Full transcript
0:00hi guys my name is Anna and in this
0:02video I'm going to be talking about
0:03things to not do in Korea as a foreigner
0:06I'm doing this video because some people
0:07ask me what they should be mindful of
0:09while they're visiting Korea and before
0:11I start getting into the place let me
0:12just preface by saying that none of this
0:14is a hundred percent the Bible not every
0:17single Korean gets bothered or things
0:19this way so this is simply just my
0:21advice but it's not absolute set rule in
0:24Stern and there might not be any real
0:26consequences from you not following
0:28these things but just putting that out
0:29there for those of you who may not know
0:31I'm Korean I was born in Korea but I
0:33lived in the UK for a long time and I've
0:35also traveled a lot of the world so I've
0:37seen how other countries are and I think
0:39I can just give advice on things that
0:41might be okay over there compared to how
0:43things are in Korea so again not saying
0:45I know everything but just giving you
0:47guys advice so let's go so number one
0:49full-on extreme public displays of
0:52affection so things like making out or
0:54like grouping each other's private parts
0:56in public that is not okay like hugs are
0:59putting your arms around each other and
1:01like a quick Peck here and there that's
1:02completely fine but if I look her to
1:04Paris or even in London I see people
1:06just full I'm almost going at it in
1:08public that is not okay in Korea so
1:10avoid really extreme public displays of
1:13affection in a public space number two
1:15shoes obviously in most Asian countries
1:18you don't wear shoes in the house I
1:20think a lot of people already know this
1:21but also when I went to like New York
1:23Subway I would see people put their feet
1:25up on the chair in front of them on
1:26trains and in Korea is really not okay
1:29to do that that includes train seats or
1:31park bench seats just put your feet on
1:34the ground nowhere else basically that's
1:36the general rule so a lot of Korean
1:38buildings they actually have slippers
1:40you take your shoes off and then for the
1:42actual room they have slippers for
1:43people and I've seen some foreigners
1:46complain about this because they're like
1:47I don't want to take off my shoes I
1:48think my shoes look cute with this
1:50outfit I don't really want to wear these
1:51pink slippers or whatever but you have
1:53to do it you just have to follow the
1:54rules absolutely no shoes allowed in the
1:56house and not on public seats number
1:59three is is jaywalking and Crossing on a
2:02red light even if there are absolutely
2:04no cars around in Korea just follow the
2:06traffic lights when I lived in London if
2:08I go to New York I know everybody just
2:10jaywalks if there are no cars around
2:12everyone thinks it's fine that you just
2:13cross the road whatever but in Korea
2:15really don't do that I was even
2:16surprised at this because I was with my
2:18dad once and it was like really God
2:20early time in the morning like five or
2:22six a.m there were absolutely no cars
2:25right there and we just had to cross the
2:26road to get to the hospital it was the
2:27red light Crossing and I was like but
2:29Dad call me just walked there's like no
2:30one here he was like no in Korea we
2:32don't do that no no it's not okay
2:34so we waited until the light turned
2:36green even if no cars went by but yeah
2:38that's just how Koreans do it just
2:40follow the rules third jaywalk also
2:42there was an incident a while ago where
2:44two foreigners I think Americans they
2:47were skateboarding down the hills of
2:49etawan obviously as you go down you pick
2:50up speed but there was a truck driver
2:52coming from the other side and they both
2:54crashed and luckily nobody got massively
2:56injured from that incident but the
2:59driver might have PTSD he thought he
3:01might have killed someone so don't do
3:02kind of stupid stuff like this be
3:04respectful and use common sense because
3:06that could have easily happened and
3:07somebody really could have been injured
3:09or like died so
3:11yeah number four don't wait for the bill
3:14to come to your table at the end of the
3:15meal even I had to get used to this
3:17again after I came back to Korea in
3:192020. in London you have your meal and
3:21then the waitress she will bring your
3:23bill and even the card machine to the
3:25table and then you pay and then you
3:26leave but the problem with that is
3:28sometimes the waiter or the waitress
3:29they could be waiting on everyone else
3:31and you might not be able to pay for
3:33like 20 minutes half an hour so in Korea
3:36as soon as you're done with your meal
3:37there's a counter that you go up to you
3:39pay don't wait for the bill to come to
3:41you there are some restaurants where
3:42that might be an exception but I would
3:44say most of the cases after you finish
3:46you go you pay you leave I think this is
3:48more efficient way of doing things so
3:50yeah don't expect the bill to come to
3:52you number five we're going to talk
3:53about public transport because a lot of
3:55you guys foreigners use it when you
3:57travel to Seoul so don't sit on the
3:59priority seats in the train and those
4:01are when you go in through the carriage
4:03doors there are like three and three
4:04seats closest to the door and those are
4:07strictly reserved for the elderly so do
4:09not sit there and then you have like the
4:10long run of seats there's a whole
4:12general public and also pink seats are
4:14reserved for pregnant ladies so don't
4:16sit there unless you're pregnant talking
4:18loudly or listening to music very loudly
4:21and just drawing attention to yourself
4:22on public transport is generally a No-No
4:25people have usually their airpods or
4:27they're watching stuff on their phone if
4:29you're with a friend just talk on the
4:30quieter side and just chill on the train
4:32number six people ask me like is it
4:35still the case that it's inappropriate
4:37to show like chest cleavage in Korea I
4:40would say especially in regards to
4:41foreigners because I think people are
4:43way more lenient with foreigners they're
4:45not really going to care so much and
4:47it's because it's summer everyone in
4:48Korea kind of dresses in like short or
4:50revealing clothing as well but you might
4:53get stared at so if you feel
4:55uncomfortable with that if you're
4:56wearing like a low-cut top maybe bring
4:58like a cardigan or like a jacket to
5:00throw one for the train but like in the
5:02summer on the streets there are loads of
5:03people just wearing kind of what they
5:04want and people are asking me is it okay
5:06to show stomach I think it's fine
5:08there's loads of people wearing crop
5:09tops these days but like I said on
5:11public transport when a lot of elderly
5:13people are there as well maybe just
5:15bring a light covering for the trade
5:16there was one incident for me as well
5:18when I was on the train with my friend
5:19and I was wearing like a sidey crop top
5:21a pair of Dickies trousers they were
5:24kind of like trendy and like the top of
5:25the trouser rolls over and it kind of
5:27shows your belly button and like that
5:29midriff area it's like the elderly lady
5:31she like tapped me on my shoulder she's
5:33like I don't think you did your trousers
5:34up all the way she thought that I had
5:36just forgot to like zip them up
5:37completely to the top and I was like oh
5:39no this is how you're supposed to wear
5:41them it's fashion I think she's
5:42genuinely concerned for me that I had
5:44like left the house without remembering
5:45so in instances like that it's basically
5:48up to you but I don't think anyone is
5:50going to really give you a hard time
5:51about it but if you're just
5:53uncomfortable with people staring at you
5:54then that's just my advice obviously if
5:56you're in Korea for a long term and you
5:58actually like work here then in the
5:59workplace then obviously be slightly
6:01more professional and not wear too much
6:03revealing clothing but this is kind of a
6:05given in most countries I think so yeah
6:07just keep that in mind number seven
6:08again I preface this by saying Korean
6:10could be way more lenient with
6:12foreigners but in Korea if you're
6:14handing something to someone it's polite
6:16to give it with both hands instead of
6:18just going like this and you also accept
6:20with both hands so when you receive or
6:22giving things just try to remember to do
6:24with both party most Koreans will find
6:26it like really Charming if you do that
6:28because they won't really expect you to
6:30know but they will find it Charming if
6:31you do this so that's my advice number
6:34eight I've seen some people that I know
6:36do this when they come to Korea don't do
6:38the Namaste gesture when you bow in
6:41Korea because that is not a Korean
6:43custom we don't do this that's used in
6:46India and parts of Southeast Asia but in
6:48Korea we just we just bow we don't do
6:51this hand gesture so yeah that is not a
6:53Korean custom so don't do that number
6:55nine do not leave a tip at restaurants
6:58it's not a thing here like in America
7:00for example nobody thinks you're rude if
7:02you don't leave a tip finish your meal
7:04just pay what you owe they will give you
7:05back change if you need change don't
7:07leave a tip number 10 don't get offended
7:10when people ask you for your age in the
7:12west if somebody asks you like how old
7:13are you that can sometimes come off as
7:15quite rude but in Korea there is an age
7:17hierarchy system and everyone just asks
7:19each other for their age because
7:21obviously Koreans we use honorifics and
7:23how you address them and stuff so it is
7:25important to figure out someone's age so
7:26don't be offended if people ask you for
7:28your age like kind of immediately after
7:30asking for your name that's just a thing
7:32in Korea number 11 don't expect like
7:34Greetings or small talk with random
7:37strangers because in Korea everyone
7:38pretty much keeps to themselves and also
7:41making like direct eye contact with
7:42people on public transport it's not
7:44really a thing like when I went to New
7:45York last time people would just start
7:46talking to me on the street hey how's it
7:48going and just stuff like this in Korea
7:51it's just really basically never happens
7:53and also this is tied to number 12 but
7:55if some people do come up to you and try
7:58to make small talk be mindful that it
7:59could be a cult trying to recruit you so
8:02number 12 is don't join a cult because
8:04like 100 of the time is not going to be
8:06beneficial for you so if somebody
8:08approaches you on the street and it's
8:09like oh you can get like a free Fortune
8:11reading or you can join this club where
8:13you can make friends just ignore them
8:15and just keep walking because yeah don't
8:17join a cult and also don't try to hug
8:20someone upon the first meeting Koreans
8:22do not hug and create in a social
8:24situation if a friend introduces you to
8:26a new friend don't agree like hey what's
8:28up and hug that is not a thing just here
8:31and sometimes I do like handshake but
8:33generally No hugs between Koreans when
8:35you first meet someone okay and number
8:3713 not saying everybody but some Koreans
8:40especially like the elderly they can be
8:42quite sensitive in regards to Japan
8:45because Korea was under Japanese rule
8:47from 1910 to 1945 so things like the
8:51Rising Sun flag which is different from
8:53the national flag of Japan the Rising
8:55Sun flag that is actually an Imperial
8:57War flag and sometimes you see that on
8:59pieces of clothing or on bags or on
9:01stickers so just be mindful of the fact
9:03that some Koreans may find that
9:05disrespectful because it is like a war
9:07flag party nobody's gonna come up to you
9:09and be like la la la but just something
9:11to maybe just keep in mind because I
9:13know a lot of westerners don't even know
9:14about like the Rising Sun flag and the
9:16meaning so this is just me letting you
9:18know and lastly number 14 cat calling I
9:21have personally never seen or
9:23experienced men cat calling in South
9:26Korea I've never seen it but I have
9:28experienced it in London in America and
9:30other Western countries obviously it's
9:32just generally a rude thing to do even
9:34back in those countries women don't like
9:36it there but it's just simply not done
9:38in South Korea so if you're a foreigner
9:39if you're partying so and you just get
9:41drunk and you just suddenly do cat
9:43calling or just like saying stuff to
9:45strangers just avoid doing that and
9:47you'll be all good so those were my 15
9:49points let me know if you guys have
9:51anything you want to add or you want to
9:53ask please like And subscribe and also
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9:58thank you for watching and I'll see you
10:00in the next one bye
10:01[Music]