I will tell you about Korean culture, which is interesting or a little difficult when foreigners come to Korea
Restaurant culture
Korean restaurant culture is so different from other countries. Many foreigners are surprised by this. In foreign countries, people should not call out employees loudly and wait until they make eye contact with the employee’s right. However, it is said that foreigners who encounter the system where employees come by themselves when they press the call bell are moved by the fast and convenient. They also find it fascinating that ‘food scissors’ exist. In recent years, it has become widely known that K-Barbecue restaurants are popular all over the world, grilling meat at tables and cutting meat with scissors. Previously, I was surprised because there was a perception that “scissors are for office use.” Also one of the cultural shocks was that you could refill the side dishes of the restaurant and drink water for free.
Sedentary culture
MBC every1 <Welcome to Korea for the first time, right?In >, there was a scene where Germans who visited Korea felt awkward sitting in a sitting restaurant. Koreans are so used to sitting down that they have to put a sofa. However, for foreigners who are not familiar with this posture, it is only a yoga or performance posture, and it is very uncomfortable to eat or live.
subway culture
The subway in our country is one of the most well-received by foreigners. In fact, if you go to a famous big city, there are many places where the subway smells bad or is dark and dirty. This is because the subway station in Korea is clean enough to sparkle, the Wi-Fi is good, the cell phone is not cut off, it is warm in winter, and it is cool in summer.
In addition, it was convenient in various areas such as easy transportation card purchase (price), screen doors, consideration seats for the weak, signs at a glance (after boarding, exit, transfer), and short dispatch intervals, and one foreign tourist rated it as the world’s best. It is said that the modern system of the Korean subway is shocking to foreigners who visit Korea for the first time or wander because they do not know Korean well. However, the subway didn’t just make a good impression on everyone. Many foreigners are shocked to see people forcing them to believe in a particular religion or citizens getting on and off urgently on their way to work.
Hurry Hurry Culture
Koreans are famous for having an urgent personality. Therefore, Koreans often feel uncomfortable going abroad, but on the contrary, foreigners say that it was difficult to adapt to the culture quickly after coming to Korea. For example, in foreign countries, they only order drinks when they go to restaurants, talk about the menu, and then order slowly, but in Korea, they were quite embarrassed because they were waiting next to them as soon as they sat down. Also, paying with a card and signing in a foreign country is so important that it is sometimes necessary to present an ID card, and they are surprised that the cashier takes over.
Marriage culture
In the past, Daniel Lindemann, a German broadcaster, said that Korea’s culture of congratulatory money was difficult to understand at first. In Germany, there is no concept of congratulatory money, and guests invite only those who are really close to each other, with a total of 50 to 70 families. In countries where there is no culture of congratulatory money, it is said that it is replaced by giving necessary gifts to the bride and groom.
Personal belongings lying in public places
In Korea, there are many cases where I leave my laptop or bag at a cafe and go to the bathroom for a while. But in foreign countries, they never do this because of the risk of pickpockets or theft. Many foreigners are surprised to see this behavior. He also admires the civic consciousness of Koreans who do not touch other people’s goods on the street and do not steal goods by seeing that there is an ownerless item even if time passes by.
Let’s eat
Koreans often say “Let’s eat” as a ceremonial greeting when they break up, and foreigners who listen to this may be embarrassed because they try to make an appointment or do not hear from them again, understand it as meaning to eat. In a similar vein, Koreans have a language culture where they feel extraordinary energy, such as asking if they had eaten when they met and saying that they would buy a meal when they were grateful.
A drinking party
The same is true of the drinking culture that foreigners find difficult when they first encounter it. This is because there are various manners to observe at drinking games, bombshells, and drinking parties. In addition, Korean bars are open late at night or early in the morning and can easily purchase alcoholic beverages at convenience stores that are open 24 hours a day, so even after drinking until this late, it feels great to see them wake up and go to school the next day.
Climbing Culture Close and Convenient
70% of our country consists of mountainous areas. There are many places where you can hike. In fact, overseas people have to travel by car or train for a long time to go to the mountain. On the other hand, there is a mountain within 30 to 40 minutes of public transportation from downtown Seoul, such as buses and subways, so many foreigners are known to climb mountains when they come to Korea. Foreigners who have climbed mountains in Seoul also said that it is extremely rare overseas for mountains over 200 to 300 meters in height to be close to the city center where tourist attractions are concentrated. In addition, the facility, which is located in the middle of the mountain but is always neatly maintained, is considered one of the surprising factors.
Delivery food culture
Of course, the culture of delivering food is very common in other countries. But the important thing is the menu. In Korea, ice cream, coffee, and even hot soup are delivered. One time, I ordered Garakguksu for my friend who was suffering from a hangover the day before. But the foreign friend seemed very surprised that the food cooked in such a warm state was delivered. It’s a problem for us to come cold