11 Things NOT to do in SOUTH KOREA - MUST SEE BEFORE YOU GO!

[Music] [Music] Oh [Music] Sol is the fifth most populous city in the world it has some of the best street food in Asia that being said there are a number of cultural rules that might surprise you here's everything you need to know before going to Korea number one drinking etiquette there are a surprising number of drinking rules when it comes to Korea but the main one is that if a glass is empty you're obligated to fill it especially if you're younger than the person you're drinking with that means that things can get out of hand pretty quickly so if you don't want to drink a lot make sure you leave your glass half full in addition in this when someone is pouring a glass for you make sure to always receive the glass with two hands to show respect and again if the person you're drinking with is older when you sip from the glass turn your head slightly away from that as another sign of respect you have to be careful when drinking in Korea because refusing a drink from someone basically means that you don't want to be friends with them and they'll take it personally number two using chopsticks the most common mistake people make while using chopsticks in Asia is leaving them sticking upright in a bowl of rice and this act is actually part of many Asian cultures funeral ceremonies and should be avoided at all costs number three seating in trains now it may sound obvious to say not to sit in the reserved elderly seating but in some cultures like America you can take that seat if there are no elderly present and then just get up and move if someone comes along however in Korea that's absolutely not acceptable and you'll likely be scolded if you do that brings me to number four don't talk on trains in most Asian countries showing respect to those around you is a big deal and you'll notice that no one carries conversations on trains little lone makes a phone call this is seen as disrespectful of a personal space of others so try to keep a low profile number five don't leave a tip while tipping in Korea isn't like tipping in Japan where if you leave a tip it's actually considered insulting tips aren't expected or required here so if you do decide to tip the amount is totally up to you I have no idea what half this stuff is [Music] number six don't be afraid to shout at your waiter while it may seem rude in other countries in Korea the way to get your waiters attention is by yelling the reason for this is that waiters in Korea will leave you alone for your meal which means the only way to get their attention is to either yell at them or use one of the call buttons located on the side of your table in some restaurants number seven don't get into a fight South Korea is one of the safest countries in the world but their legal system is unfairly biased against international visitors and residents begin to any altercations with Koreans it's best to just walk away as the law is likely to side with the Korean nearly every time number 8 there's no such thing as personal space Seoul has a population of over 25 million people so if you hate crowds this is gonna be a tough one because of the sheer number of people here being pushed or shoved isn't considered rude and if anything is to be expected so if you find yourself being shoved or elbowed in a subway don't take it personally number 9 don't write using red ink Korean culture is very superstitious and writing names in red ink is thought to mean that the person will die soon or that you want them to die this tradition goes back hundreds of years when the names the deceased were written in red on gravestones to ward off evil spirits so next time you're writing a birthday card in Korea maybe you hold off on using red number 10 don't receive things with one hand in case you can't already tell Korea is all about respect and part of that comes from understanding how to give and receive things in most Asian cultures receiving things with one hand is considered insulting and rude receiving things with two hands shows respect the person giving you something that's why a lot of times when you get changed back from someone even a cashier they'll hold one arm out with the money and then use their other arm to touch that arm to show their respect so keep in mind whenever receiving anything always receive it with two hands whether it be a drink a bill or any other kind of gift last but not least number 11 always share Koreans have a special concept of sharing called Jeon and it's difficult to translate into English but it basically means the connection between people in this society if you don't share it you'll be seen as greedy which means you have little or no Jeon and in order to travel in Korea it's important to be aware of this aspect of their culture and that's about it if you made it to the end of the video thank you it really means a lot click the video on the top left to see what you should do while in Tokyo Japan and click the video on the bottom to see 11 things you should never do while in Dubai [Music]

Channel: Cal McKinley - Go Local

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Id: ALW-To76E44

Length: 5min 44sec (344 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 13 2018