. . understanding K.scene . .

Korean dramas are fun to watch. However, sometimes there are cultural differences that prevent non-Koreans from fully understanding what is happening in the drama. This website is intended to expose non-Koreans to Korean culture so that they can enjoy Korean dramas more.

NAMES
In Korea, the surname (family name) is given first. First names are seldom used in addressing another because of the social hierarchy established by Confucianism. Addressing a person by title or position is most correct. These include 선생님 (sunsaengnim - teacher) or 박사 (paksa - doctor). Individuals who have achieved this title are given high respect because highest respect is deserved for scholars in the Confucian tradition. No comma is used to separate the surname from the given name.

Most Korean surnames consist of just one syllable, but a few contain two syllables (for example, Sun Woo). The top ten Korean surnames are: Kim, Lee (Yi/Rhee), Park (Pak), Choi (Choe), Jung (Jeong/Chung), Kang (Gang), Jo (Cho), Yoon (Yun), Jang (Chang) and Im (Yim/Lim). Other popular Korean surnames include: Ahn (An), Han, Go (Ko), Goo (Ku), Oh, Noh, Shin, and Yoo (Yu).

Korean given names usually consist of two syllables, which may be hyphenated when romanized. The given names for male members usually have one syllable which is the same syllable used by all male members of that generation in that family. For example, in the Korean drama "More than Words Can Say," the names of the three sons were Jang-su, Tae-su and Min-su.

Korean women retain their maiden surname after they get married. They do not use their husband's surname since family surnames are reserved only for people with blood ties.

[i]*if you've seen FH, you'll notice that they still address SHK as han ji eun even if she was already "married to lee young jae (bi)[/i]

People with the same surname who come from the same ancestral hometown are not allowed to marry each other. This is because they are considered family members, even if they are only distantly related. Consequently, when people are attracted to a person with the same surname, they typically will ask for that person's ancestral hometown right away.

Children usually use the surname of their father.

Many Koreans will insist that they be called by only their surname until they get to know you better. This can lead to confusion since more than 20% of the Korean population have Kim as their surname and 15% of the population uses the surname Lee. So if you call for a person named "Kim" in a crowd, many people will think you are calling them.


SONS
As highlighted in "Mothers and Sisters," sons are more desirable than daughters in a traditional Korean family. If the family has more than one son, the oldest son is expected to take care of his parents when they age. Sons are also expected to produce grandsons to carry on the family name to the next generation. Daughters, on the other hand, are valued less since they become part of their husband's family and are required to serve their husband's parents once they get married.

In real life, however, parents are becoming more concerned with the health of their newborn child, rather than the sex of the child. Whether they have a baby boy or girl, most parents are happy if the baby is healthy. Also, in real life, many daughters still care for their own elderly parents even after they get married. So Korean parents are finding out that daughters are just as valuable as sons.


ETTIQUETTE
Respect must be shown to elders. Younger people do not address older people by their given names. For example, a girl addresses her older brother as "oppa" and older sister as "onni," but may address her younger brother or sister by their given names. A boy addresses his older brother as "hyong" and his older sister as "nuna." In an episode of "Mothers and Sisters," Kyong-bin (the #4 child in the family) was scolded by his mother for calling his older sister (the #3 child) by her given name.

The next time you watch a subtitled drama, listen for when a younger sibling calls an older sibling. The subtitles will show the given name of the older sibling but you will hear oppa, onni, hyong or nuna being said instead.

Girls sometimes call their boyfriends "oppa."

When identifying a person's position in the family, a woman is identified according to her relationship to the dominant male in the family. For example, in "Mothers and Sisters," the women are introduced to others according to their relationship to Kyong-bin. For example, Yeo-kyong is Kyong-bin's sister, the sister-in-law of Kyong-bin's mother was introduced as Kyong-bin's aunt, and Seung-lee was referred to as Kyong-bin's twin.

Showing disrespect for elders on TV is considered very bad for Korean society. In August 2005, KBS was punished by the Korean Broadcasting Commission for airing a scene in a drama in which a daughter-in-law slapped her mother-in-law in the face.

Koreans believe that direct eye contact during conversation shows boldness, and out of politeness they concentrate on the conversation, usually avoiding eye-to-eye contact. Direct eye-to-eye contact when talking is considered rude and impolite. Notice that when Joon-hwi talked with his father in episode #2 of "Pretty Lady," he avoided looking his father in the eye even though he disagreed with what his father was saying.

Since age is important in determining hierarchy, it is not uncommon to ask someone their age when they are about the same age as you.

Kissing in public is not as common in Korea as it is in the U.S. In many of the older dramas, when a couple kisses, it usually means the relationship is very serious and will likely lead to marriage.

When receiving or passing something to another person, good manners dictate using two hands instead of just one hand. For example, when tea or soju is poured, the person who does the pouring uses two hands and likewise, the person holding the cup holds the cup with two hands. Also, when a younger person drinks with an older person, it is good manners for the younger person to turn to the side so as not to face the older person while drinking. You may also notice that if the younger person is drinking with his right hand, he will place his left hand on the right side of his body under his right arm. I've been told that this custom originated in the olden days when Korean clothing had very wide long sleeves that draped down when the arms were raised. To avoid having the sleeve get in the way while drinking, the left arm would swing to the right to hold the right sleeve in place while the right arm is used to drink.


FOOD
All Korean meals--breakfast, lunch and dinner--include rice, kimchi and a variety of other side dishes, which are all served and eaten at the same time. You can eat the foods in any order and in any combination. The spread is quite elaborate compared to American standards since variety is very important.

The rice, either steamed white rice or rice cooked with grains such as barley and millet, is served in individual bowls for each person. The side dishes, on the other hand, are served family style with everyone eating directly from a common dish using their own spoon or chopsticks. Several varieties of kimchi (pickled vegetable spiced with chili pepper and garlic) are provided. Soup is also served at most meals.

One thing to remember when eating Korean food is never blow your nose at the dining table. Doing so is considered very rude. If the spiciness of Korean food makes your nose run, excuse yourself from the table to go to the bathroom to blow your nose.

Korean meals are eaten with a spoon and chopsticks which are frequently made of stainless steel. Unlike other Asians such as the Chinese and Japanese, Koreans use the spoon rather than chopsticks to eat rice. Koreans also do not usually lift the rice bowl off of the table when they eat.


SOJU
Soju is a sweet Korean liquor made primarily from potato, with an alcoholic content of about 20-25%.

Other Korean alcoholic beverages include makkoli (a rice brew) and maekju (beer).


RED INK
Red ink is permissible when using a chop (name seal). Do NOT use red ink when writing a living person's name, however, since red is associated with death. Writing a person's name in red ink is tantamount to saying they are dead or will die soon. Red ink is used to record a deceased person's name in the family register and also on funeral banners to drive off evil spirits.


UNLUCKY NUMBER
The number four is considered unlucky. It is treated the same way as the number 13 in western countries -- no 13th floor, etc. This stems from the Korean syllables derived from Chinese characters. Two of those, 四(four) and 死 (death), are pronounced the same - 사 (sah).

For this reason, some buildings do not have a fourth floor. If the building does have a fourth floor, the elevator may show the fourth floor as "F" instead of "4".


KEY MONEY
One method of renting real property involves "key money." When renting an apartment, the tenant pays the landlord "key money," which is something like a large security deposit, for the landlord to invest. The landlord keeps the investment income instead of receiving monthly rent from the tenant. When the tenant moves out, the landlord returns all of the key money to the tenant. That is why, in the drama "Pretty Lady," when Suri moved out of her apartment after her mother died, she received a large amount of money which she dutifully turned over to her father and step-mother when she moved in with them.


IMPORTANT BIRTHDAYS
Because 60 years is considered a cycle in the Asian Zodiac, a large birthday celebration is held for those who turn 60 years of age. In the past, living to the age of 60 also exceeded the average life expectancy in Korea. It is also an age when a man can retire and let his sons support him. The 60th birthday represents the completion of a zodiac cycle and is celebrated by family members offering the birthday person food, drink and best wishes for a long life.

The first and 60th birthdays are the most important for Koreans. The first birthday is celebrated by placing the child, dressed in traditional Korean clothes, in front of a table with food and objects. The child is urged to pick up one of the objects. Depending on which object the child selects, one supposedly can foretell the child's future. For example, if the child picks up money, he will be rich. If he picks up a book, he will be a scholar. If he picks up food, he will be a government official.


BECKONING
To signal someone to come using hand motions, Koreans point their palm downward (instead of upwards) and then motion their fingers like we do. Japanese also point their palm downward when beckoning.


KOREAN LANGUAGE
The Korean language uses the Hangul alphabet, which now consists of 24 letters (10 vowels and 14 consonants). The vowels and consonants are combined to make syllables. Syllables usually have at least 2, but no more than 4, letters.

Non-Koreans who read the English subtitles of Korean dramas will usually not be able to detect the style of Korean being spoken in the drama. From time to time, however, one character in the drama will tell another character not to speak so formally or that it is okay to speak informally. That is because there are four styles of speech in Korean: formal, informal polite, informal and intimate.

*i remember watching MISA and ISJ told SJS "if you're not sure wch expression to use (formal, informal...) just add "yo" at the end this explains it hehe also in FH when bi called SHK, the latter replied with "wae" (meaning why" bi said "whats up with your attitude" since SHK was supposed to say "wae-yo"

--The FORMAL style is used when a high level of respect must be shown and when men speak to strangers.

--The INFORMAL POLITE style is used by people who know each other, but still need to show respect due to age or social status, and when women and young people speak to strangers.

--The INFORMAL style is used by people who know each other, but are not close friends or where there is a slight age difference.

--The INTIMATE style is used between siblings, spouses, close friends and associates of the same age or younger.


KOREAN MONEY
South Korean currency is called won. The symbol for won is a capital W with 2 horizontal lines across it. Since the won symbol is not available on this website, I am using W instead.. Bills are available in denominations of W1,000, W5,000 and W10,000. Coins are available for W1, W5, W10, W50, W100 and W500. As of April 4, 2001, one US $1.00 equals W1,369.


NO TIPPING
Tipping is not practiced by native Koreans in Korea. However, tourists are expected to tip for tourist-related servies (for example, travel guides expect to receive a tip from foreign tourists). In tourist hotels, a mandatory 10% service charge is common.


EASY MONEY
The South Korean government will pay you W1,000,000 to W5,000,000 for each North Korean spy you report.


HOMES
Due to the freezing winter climate, most Korean homes do not have many windows or doors. Ondol, a heat-radiating network of pipes under the floor, is used to warm certain rooms in the house. Originally, ondol involved circulating exhaust fumes from the kitchen range through flues under the floor. However, since carbon monoxide poisoning could occur if cracks developed in the floor, modern ondol systems instead pump hot water through the pipes to heat the floors.

Since heat emanates from the floors using ondol, Koreans sit and sleep on the floor to take advantage of the warmth. Traditionally, the floors are covered with lacquered paper which turns yellow with age. Nowdays, the floors are covered with linoleum, and oil (rather than charcoal) heaters are used to heat the water.


Korean Customs - In General
• You will see teenage men walking in the street with their arms around each other's shoulders and teenage girls walking hand-in-hand. This means nothing more than intimacy. Touching close friends while talking to them is perfectly acceptable in Korea. Koreans will touch any children to show their warm affection. This is a compliment to let the child know how cute he is. Bumping into other people while passing is acceptable unless you shove them offensively.

• Take off your shoes when entering someone's home. There is usually a shelf or ample space for every guest's shoes.

• The family is the most important part of Korean life. In Confucian tradition, the father is the head of the family and it is his responsibility to provide food, clothing and shelter, and to approve marriages or moves by family members. The eldest son has special duties including first his parents, then his brothers from older to younger, then to his sons, then to his wife, and lastly to his daughters. Family welfare is much more important than the individual.

• There are many family rituals tied to Confucian tradition. You might see a string of dried red peppers hung across an entrance to a Korean home. These signify the birth of a boy within a week.

• Large outdoor markets can be found throughout Korea. Spirited bargaining goes on as the buyer hopes to pay the lowest prices for food, clothing, shoes, and cooking supplies.

• While women are not as secluded at home as they once were, it is still unusual for women to join their husbands for a night on the town. Many women are earning university degrees, but the care of the family is still considered most important.

• Gift giving is an important part of Korean tradition. Gifts might be given to cultivate a personal relationship, before conducting business, or to encourage aid from someone in a position above. A return gift or favor is usually expected. Koreans seldom open a gift in public. The recipient may put your gift aside without opening it in consideration of not to embarrass you at the smallness of the gift. They'll open it if you politely ask them to.


Korean Customs - Respect
Respect for others according to seniority is a pillar of Korea's Confucianist traditions. Seniority is based on age, position in the family, job position, being a teacher, and the list goes on.

• When drinking with a much older person, it is customary to turn your head away to take a drink. Some Koreans may feel strange about a foreigner doing so, and they will tell you if that's the case.

• If you are smoking while walking along and you approach an older person, either hide or put out your cigarette. Korean teens that smoke typically do so in stairways and basement levels of buildings, away from adult's eyes. To westerners it seems sexist, but Korean women who smoke are seen as women of loose morals (if you get my meaning).

• Out of respect for the elderly, young people usually give up their seats for an aged person on a crowded bus or subway train. Nowadays some young people do not but most still do. Most Koreans wouldn't expect a foreigner to do this, but if you do it will make you look like a well-mannered guest in their country.

• Koreans shake hands and bow at the same time. The depth of the bow depends on the relative seniority of the two people.

• When you receive something (a present, a cup, a pen, etc.) from an older person, you should use two hands when receiving it, with a bow. If it's small enough for one hand, use one hand to receive it and the other under your forearm or your lower chest (for support). When you are shaking hands with an older person, use two hands. If the person receiving the gift is younger or lower in stature, passing with one hand is acceptable.

• Confucian tradition also demands that the elderly be treated at all times with the utmost respect. When elders are present, young Koreans would never lounge around, wear sunglasses, or expect to eat first.

• Relationships with friends are the one area where Koreans can view each other as equals. Friends, however, really means those born the same year who are, therefore, the same age and capable of being equal.


Korean Customs - Marriage and Weddings
Marriage in Korea is mainly in the western spirit - in a church or wedding hall. But getting there and the gifts are a bit different.

• If you attend a wedding or funeral, it's customary to take a white envelope containing a sum of money. Handing cash to someone is considered rude except when paying a shopkeeper for merchandise.

• Many marriages are still arranged by families through a matchmaker. While Koreans may date, often those dates are with individuals chosen by the family or matchmaker as possible mates. Koreans wouldn't consider displaying affection in public, and hugging or kissing would be considered a strong breach of etiquette. Repressing emotions, according to Confucianism, is a sign of culture.

• It is not uncommon for the parents to move in with their eldest son and his wife. This shows the son's filial piety, or sense of devotion to one's parents.


Korean Customs - Dining
Below are some tips to keep you from getting funny looks while eating with a Korean family.

• Rather than pouring their own drinks, Koreans pour for one another. It is a bad breach of etiquette to pour your own drink.

• The eldest at the table eats first. No one even picks up their chopsticks until the eldest does.

• Dinner in a traditional Korean home or restaurant is quite different from American-style dining. Guests sit on cushions around a low table. Many different foods are served, each cut into bite-sized pieces. Each person has his own bowl of rice, but helps himself to other foods directly from the serving dishes. Koreans traditionally use chopsticks and a large-bowled spoon the size of a tablespoon. They eat rice with the spoon.

• During the meal, rest your chopsticks and spoon on top of a dish. When you have finished eating, lay the chopsticks or spoon on the table to indicate that you have completed the meal. Never stick chopsticks or spoons in a bowl of rice - this is done only during ancestral memorial services. Don't worry about reaching in front of others or asking for a dish to be passed.

• When dining in a restaurant, it is considered polite for one person to pay the entire bill. It will often be the person who is younger or subordinate to the rest of the group. Sometimes the person paying is the person who suggested going to eat in the first place. However, "Dutch Treat" is becoming more common among the youth.

• Tipping Koreans is just not done. That includes restaurants and delivery people. In most hotels, tips are included in the bill.

• When eating with Koreans, refrain from blowing your nose (even though the spicy food may make your nose run) or coughing. If you have to cough, turn away.

credits : koreanwiz and zkorea