Within a few hours of landing in South Korea, you’ll notice many things that differ from your home country. There will be noticeable differences in daily life, dining culture, workplace and social habits and customs. What you won’t realize immediately is, the longer you live there, the sooner the “new” habits and customs will almost become second nature.

Here are Habits and Customs You May Practice When Living In Korea:

Daily Habits and Customs

• Bowing to greet people, to excuse yourself before leaving a room, and to receive or hand over any item or gift.
• Taking your shoes off before entering a home (including your own), school, some local clinics and churches.
• Eating kimchi almost everyday (even at your home) or ssam 쌈, Korean lettuce leaf (my second favorite side dish). *I’d cooked one of my favorite Korean instant noodles, and before taking the first bite I realized I had no Kimchi. I never thought I’d be the one to rush to my local CU (convenient store) just to buy Kimchi.
• Staying hydrated and drinking a lot of water and soups. *Most of my elementary school students bring their own bottles of water to drink throughout the day.

Dining Habits and Customs

• Eating quickly or slowly, depending on the occasion. eg. Lunch 15 mins; after work hours, take your absolute time. *This one is still taking some getting used to. I find it funny that sometimes I either have to rush to eat, in order to keep up with the pace of the people around me or eat/drink super slow, to keep up with the pace around me as well.
• Not eating the last piece of food in a shared plate.
• Waiting for the oldest person to start eating first unless they welcome you to eat first.
• Saying that the food or snack you’re about to eat looks delicious or saying it tastes delicious as you eat it. And you’d say this a few more times as you eat. Let’s practice! Delicious = (Formal -맛있습니다 ma shi sseum ni da, Standard – 맛있어요 ma shi sseo yo, Informal – 맛있어 ma shi sseo, It looks delicious – 맛있겠다! ma shi ge tta).
• Saying “I am going to eat well.” or “I will eat well,” jal meok ke sseum ni da 잘 먹겠습니다 before eating, then afterwards saying “I have eaten well,” “Thank you for the food” 잘 먹었습니다 jal meo geo sseum ni da after eating. *I love saying the latter to the cooks in the school cafeteria because they make some of the best food.
• Offering others to taste your dish at a restaurant and tasting each other’s food, especially when dining with Korean friends.
• Trying to set the table with napkins, chopsticks, spoons, banchans (side dishes) and pour water in the cups, if you’re the youngest person at the table. *It’s easy to forget to do this one if you’re used to the tables being set by the waiter in the restaurant. Chopsticks are typically kept in a case on one side of the table.
• Attempting to eat food that just finished cooking. *The burning sensation on your tongue reminds you to blow on your food to cool it down.
• Tasting food without considering its level of spice until it hits you. *You will realize early on that you need to gradually build your tolerance level.

Workplace Habits and Customs

• Brushing your teeth immediately after eating lunch. Almost everyone – children and adults – carries a toothbrush & toothpaste kit, like the one in the featured picture above. *Korean cuisine includes many sticky foods like rice and many side dishes are typically made with red pepper paste or flakes which can stick on your teeth and can leave stains over time.
• Bringing snacks or food to share with your co-workers.
• Waiting for everyone at your table to finish eating in order to leave the lunch table together.

Social Habits and Customs

• Carrying extra snacks with you to share with someone you’re about to meet with or someone you meet with often. *This is one of my favorites.
• Insisting a few times (depending on the situation) after someone declines a suggestion or something you offered them.
• Looking for the best picture zone (photo spot) in a scenic place and trying to take the “perfect picture.” *I’m still struggling in this area. Most Koreans I’ve met have a keen eye for the best photo spots.
• Motioning for someone to go ahead of you in various situations.

While some of these habits and customs were easy for me to start practicing, others took time. There were mistakes and lots of confusion in the process of learning them but with time and observation, plus a little research, practicing them come almost second nature to me.

Korean culture and lifestyle is so unique. Everything from their mannerisms, the way something is said or implied is quite interesting. It is also very intricate and can be very detailed. Therefore before visiting or considering to live in Korea, it’ll be helpful to learn about their habits and customs.