Exploratory study on the South Korea’s Culture
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
South Korea is located in the southern part of the Korea Peninsula. The total area of South Korea is 99,00squire kilometers. According to the 2017 consensus, South Korea has a population of approximately 52 million. Relatively speaking, South Korea could be deemed as a small country based on its land area and population size. However, South Korea is also considered as a developed country because it has a GDP per capita of $33,000. Currently the dominant racial group in South Korea is Korean. The number of other racial minority groups is not very significant as compared with the dominant race. Among the whole Korean population, over 57% are free-thinkers. The largest religious group is Christian, who accounts for 27.6% of the total population. However, majority of Korean are also respecting their traditional cultures. Their social conducts and perceptions are deeply influenced by neo-Confucianism(Chang, 1997).
In this new era, the possibility for people to live in a foreign country or communicate with foreigners with the rapid process of globalization. Even in a small company, it is very likely for us to have colleagues from different countries. However, different cultural or linguistic backgrounds might be negatively affect the effectiveness of communication and interaction with people from other countries. In this case, the cross-cultural analysis would be extremely important and relevant in order to recognize and realize the cultural differences in different countries. In this research, the major focus is on investigating the cultural differences between China and South Korea. In fact, many researchers have discovered that there is a very conspicuous cultural difference between the West and East world but very few people are cognizant of the fact that even within in the East Asia, the cultures are extremely dissimilar between China, South Korea and Japan. Thus, the research motivation is to explore about the attitude and opinion of Chinese people toward their life in South Korea.
1.2 Research Objective and Question
The major objective of this cultural study is to explore about foreigners’ attitude toward their living in South Korea. This research is conducted based on a Chinese overseas student’s perspective. Some research questions have also been designed to guide the direction of this exploratory study as follows,
Ø To explore the cultural differences between South Korea and China
Ø To figure out the cultural favorable practices or taboos in South Korea Culture
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory
Dr Geert Hofstede (1970) had first proposed the Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory. He managed to conduct interviews in over forty countries in the world and collected very valuable cultural data. After systematically analyzing these cultural data, he discovered that there were mainly four different cultural dimensions, namely, Power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance index, which distinguished one culture from the others. Lately, he further introduced the fifth dimension called long-term orientation(Minkov&Hofstede, 2011). When the Hofstede formulated his cultural dimension theory, many other researchers have also conducted countless researches on updating the cultural dimension scores. The cultural data would be tabulated each year to reflect cultural differences among different countries and gradually become a universally accepted standard for cross-cultural study(.
2.11 Power/Distance (PD)
The power distance dimension is employed to indicate the degrees of inequality in terms of power distribution(Hofstede, 1983). High PD scores show that there is a significantly unequal distribution of power in a specific country. Low PD, on the other hand, means that society members view themselves generally as equal. The political, social and economic power in the country is equally dispersed. Usually a country with high PD shows that the national culture might appreciate powerful leaders more. In South Korea, for instance, the Presidents are often playing a very important role in the decisions-making process of political, social and economic activities. Currently, it is indisputable that South Korea has a rather centralized political systems. Strong government intervention is also a major characteristic in its bilateral or multilateral trade with other countries. In addition, in South Korea, there is also a very strict hierarchical order. The subordinates should fully respect the orders or commands of the superior class. Leader’s power is often acknowledged and respected. According to the study of Sung&Tinkham(2005), Korean employees would prefer the leaders to give orders. They have to go to the top for answers instead of figuring out the solutions themselves. However, people in a country with low PD would prefer teamwork more. The empowerment of employees in the decision-making processes of business activities would also be more significant.
2.12 Individualism (IDV)
Individualism in the Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory is used to reflect people’s relationship with others in a community(Hofstede, 1983). High IDV scores means that the people in a community or a social group is loosely connected. In other words, the interpersonal connection in the country is rather weak. People are reluctant to share or communicate with others who are not their family members or close friends. Low LDV scores, on the other hand, shows that people are good at interpersonal skills. They are willing to communicate and interact with others in the society. According to the study of Seo, Leather&Coyne(2012), South Korean people would not feel very comfortable if they are talking to strangers for the first time. Especially in the business negotiations, Korean people would prefer the presence of other Koreans during their meeting with foreigners(Skerlavaj, Song, &Lee, 2010). It is also very difficult for foreigners to be assimilated into the Korean culture if they are not capable of noticing these cultural differences.
2.13 Masculinity (MAS)
Masculinity in Hofstedes’ model is referring to the societal attitude toward the different roles of males and females in a society(Hofstede, 1983). Usually in a country, the high MAS score means that the males are expected to take a “tougher” role as a provider as compared with the males. In fact, in many East Asian countries, the societies tend to be more paternalistic. The salaries of males are in fact the major source of average household income(Seguino, 1997). The woman’s role is very much a care-giver. However, in such societies, the problem of gender discrimination and inequality is often very serious. The social status of females are significantly lower than their male counter-parts. As such, gender stereotypes and gender stratification would adverse woman’s life in the workplace and their homes. Low MAS means that the social roles among different gender groups are quite blurred. Women and men have more or less the very similar social status. For instance, the MAS score in Sweden is as low as five. It means that the gender equality is effectively promoted in the Swedish society.
2.14 Uncertainty/Avoidance Index (UAI)
UAI is an index to reflect about how people in a country on average are responding to unknown or ambiguous situations. It often measures the degree of people’ anxiety(Hofstede, 1983). High UAI means that people in a country are generally governed by rules and regulations. They are more interested in collective “truth” instead of “personal truth”. in other words, different values or cultures are not tolerated in a country with a high UAI scores. On the contrary, a country with low UAI could tolerate novel, ambiguous, or unknown situations. Different values and cultures are well respected. Usually in a business event, a person from a country of high UAI would demand a very organized structure. People have to obey the rules and regulations within the structure. Detailed risk management plans should also be present in the business activities or operations. People also will have highly formal business conduct. All differences or unknown situations would be fully avoided. However, people from low UAI regions tend to be more adaptive to changes and different cultures. They also have less formal business conduct but they are more concerned about the long-term strategies.
2.15 Long Term Orientation (LTO)
Originally, there were only four cultural dimensions in the Hofstede’s theories. However, in the late 1990s, Hofstede discovered that many Asian countries such as China, South Korea and so on, had a strong link to their ancient cultures and traditions. Usually high LTO scores implies that a country tends to treasure their traditions and cultures very much(Hofstede, 2011). For instance, both Chinese and Korean people are worshiping Confucius, one of the greatest philosopher, thinker and educator in China’s ancient history. However, countries such as U.S and Canada tend to have very low LTO scores because people there treasure new ideas more than traditions.
3.0 Methodology
3.1 Qualitative Research
Qualitative research method would be employed in this cross-cultural study. As only one candidate is invited in this research, it is not very feasible for the researcher to collect huge amount of data for statistical analysis. By definition, qualitative research is more focusing on exploring people’s experiences, perceptions, reflections and attitude toward a particular issue or topic. As compared with quantitative analysis, qualitative research does not aim to formulate or test a theory or hypothesis. Instead, the major purpose of a qualitative study is to figure out about how respondents respond to an issue or topic through natural settings.
3.2 Face-to-face interview and Participant
In a qualitative research, the researcher is certainly central to the study. In other words, the researcher might be highly engaged and even influence the whole process. In this cross-cultural analysis, a semi-structured interview method has been employed. There is only one participant named John Lee. He has over five years of studying experience in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. He had graduated from the Seoul National University. Currently, he is working in Hyundai Merchant Marine headquartered in Seoul. As he has to use English to deal with clients from different parts of the world, he is highly capable of speaking English. John Lee used to be my close friend. So when I sent out invitation through email, he shows his willingness to participate this interview. As the nature of a qualitative or exploratory study does not aim to pursue neutrality. The reflexivity is more important in the whole process. John agreed to use English throughout the whole interview. It is actually much easier for me to transcribe the interviewed contents very accurately and precisely. The transcribed contents could be referred in the Appendix below.
The duration of the interview is kept within 20 minutes. A small classroom had been booked beforehand. Originally, I wished to take a full video recording for the whole interview process. However, it seems that the participant was not comfortable with this interview methods. As a result, a recording pen had been used to record the interviewed contents. Consents had been achieved for the interview was conducted. John Lee felt fine with the recording pen options.
3.3 Quality of the research
The quality of the research could be ensured mainly by three factors including validity, reliability and generalizability. Validity could be enhanced by reflecting the respondents’ true perceptions, attitudes or opinions about a specific issue. Very often, the qualitative study has been accused on the interpretivism. As the interviewed questions, formats and the whole process are designed by the researcher, it is very easy for him or her to manipulate the elicited responses based on their own intentions. In order to increase the validity in this research, the final transcribed contents have been forwarded to the research participant. Once he agreed that the content was accurate, the transcription was cited in this research for further analysis. In order to enhance the reliability, various consents had gained from the research participant. For instance, the transcribed contents are only used for research purposes. It would not be released or sold to a third party. The personal particulars would be deleted once the research was completed. Furthermore, in order to ensure that the research result has generalizability, the Hofstede’s cultural dimension model has been adopted as the theoretical framework.
4.0 Findings and Discussions
From the 20 minutes interview with John Lee, there are many relevant and meaning findings could be made based on the Hofstede’s cultural dimension model. First, it could be observed that there is a huge power distance in South Korea. John Lee said in the interview, ‘the employees from the low class has to respect their superiors”. It shows that the South Korea society has very very significant hierarchical order. As a matter of fact, in China, the hierarchical order is not so distinctive. As the current generation is largely affected by the one-child policy, they are possibly the only child from their families. Most of the family resources have been invested on them. Therefore, the younger generation in China is less influenced by the hierarchical concept. For instance, they do not have siblings so they do not need to learn about honorific languages for the seniors or the superiors. However, it is obvious that South Koreans would have to show their respect to the higher social class. They have to listen to their commands or orders when making a decision.
Moreover, from the interviewed contents, it seems that there is also a very low individualism in South Korea’s culture. John Lee said that Korean people were celebrating many traditional festivals. This allows the Korean people to have very strong interpersonal ties. They are learning very similar social conducts, behaviors, ethics and so on. However, it seems that it is also extremely challenging for foreigners to incorporate into the Korean communities if they do not know much about the local culture.
Furthermore, John Lee also believed that the social position of females was also lower than the males. In fact, as the South Korea society has long been influenced by the Neo-confucianim (Chang, 1997). However, the social roles of males and females have been clearly defined based on the Confucian school of thinking. Males would have to contribute more to the household income. Hence, relatively females have been put at a relatively inferior position in the Korean society(Patterson&Walcutt, 2014).
Last, John Lee said, “South Korean people would also wear very traditional clothes when the New year or Seollal comes. They would also hold very special ceremony to celebrate the harvest called Chuseok.” It shows that Korean people show great respect to their ancestors and treasure their traditional culture very much. Therefore, it is predictable that the UAI results would also be very high.
5.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, it is still very indisputable that China and South Korea have very significant cultural differences even though both countries are in the East Asian region. From the short interview with an overseas student in Seoul National university, it seems that it is necessary and essential to learn about the different cultural practices in South Korea otherwise it would be difficult to work or live there. South Korea has a very strict social hierarchical order. Teamwork is also highly treasured in this country. Koreans also respect their ancient cultures and traditions very much. Besides, the local people are also living in a highly paternalistic society. However, as there is only one research participant who was invited in this research. In other words, the results collected might not be representative enough to show the whole picture.
6.0 Reference
Chang, K. S. (1997). The neo-Confucian right and family politics in South Korea: The nuclear family as an ideological construct. Economy and Society, 26(1), 22-40.
Hofstede, G. (1983). The cultural relativity of organizational practices and theories. Journal of international business studies, 14(2), 75-89.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online readings in psychology and culture,2(1), 8.
Minkov, M., & Hofstede, G. (2011). The evolution of Hofstede's doctrine. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 18(1), 10-20.
Patterson, L., & Walcutt, B. (2014). Explanations for continued gender discrimination in South Korean workplaces.Asia Pacific Business Review, 20(1), 18-41.
Skerlavaj, M., Song, J. H., & Lee, Y. (2010). Organizational learning culture, innovative culture and innovations in South Korean firms. Expert systems with applications, 37(9), 6390-6403.
Sung, Y., & Tinkham, S. F. (2005). Brand personality structures in the United States and Korea: common and culture‐specific factors. Journal of consumer psychology,15(4), 334-350.
Seguino, S. (1997). Gender wage inequality and export‐led growth in South Korea. The Journal of development studies,34(2), 102-132.
Seo, Y. N., Leather, P., & Coyne, I. (2012). South Korean culture and history: The implications for workplace bullying.Aggression and violent behavior, 17(5), 419-422.
7.0 Interview Transcription
Interviewer: Hello, John. Thank you for participating this face-to-face interview.
John: Hello, it’s my pleasure. Very happy to a talk with you.
Interviewer: Haha. Thank you very much. Let’s go straight to the main topics. How long have you studied in South Korea.
John: Well. I left China after I had taken the national college administration examinations or Gao Kao in Chinese. I actually spent more than five years to complete my university courses because I had to pass my South Korean Language proficiency tests before I got admitted by the Seoul National University. In fact, I did not expect that I could be given an offer in such a prestigious university.
Interviewer: So after you have graduated, you choose to work in a local company, right?
John: Yes, you are right. I did not go back to China. I performed well in my academic courses. In fact, I had received a job offer by the Hyundai Merchant Marine before I graduated.
Interviewer: Oh, really. Congrats. So what is your major in the university?
John: I major in supply chain management. I am quite happy that I could find a job in this field.
Interviewer: Based on your experience, do you find South Korean culture is similar or different from Chinese culture?
John: It is really difficult question to answer. Even though South Korean has long been influenced by the Sinosphere, its culture is not very different from Chinese culture. For instance, the Chinese characters or Hanja have been abolished in the early 1970s. Only Hangul is the primary and official writing language. The major festivals or traditional events are also quite different from China. For instance, they have the very special bowing ceremony. South Korean people would also wear very traditional clothes when the New year or Seollal comes. They would also hold very special ceremony to celebrate the harvest called Chuseok. Apart from the traditional event, South Korean people would also celebrate the Christmas Day but the name has changed to Seongtanjeo in Korean language.
Interviewer: That’s quite amazing. What do you find the most impressing in their culture?
John: The thing which impresses me the most is actually their respect to Confucius. Neo-Confucianism is quite popular in this country. It seems that the Confucius school of thinking has deeply rooted in the mind of average Korean people. For instance, they would respect the social hierarchical order very much.
Interviewer: What do you mean on that?
John: Um, for example, the employees from the low class has to respect their superiors. Sons or daughters should fully listen to the command of their parents. There is even a social class difference between a younger brother and older brother in a family. Honorific language should be used in a situation when the lower social class is talking with the higher class.
Interviewer: Do you find that it is difficult for you to work in such a different cultural environment?
John: Initially, it was true. I was quite scared because I only learned about their culture from the textbooks. After I was fully aware of the cultural dos and donts, I became more and more confident. I believe that as long as I respect their culture. I would be kindly treated and respected in return.
Interviewer: Can you show me an example of Korean culture’s dos and donts?
John: Ok. For example, it would be advisable for you to finish up the drinks and food provided by the Korean host. It shows that you are a friendly person and you actually appreciate the food. However, if you do not finish them or refuse to eat, the host would feel that you are rude and somewhat barbarian. My advice is that you have to eat everything even though you do not like the food.
Interviewer: Thank you for joining this interview. Hope to see you again!