Etiquette and Status
- Wendy W.
- Sep 28, 2018
- 3 min read
Etiquette as well as status define how well you were raised in Korea. Although there are many speech types as well as different levels of speaking, traditional Korean society covers the Reality of Stratification. People are often treated based on their occupational status, age, class, as well as gender differences. Korea is not leaning towards Confucianism, but as a continuation of a tradition that are supposedly rejected elsewhere as mentioned in class. Whilst the views of what is rude in Korea are constantly shifting, the idea of conformity and hierarchy are still present in modern society. In this blog post, I will be covering some examples of proper etiquette in Korea as well as examples of the level of hierarchy seen throughout the episodes in Chief Kim.
An example of how conformity and hierarchy are displayed in Korea is this scene here: Yoon Ha-kyung is writing an apology letter to a senior in the Accounting department of TQ group for her misbehaviour in the lobby. Knowing your status, especially in corrupt companies, is very important as well as not speaking against your seniors. Although in the previous scene, Yoon Ha-kyung is using formal speech, her tone comes off as impolite and hence, she is reprimanded by having to write him an apology letter in this scene.
Another example of hierarchy is when one of the higher ups in TQ group have come down to collect come papers however, the Business Operations group has filed them incorrectly. It was apparent that they were incorrect in the beginning and as a result, filing them ended up incorrect as well. However, as Yoon Ha-kyung was trying to justify their side of the story, the higher up refused to listen. Yoon Ha-kyung supervisor here is signalling her to stop talking or else she will be reprimanded again for going against someone of a higher status.
In these scene, Mr. Lee’s wife was protesting against TQ group to let the world know the truth about her husband's suicide. The head of the TQ group had ordered security to violently take her away without any mercy. Even though Mr. Lee had once worked for TQ, the company still treats the wife in such a manner that may be harmful to her. As much as the wife is in the working class and experiencing an improvement in the living standards without the help of her husbands compensation. The working class still stay relatively low in the hierarchy of Korean society (Choi and Kim 445) despite Mr. Lee having been an employee at the company.
Moving on to etiquette, this scene shows Soju being poured by the supervisor of the Business Operations department into the glass of Yoon Ha-kyungs. Normally, the youngest would pour Soju into the cup of the eldest or of higher status. In this case, it is the other way around. Moreover, it is polite to hold your drinking glass with two hands to show respect as well as pouring with two hands. Adding on, it is usually polite to drink facing away from the person older than you but Yoon Ha-kyung is taking a shot with in front of her supervisor. In this case, we can see that formalities aside, these two are very close coworkers and are able to casually dine and enjoy their meal.
In conclusion, etiquette as well as hierarchy in Korea are very important. They have many different ways of speaking at each level as well as proper dining and manner etiquette. Following rules as well as knowing where you stand on the pyramid plays an important role of how others perceive you.
A fun video showing how the views of people change once you gain a title. In this instance, Chief Kim has earned the title: Mr.Righteous, for saving Mr. Lee's wife from an oncoming car.
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Questions:
1. How does hierarchy/ status in Korea compare to ours here in Canada?
2. What are your thoughts on the etiquette in Korea? Is it too much? Overbearing? etc.
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Citations
Choi, Yool and Kim, Doo Wan. “The Irony of Unchecked Growth of Higher Education in South Korea: Crystallization of Class Cleavages and Intensifying Status Competition”. Development and Society 44, no. 3 (2015): 435-463
(All images/screenshots were taken from DramaFever and no copyright or infringement intended)
(Video credits to Viki.com, no copyright or infringement intended)
Hi everyone,
I would encourage you, in your discussions, to avoid conflating “Korean culture” with “East Asian cultures”; keep in mind that though there are points that are similar for various historical and cultural reasons, one part of your understanding is to be able to identify the things that are different, and part of your argumentation, especially if you want to bring in examples from, say, Chinese or Japanese culture, might be to distinguish these cases clearly.
That said, it is worth considering that in some ways (before you become very comfortable with someone of higher status) respect can be a way to demonstrate a positive bond in a relationship. In most of the examples Wendy’s brought up, we see…
Nice essay, you've applied lecture well to this episode. However, you -all- in this group need to be careful with your romanization, as it seems to be mostly wrong. Characters are NOT famous people, and their names should be romanized according to correct RR (a guide is in the modules).
Yun Ha-gyeong, Mr. Yi,
Gim Seongyong (Seongryong), Hong Ga-eun, Seo Yul, Ju Namho, etc.
Refering to question 1, in Korea, hierarchy and status are fairly important as taught in class that respecting the higher ups are so important for themselves. In a company, respecting someone higher than you will be important because you will want to raise to a higher status by impressing the higher ups in the company or just not to cause any trouble so that they won’t cause you real trouble or get you fired from the company. Korea and probably other asian countries all think the same as people in those countries might end up losing their jobs and become jobless. However, in western countries such as Canada, even though hierarchy and status does matter to them as well, bu…
I believe both Canadian and Korean culture communicate with some level of formality to those of higher status, as a matter this probably applies to most countries. However, Korean culture distinguishes itself from others in terms of their detailed rules of etiquettes. As was mentioned in class, there are differences between respecting one by one's status or one's age when interacting with others. People in Korea look hold those two aspects in high regard in their daily lives as is shown in their different levels of speech when addressing others. They have several rules of etiquettes they must obey everyday interacting with such people as well. Like Wendy mentions, there are specific rules at the dinner table such as pourin…
Hierarchy in Korea is much more well defined than in Canada. The society is much more stratified by age, class, gender, job position, etc. Although, in Canada and in the western context the idea of hierarchy does still exist and impact us in our everyday lives. For example, I would not speak to and treat my professors or boss the same way I speak to and treat my friends. A main difference, however, is that Korean culture has a very well established set of rules and actions that reinforce these hierarchal standards. As Wendy mentioned in the post and as Edward mentioned in his comment, the characters in Chief Kim are shown consistently repeating these respectful gestures to their superiors.…