Korea (Culture Shock) (CultureShock)

I got the book before moving to Seoul (I'm still living there and will be there for another few years). It does what it says on the tin, gives you a basic understanding of the cultural references that you will generally be unaware of, but will facing in each conversation and interaction that you have.

The book does not have a magic formula for overcoming cultural shock, or for navigating cultural barriers. It does have some good, down to earth advice for developing your own methods of working through the inevitable issues. I would recommend this for business travellers to Korea.

A bit out of date for Seoul city (1/2 people found this helpful)

I bought this book and read through to get an idea of the culture before travelling out to Seoul on business. My impression was of a strictly ordered society, almost backward from some points of view. I've now just come back from business in Seoul and it was very different out there! Seoul is developing and building very rapidly, the people are hospitable, polite and completely modern. I felt that the higher ranked business people were treated with respect but I'd expected a lot of 'face' after reading this book; the reality I met was friendly professional respect but no hiding behind a need to save face for the boss.

I did enjoy reading this book for a sense of history. The culture is moving very rapidly in the city. Maybe the coutryside is closer to the description in the book.

For a business trip to Seoul, I found enough information in the 'teach yourself Korean' book + cd instead.

Well worth it to save embarrassment (18/19 people found this helpful)

I got the book as I am planning to visit South Korea. I have a good few Korean nationals as friends and while they did explain some things about their culture, it is amazing what is taken for granted.

There was a lot in the book that I had already experienced in dealing with Koreans and at the time were embarrassing or frustrating to me.

A good example of something that was rude but is perfectly normal is when a Korean is walking with you and meets a friend who you do not know. They will both ignore you until the conversation ends. It explains in detail why this is.

There are many more examples like this. Too many to put into a review. I strongly recommend this book if you are planning to go to South Korea.

A very helpful guide! (12/12 people found this helpful)

I bought this book before I moved to Korea and it helped me a lot during the 12 month I spent there. The Korean culture is very different to any European and without this book life in Seoul would have been much more difficult.

Does exactly what it says on the cover (18/18 people found this helpful)

I bought this book just before flying out to Korea on a business trip which had been arranged at short notice. I knew nothing about Korea, its people, or its customs.

This book is not a tourist guide; it won't tell you what to see or where to go. However, it gives a brilliantly concise introduction to Korean history and culture. Aimed at the Westerner who is going to live in Korea, it has sections which the brief visitor will not need.

However, it is superb even for people like myself who are only there for a week. If, like myself, you would never have known or guessed that in Korea it is incredibly impolite to blow your nose at the table, even when the food is really spicy and making everybody's (even the Koreans') nose run, then you need this book. Likewise, if you're in the habit of topping up a glass of wine, you need to read this book. In short, it made my visit to 'the land of morning calm' far more pleasant and enjoyable than it would have been anyway.

Sonia Vegdahl Hur, Ben Seunghwa Hur

Reader Reviews:

Good guide to Korean life (0/0 people found this helpful)

A bit out of date for Seoul city (1/2 people found this helpful)

Well worth it to save embarrassment (18/19 people found this helpful)

A very helpful guide! (12/12 people found this helpful)

Does exactly what it says on the cover (18/18 people found this helpful)

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