In South Korea, the concept of family is very important and is respected and celebrated throughout the year. “Patriarchal obedience, cooperation, respect for elders, and familial piety are imbued into early childhood,” so it makes sense that these values would stay with Koreans and end up influencing their culture and future so much. Many customs in South Korea surround these values, such as the use of honorifics and bowing. These values were mostly put into play in South Korean culture because of the influence that Confucianism has on their culture and society. “In Confucian philosophy, filial piety is a virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors,” and South Koreans believe in filial piety quite a bit, even in today's world. Whereas we, here in the US, don't care as much for this and therefore aim to climb the highest on the ladder of success, not caring who we step on on the way up, South Koreans have to be aware of filial piety at all times. Citations:
“Filial piety.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Dec. 2017, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filial_piety. Savada, Andrea Matles, and William Shaw. “Social Structure and Values.” Country Studies, US Library of Congress, 1990, countrystudies.us/south-korea/34.htm. “South Korea Guide.” Commisceo Global, Commisceo Global Consultancy Ltd, www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/south-korea-guide.
0 Comments
Overall, South Koreans have many similar values in their country today as we do in ours. It is said that “Western social and political values such as democracy, individualism, the equality of the sexes, and national self-determination” are now a part of South Korean culture because of western influence and inspiration. They also value hard work, intelligence, politeness, and harmony in relationships of all kinds, and are strong nationalists, as are many people in the world today. These beliefs and values shape South Korean views of education, work, government, social problems, and equal rights, as well as shape their culture as a whole. Our culture in the US may seem just as straightforward, or more, with our values of freedom, equal rights, individuality, the free market, democracy, etc., but the issues that these give rise to make both cultures way more complicated than we may think at first glance. I know this partially because in my search for a clear outline of South Korean values, I struggled a lot, and ended up having to corroborate my knowledge of such things (having been studying and immersing myself in South Korean culture for a year) with various sources that focused on only one or a few of those things in certain aspects of life. Citations:
“Guide To South Korea - Etiquette, Customs, Culture & Business.” Kwintessential, Kwintessential Ltd, www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/guides/guide-to-south-korea-etiquette-customs-culture-business/. Savada, Andrea Matles, and William Shaw. “Social Structure and Values.” Country Studies, US Library of Congress, 1990, countrystudies.us/south-korea/34.htm. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. |