[Books] CultureShock! Korea - A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

Written by Sonja Vegdahl, Ben Seunghwa Hur (2011)

Written in 2011, this book is probably one of the most up to date out in the market – perfect for someone looking for a 101 guide to etiquette in Korea.

NOTE – This is not a travel guide, but rather it is targeted more towards foreigners (or westerners) who will be working in Korea in future/are already there. Nonetheless, it is an interesting read even if you, like me, are just interested to find out about the culture in Korea without having to step out of your home country.

This books starts off with much generalization about the korean people and culture, and the unique differences between the western and korean cultures. Examples would include things like koreans never wearing shoes in their homes, how physical contact between close friends (eg. a close friend’s arm resting on your thigh) is normal, how different groups of foreigners are viewed by koreans etc. I am not sure how much of it is actually true, so take it with a pinch of salt, but keep in mind that most of these are just generalizations of the culture and I’m sure not everyone behaves according to what is written in the book.

Then, the author writes about how to settle in and manage culture shock in Korea. This is the part catered more towards expats moving to korea and it details how to find accomodation, transport, internet etc. Very helpful even for students going there for a study exchange in a particular korean university.

The next part of the book is would be similar to a normal travel book – introducing places/sights to see, the drinking culture in korea and the list goes on.

However, the most unique part about this book is that it introduces the business culture in Korea – in detail. Of course for the most part this is mostly generalization again and the old traditions and customs are rapidly changing, but it is still very useful to keep in mind, especially if you are or you’re planning to do business in Korea.

Overall, I really liked this book because it was exactly what I was looking for. The author was really detailed when delving into the culture part and covered most of the situations an average foreigner would encounter in korea and how to deal with those situations. I found that particularly helpful to note as it is extremely different from how I’d normally deal with those situations (in Singapore), and I would expect it to be even more so in more westernized countries. However, this book did contain much generalization so do take everything with a pinch of salt.

Very informative book overall and I would reccommend it if you are looking culture101 on korea!