History, Power, and Intercultural Communication

History

Historically, culture in South Korea continues to be influenced by the events that happened years ago. Some of these historical aspects include the occupation of Korea by Japan during which Korea lost its autonomy and underwent cultural suppression. In such a way, there developed the idea of a separate national identity and pride that continue to exist nowadays. Furthermore, the Korean War resulted in the division of South Korea from North Korea and contributed to the development of a stronger nationalism.

Power

Power in South Korea can be considered to be largely influenced by the presence of Confucian culture that promotes the ideas of hierarchical organization and respect for other people. It is particularly essential to emphasize the role of age and status, according to which respect should be shown to everyone senior than a person. It explains the high degree of formality in various environments from schools to the workplace and affects communication between people.

Intercultural Communication

Interculturally, South Korea belongs to high-context cultures that place much emphasis on non-verbal communication, tone of voice, and common knowledge about certain topics. In contrast to low-context cultures, such as the United States, high-context communication in South Korea may be perceived to be more indirect.

Communicating across differences: Co-cultural theory and multicultural families in Korea

Examines intercultural communication within the sociocultural context of South Korea. It applies co-cultural communication theory to analyze how members of multicultural families navigate linguistic and cultural differences in a society historically shaped by ethnic homogeneity and Confucian values. Using in-depth interviews, the study identifies adaptive communication strategies such as assimilation, accommodation, and separation (Han & Price, 2018).

“The culture clash over learning styles (the different ways that students learn in different cultures) and teaching styles (the styles that instructors use to teach) is common as students increasingly travel to study in other cultures."

 

Martin & Nakayama, 2021, P. 337