Doing Business In South Korea The Sociocultural Differences Between the United States and South Korea

Major Differences Greeting:  Men Shake Hands w. Slight Bow  Women instigate handshake  Address by title or title and last name. Business Cards:  Give cards out with both hands  Comment on cards accepted prior to putting away  Translate one side to Korean (Kwintessential Cross Cultural Solutions)‏

More Major Differences Gifts:  Bring gift unique to America  Gifts are important business relationship builders in Korea.  When accepting a gift, be reluctant at first but eventually accept. Meetings:  Do business between 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm  Be Punctual  Most senior member enters rooms first and sit at the middle of the table. (Kwintessential Cross Cultural Solutions)‏

Korean Ideology and Government Beliefs:  Confucianism Ethics: Collective group harmony Establish authority to relate Importance of family and friends (World Business Culture)‏ Government:  Considers government a stable liberal democracy.  Considers gov't officials fairly corrupt.  Watches Northern instability.  (Ciy Mayors)‏

South Korea's CPI Corruptions Perception Index  "the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians" (Wikipedia)‏  Scale of 1 to 10  Higher Score = Less Corruption South Korean CPI History  2008: 5.6  2007: 5.1  2006: 5.1  2005: 5.0  2004: 4.5

Conclusion Know etiquette for greetings, business cards, gifts, and meetings. Understand Confucian ethics and Korean views on Government. Koreans view of political officials CPI

References City Mayors: Local government South Korea. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2009, from Corruption Perceptions Index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2009, from Doing Business in South Korea - South Korea Business Culture - South Korea Culture - World Business Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2009, from Style.html Doing Business in South Korea. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2009, from