South Korean Business Culture Points:

To be able to successfully operate in the South Koren business environnment, PR practitioners must be fully aware and have a good understanding of South Korean key social concepts, business practices and cultural values. Failure to understand these fundamental points could lead to miscommunication when building relationships with your client. Furthermore, it could lead to the development of incorrect messages or the use of inappropriate mediums during PR campaigns.


Social Hierarchy


• Koreans still have a great respect for anyone senior in age, and naturally establish their hierarchical position comparative to others based on age. This structure should be taken into account when dealing with clients and/or designing strategies over how to best communicate with the public.
• South Korea has a societal classification system where men are generally more respected in the business world than woman and where married woman will generally receive more respect than single women. The Western female PR practitioner should be aware that as it is very rare for women professionals to hold senior roles, this may impact on an ability to effectively communicate with their male Korean business associates and/or clients.


Greetings


• As PR is all about building relationships the Australian PR practitioner should take care to respect Korean business norms of the offering and exchange of business cards. In Korean culture, businesspeople are only truly at ease when they have an understanding of the company and the position of the person they are dealing with.


Relationships


• Before doing business in South Korea you need to be aware that personal relationships generally take priority over business. A first meeting is a 'get to know' affair rather than an occasion for focusing on business matters. It could take several business trips/meetings in South Korea to arrive at an agreement or get the go-ahead on a PR concept or campaign.


Corporate Gift Giving


• A part of conducting PR in South Korea is the exchanging of gifts. It is done to secure favours and build relationships. Appropriate gifts for first business encounters are company items with your logo on them.


Key Social Concepts


- Kibun: The key cultural imperative to consider when conducting Public Relations activity in South Korea is their concept of Kibun. Kibun has no direct English translation however it has to do with a person’s pride, face, mood, feelings, or state of mind. This concept is highly respected by South Koreans and it is at the centre of their behaviour in both their personal and working lives. Australian PR practitioners should try to stay in a constant state of Kibun during business dealings and should avoid the strategy of negatively comparing other companies/people as part of a publicity campaign.
- Concept of ‘face’: Respect and pride are extremely important in every aspect of South Korean life. Respect is always given to steer clear from loss of face. PR practitioners should avoid confrontation or criticism of others as this is severely frowned upon.