Let's Get Down to Business
In South Korea, conservative values prevail in business, and traditional beliefs play a considerable role in business practices and management systems. Confucian philosophy prevails in all spheres of life, including the business one, and, thus, the principles of hierarchy, respect towards authorities, and elders have always been essential for the local business culture. Making decisions is the prerogative of top-level managers who enjoy certain privileges in the company.
Building good relationships with other people and establishing friendly ties with them is another aspect of successful business operations. Thus, spending time with your client outside of the working place and developing good relations with your co-workers can play a crucial role in making sure that everything goes well in terms of work efficiency and creating harmonious groups. As a result, South Koreans value common achievements much more than any individual success.
High-Context Culture
The Korean culture is a high-context one, which means that much attention should be paid to non-verbal elements during international communication. This might cause misunderstanding between South Koreans and Americans because Americans are straightforward when it comes to communicating. Saying "no" is considered impolite, so Americans should understand that saying "yes" is not always a sign of consent. Communication breakdowns often occur due to differing expectations of hierarchy, feedback, and face-saving behavior. Korean directness in giving instructions can be perceived as overly assertive by Thais, while Thai indirectness or deference can seem ambiguous or inefficient to Koreans. Nonverbal signals, such as eye contact, gestures, or silence, may also carry different meanings across the two cultures, leading to misunderstanding or loss of trust.
This article shows that South Korea is a dynamic place for intercultural education, which makes for diverse learners. It explores how immersion in Korean Culture which results in critically thinking, culturally diverse citizens.
Hyun, Y. (2021) Different cultural conceptualizations underlying intercultural business communication problems between Thais and Koreans: A cultural linguistics analysis