Simon Swatski tells us about his experience living in S. Korea.

About Simon

Simon has been living in S. Korea since May 2008. He first moved there to become a English teacher with his wife and they have lived there ever since. Simon no longer teaches but he works on their blog they started for their family full time. The goal of this blog is to prepare their viewers for living in Korea and educate viewers on everything Korean.


If you want more information on Simon or want to learn other things about S. Korea visit their website Eat your Kimchi.




The Interview


Q:    While living in S. Korea, were there times you unintentionally offended or upset someone because you were unfamiliar with their customs? What did you do that offended them? Was it something that you would normally do in Canada? Did you find out why it bothered them so much or what you should have done differently? 
A:    If there has been an incident, I am unaware of it.  There have been times that I've done something inappropriate in terms of etiquette, like holding my glass incorrectly, but everyone I've interacted with was very kind in pointing out the offences, rather than taking offence to them.  Like "Oh!  That's cute, but you should probably hold it like this," to which we quickly corrected our mistakes.  Nobody has ever been visibly angry/upset over what we've done, from what I've seen.


Q:     What would be an appropriate way to apologize to a Korean you have upset/offended?
A:     In our case, we've established relationships with the Korean people we know so that they know we're trying to be as respectful as possible, and so - if we ever do a faux pas - they're kind to help us not do it again.



Q:     Is there anything that foreigners should expect so that they don’t get offended themselves?
A:      Korean culture is still very homogenous, and so they aren't fully sensitive to cultural/racial differences yet, which is why foreigners will be pointed at on the streets and called "foreigners!"


Q:     When you meet a Korean for the first time would it be okay to give them a gift? If so what kind of gift would be appropriate? Would they enjoy a store bought gift more or a handmade gift?
A:     We did when we first came here.  We brought them for our principals and vice principals:  a bottle of whisky for the men and body lotion for the women.


Q:     After meeting a Korean for the first time when and how do you know if the two of you are friends? Is there a specific way they let you know or does it just naturally happen without anyone saying anything?
A:     For us, it's natural.  There's no announcement of "Yes!  We are now friends!  Let us commence our friendship henceforth!"


Q:     When you are going to a business meeting what would be considered good etiquette when you first meet another company’s representative? Would you shake their hand or bow? 
A:     We just shake hands and bow.


Q:     When greeting a Korean of the opposite sex do you have to greet them differently? Would it be proper to shake their hand?
A:     We shake hands and bow, like above.


Q:     When entering a room with a group of people what would be the courteous thing to do? Open the door for everyone? Let the ladies go first or oldest first? 
A:     We don't go out in big groups of people, so we're not sure.  We just maintain our regular codes of conduct: hold doors for people, ladies first, such and such.