Pros
- Genial People
- Fascinating food, all rooted (quite literally) in what grows locally
- They rarely seem to have a hidden agenda... South Koreans go to great pains to be straightforward, and seem to have a strong sense of if not fairness, a sense of mutual obligation.
- Koreans never dehumanize each other, unless they perceive it's for your own good in some weird way
- There is no expectation of tipping, but the customer service still tends to be quite good
- They are quite industrious
- The country works well, but only if you stay within their conventions... they aren't great outside the box.
- Time matters to Koreans.. they might not know how to relax passively, but they respect that time matters to foreigners and to others, and they move at a pace that satisfies that need when necessary.
- While not wild, they have reforested... they are wealthy enough now to show restraint, and since so many grew up without wealth, they learned restraint actively.
- They are quite unified, and obsessed with unity, and it makes them undeniably a culture and people.. this is not a melting pot.. they are a people who evolved a unique identity over years, often in isolation, but with contact, from neighbors in China, Japan, and perhaps even Siberia.
- Koreans are known for being Highly determined, to the point of almost suicidal focus. If it's what you need, it's there in spades.
- Actions are more important than face in Korea, which is at odds with most of Asia, and helpful to those trying to take action there..they don't loose face.. they either fight with you or agree with you, or laugh, but they don't have that combination of fragility and shame that prevails in Asia to cover insecurities, inabilities and weaknesses. They can be quite honest and forthright about taking criticism and see it as constructive.
Cons
- Koreans are herd creatures... they aren't that interested in expressing individualism, even though they tend to posses a good deal of it, but war and universal military service have taken a toll, and it manifests in them going places at the same time, and doing things that are culturally approved... they don't stray from convention... they aren't that independent in behavior, even though it doesn't come across in conversation that clearly with the young. It can be a pain in the ass when you travel alone.. they just don't, and places are either empty and you get no service, because it's illogical to be there when you went instead of when everyone else goes according to Korean groupthink, or so full you wish you hadn't gone.
- Koreans, especially older ones, are not dumb, but not smart.. it's hard to explain.. they will eventually get something, but they can be dense.. pleasant as ever, but if something doesn't concern them, they have never given it thought. It's as if their minds never wander unless told to. It might be true to say that their early lives, if they lived through the wars, which everyone in their 70's did, and there was poverty for years after, affecting everyone in their 60's and perhaps even 50's today, they just are kind of grateful that life is better, so they aren't surging ahead with new ides.. they just kind of coast, and it's hard to get them to innovate...
- They don't have great aesthetic taste... the obvious comparison is the Japanese.. Koreans are much more jovial than the Japanese, much happier in many ways, but they aren't as complex in their thinking.. they are much more secure with themselves, and therefore just do what works, perhaps the first solution they come up with, and not what is the best possible solution.. they are content not to seek perfection.. in fact, perfection doesn't mean anything to them like it might the Japanese. There is no hierarchy for solutions to them.. just solutions.. so that the idea of perfection and imperfection doesn't enter the picture. They are happier as farmers than philosophers in a sense. They prefer to move on than obsess, but it can lead to what might externally look like half finished ideas.
- Korean determination can go in lieu of perspective and thought.
- The lack of Face issues (the fear of loosing the respect of others) and the practicality of Koreans will make one assume that things are easy to accomplish in Korea, but other language and cultural barriers will still get in the way, trust me.. it's enticing to think about though..
