Category: Nojeok Hill

What’s the “Korea Discount”?

What’s the “Korea Discount”?

According to an article in the Korean edition of the Jungang Ilbo today [EXPIRED LINK REMOVED: https://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?total_id=3534449], a recent survey of national brands put the value of Korea’s “brand” at 33rd, coming in behind India, China and 30 other countries. The Korean government believes this translates into a 30% discount...

Foreigners in the Land of the Morning Calm

Foreigners in the Land of the Morning Calm

I've lived in Korea off and on for more than fifteen years now and while it's hard to say that Korea feels completely "like home", it is certainly "home away from home" and a place I enjoy. I understand though that not every expat feels this way and that many...

A Few Quick Tips for Business in Korea

The following snippet is now part of the ebook Korean Business Etiquette Guide: Take an Essential Step Toward Your Business Goals in Korea!  Purchase and download on Amazon. [EXPIRED LINK REMOVED: https://www.amazon.com/Steven-Bammel/e/B00T6BEEY2/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=korcontraseri-20&linkId=CVTDBYDSJBICQN2B] From the extra reading in Chapter 3 of Korean Business Etiquette Guide: Take an Essential Step Toward Your Business Goals...

Translation is Not a Commodity!

Translation is Not a Commodity!

What your translations say is crucial both in terms of style and meaning. While cost is very important, you’ll break out of the ordinary by delivering with consistency, quality, promptness, reliability and thoroughness every time. The following are just a few examples to demonstrate the premium nature of our translation...

Wishing Koreans a Happy New Year

Wishing Koreans a Happy New Year

The first thing you need to be aware of is that there are two New Year’s Days in Korea – one for the solar calendar and one for the lunar calendar. New Year’s Day according to the lunar calendar in Korea is the same as in China but it is...

Eating on the Run in Korea

Eating on the Run in Korea

The culture of people eating lunch together was discussed. An extension of this is that eating alone is avoided because it is taken as a sign that a person has been excluded from a group or groups. To Koreans, being excluded from a group means there must be something wrong...

Eye Contact and Shaking Hands in Korea

The following snippet is now part of the ebook Korean Business Etiquette Guide: Take an Essential Step Toward Your Business Goals in Korea!  Purchase and download on Amazon. [EXPIRED LINK REMOVED: https://www.amazon.com/Steven-Bammel/e/B00T6BEEY2/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=korcontraseri-20&linkId=CVTDBYDSJBICQN2B] From the extra reading in Chapter 1 of Korean Business Etiquette Guide: Take an Essential Step Toward Your Business Goals...

What’s MT in Korea?

What’s MT in Korea?

"MT", which stands for membership training, is a modern phenomenon in Korea. It is basically a retreat where a group of people from an organization go away together for a day or more and carry out a variety of group-bonding activities and training activities. It is a rite of passage...

Eating a Business Lunch in Korea

Eating a Business Lunch in Korea

The morning and evening meals are generally eaten outside of the company domain except for company get-togethers in the evening (which, depending on the company, can be frequent or infrequent). Lunch is eaten during business hours and because Korea has a group-oriented culture rather than an individual-oriented culture, the eating...