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Culture-oriented tips for doing business in Korea
By Yang Sung-jin
Korea Herald
April 14, 2007
Mastering Business in Korea: A Practical Guide
By Thomas L. Coyner and Jang Song-hyon
(Seoul Selection; 23,000 won; 270 pp.)
In American sitcoms, Koreans are often depicted as a bunch of kimchi-eating,
education-obsessed, taekwondo experts. In short, Koreans and their behaviors
are hard to understand, much less communicate with.
For Western businesspeople who have been fed the "unfair" stereotyping about
Koreans, the idea of opening up and establishing successful business
relations with Korean counterparts might seem not only unrealistic but also
downright scary.
Prejudice, however, can be overdone, and Thomas L. Coyner and Jang Song-hyon
argue in "Mastering Business in Korea: A Practical Guide" that that things
could be easier, smoother and friendlier, as long as outsiders are willing
to sit down and leaf through specific dos and don'ts when doing business in
Korea.
The book, as the title suggests, is neither a philosophical musing nor a
historical background piece. Chapters are largely designed to examine the
role of business etiquettes and sensitive aspects of Korean culture.
One of the don'ts, the authors claim, is forgetting to bring business cards
for a "business" meeting. The authors kindly explain that Koreans tend to
view that every person has a position in an organizational hierarchy. "A
business person is not comfortable until he knows what company and what
position the person he has just met is from." So far, so good.
What's more useful is what one should do next. "Exchange your card with the
other person's, taking a moment to closely examine the person's name, and
title as a way of showing you hold the other party in respect," the authors
suggest. This will surely help. Nobody likes a person who tosses out a
business card right after the almost sacred exchange is made, regardless of
his nationality.
Another crucial tip involves, well, English. The authors' 11 commandments
include "Thou shall not assume everything you say in English is completely
understood." Unfortunately, in many cases, the question is not whether what
you say in English is "completely" understood, but whether any part of what
you say is understood at all.
Korea, though famous for its heavy investment in English education, does not
have English as its second language, or third language. English is a foreign
language, which means the global language is not widely used in everyday
situations, and most Koreans have been forced to memorize relatively simple
conversational English under the classroom setting.
Given the high language barrier, foreign businesspeople should make
particular efforts that are usually rewarding. An important tip for having a
meaningful and effective conversation in English with Korean counterparts:
"Take pains to emphasize and repeat your key points for their understanding.
Try speaking in short, grammatically correct sentences using simple
vocabulary."
The book contains many other interesting and practical tips on cultural
sensitivity and business manners. But as with other intercultural titles,
readers should pick and choose what seem to be workable tips and brace for a
situation that contradict some simplified or stereotyped portrayals. After
all, what's certain about Koreans and the country is that they are always,
as the authors describe in the preface of the book, “in a state of flux.”
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