However, according to the 16 personalities website, this is how respondents from South Korea corresponded themselves.

Moreover, most Koreans are likely to be Explorers due to curios and active nature, besides people in South Korea can be both introverted and extraverted. And stereotype that most Asian countries and people there introverted, is irrelevant.

On top of this Koreans are well known for being very hard-working and kind-hearted, which is true, working and overworking is valued in Korean workplace. Moreover, anyone would be more than happy to help you out, will it be to guide a  direction or how to scan paper.

Another interesting Korean trait that you need to know is that whatever they are doing, they will put a full effort and will meet the deadline with a perfect outcome, it just this thing that you can trust Koreans when it comes to quality and time.

Talking about the extraversion or introversion personality that more expected in business and my answer is that Koreans value and respect if you act or behave in more introverted way, however it will inspire and encourage them if you will show your confident and outgoing extroverted side. There is a stereotype that Koreans are very shy and quiet, however I disagree with it, I observed myself that among themselves they are very energetic and loud. I think the fact that they value etiquette and manners highly may sometimes be interpreted as timidity, but I can guarantee that wit close people Koreans act very freely and even sometimes wild.

Dress for Success in South Korea

One of the important aspects to consider before entering another country's working environment is to familiar with its business attire. So, in order to be on trend you need to be assured that your clothing is a key aspect in making a good first impression.  Do your best to conform to the dress code and present yourself in a clean-cut, professional manner to come off as someone colleagues would be pleased to do business with.


South Korea is very much a conservative country, and in the business world it’s considered a positive trait to blend in with your coworkers and not attempt to exalt yourself. In this case, stick with a business suit—black, dark grey, or navy blue—with long trousers and a good quality tie.  Depending on the time of the year, you will want to opt for either a lightweight cotton suit or a wool suit, as winters in South Korea can get pretty cold.




Women can wear business suits or dresses, but again in dark colors so you blend in with the rest of the office.  Miniskirts, of course, are taboo, as are revealing or skin-tight outfits. If you happen to have any tattoos, be sure they’re completely hidden while you’re in the business setting.  If going out to socialize in a less formal setting, it’s appropriate to wear short-sleeved shirts or bright colors, but it would be wise to wait until you’ve established yourself as reliable and responsible to your coworkers first.

Wearing appropriate shoes also important and remember not to wear flashy shoes.  For men, a pair of leather shoes, either black or brown, is appropriate business attire. Like the rest of your wardrobe, your shoes should be of good quality without overtly advertising themselves as such.  Women have more freedom with expressing themselves in their footwear, so long as they stick to business-like flats. Traditional meals and social gatherings in South Korea often involve sitting on the floor because of the special designed tables, so be sure to be wearing shoes that are easy to maneuver on and off. So, during dinner time your foot will remain under the table the whole time.



Tasteful accessorizing in a moderate upon is appropriate and acceptable. If you want to include a few small personal touches in your wardrobe, such as a watch or tie clip for men, or jewelry and scarves for women, this is fine. Just make sure it’s something simple and elegant, and not too attention-grabbing.

History of Korea or First Koreans

Before entering, especially doing business somewhere we want to learn more about that place and somehow prepare ourselves. So, since our past defines and affects on our future, let's take a look on Korean's history, and see how South Korea became the one we are familiar with today. Moreover, I bet you probably always wondered how and why Korea divided and became two separate countries, with same nation and language, but different values and structure.

People have been living in Korea for at least 10,000 years. Archaeologists believe the ancestors of today's Koreans came from Mongolia and Siberia.
Korea's first kingdom was Old Chosun, which ruled the northwest and parts of China for more than 22 centuries. In 108 B.C. it was overthrown by Chinese armies, and three new kingdoms emerged: Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla. In the A.D. 660s, the Silla, with the help of Chinese troops, won control of the country.

By A.D. 901 Korea had once again broken into three kingdoms. In 936, a powerful noble named Wang Kon unified the country under the name Koryo. This kingdom lasted until 1392, when the Yi family seized the throne and began the Choson dynasty, which ruled until 1910.


In 1894, Japan and China sent soldiers to put down an uprising in Korea. Afterward, they and Russia fought for control of Korea, which Japan won in 1910. When Japan lost in World War II, its territories, including Korea, were taken over by the Allies. Soviet troops occupied the north while U.S. troops stayed in the south. In 1950, the communists in the north invaded the south, sparking the beginning of the Korean War. The war raged until 1953, and more than 2.5 million Koreans, Americans, Chinese, and others died. The war was never officially ended, and the Koreas remain divided.


And that's how it is today, there were several attempts to unite the nation and countries, but all attempts failed. South Korea demonstrated its willingness to peace, however all negotiations with North ended unsuccessfully. So, now South Korea achieved a permission of separated families meeting, where thousand of people were able to find and met their relatives and family members. However, people are not very satisfied with the way it goes. Here is the video how these meetings looks like.