It is important to keep certain rules of thumb in mind when marketing to Koreans. While not every Korean will share the following outlooks completely, these ideas represent conventional social views in Korea and are applicable and useful for a wide range of marketing purposes.

Idea 1 ― Koreans aspire to high achievement quickly

Koreans credit much of their success to one thing: hard work. Even today, with government-mandated shorter workweeks, many Korean “salarymen” still put in full days at the office on Saturdays and Sundays and wouldn’t know what it’s like to arrive home from work before 9 p.m. during the week. Korean high school students wishing to get into the best universities are expected to study late into the night and on weekends.

This national obsession with success both leads to and derives from unusually heavy competition for the best spots in school and work. Koreans are frequently reminded about quasi-national goals to achieve ever-higher rankings in international indices, such as GNP, Olympic medals, Nobel Prize winners and others. Koreans also crave personal perfection in terms of beauty and status, leading to a booming market for plastic surgery, cosmetics, luxury goods and others.

Another aspect of Korean achievement that gets a lot of attention, particularly with expatriates living in Korea, is how fast things change and move in Korea, exemplified in the common Korean expression “ppalli, ppalli” (meaning, “quickly, quickly”). Considering how quickly the Korean economy and society have changed and how much further Koreans feel they still have to go to reach their goals, it’s not surprising that life moves quickly in Korea.

Marketing Takeaway: Marketing messages to Koreans can take for granted that the audience is working hard and trying to succeed. Telling Koreans to take it easy and enjoy a life of leisure may not communicate in ways expected in other societies since, even in rest, Koreans often take a remarkably hectic approach.

Idea 2 ― Koreans think their country is small

Koreans often refer to their country’s diminutive size. This is somewhat true when considering land mass, but it is no longer the case from a population or GNP standpoint. Still, considering that throughout Korean history, the nation continuously struggled to get along with much larger powers (mainly China, Japan, Russia and the U.S.) vying for influence in the region, it makes sense that Koreans would think they are a small fish in a big pond.

Korean TV shows play on this theme too, with seemingly every storyline containing an unlikely sequence of chance encounters between people in their daily lives. While real life is not quite like TV, residents of Korea find themselves amazed at how often they see and meet people they know while out and about in the big city and how many Korean acquaintances know other Koreans that they know. This reinforces a “small world” perception in Korean society.

Marketing Takeaway: Messages that might make Koreans feel they are at or could be at the mercy of outside influences (including companies and nations) should be avoided. On the other hand, Koreans will identify with serendipitous or coincidence-heavy scenarios.

Idea 3 ― Korea had a rough time entering the modern era but is now on a roll

According to the Korean collective memory, the years 1900-1960 were a nightmare-a time of colonization by the Japanese, civil war and finally grinding poverty and political unrest and stagnation. This memory influences the social fears mentioned in Idea 2, and explains Korea’s wariness toward Japan, even today, and its determination not to let the country become subservient to outsiders again like it was before.

On the other hand, Koreans are extremely proud of their achievements since the early 1960s and the success of the past 50 years informs Korean outlooks today in ways that can be inspiring.

Going back to the 19th century and before, Koreans treasure their long history and in the bustle of modern life still look for answers to life’s problems in the nostalgia of the distant past.

Marketing takeaway: Be sensitive to Korean memories of the first half of the 20th century and to the influences of foreign powers during those years. Marketing that recognizes modern Korean success can be effective, as can finding and applying lessons from the traditional past.

Idea 4 ― Korean relationships are characterized by sharing

Koreans maintain personal and business relationships through a constant process of give and take. In ways Westerners would consider extreme, Koreans find excuses to give gifts, including surprisingly large sums of money, in many different life situations.

While not always stated explicitly (and oftentimes the boundary here between legitimate business gift-giving and corruption is fuzzy), the purpose of these gifts is to pay back or create new obligations within relationships. Strong and ongoing Korean relationships never reach a state of equilibrium where each person’s “account” is in balance.

The sharing of alcoholic drinks in social gatherings is also part of this dynamic, facilitating a range of personal connections and sharing.

Marketing takeaway: Marketing messages about gift-giving that are based on the idea that “it’s the thought that counts” may not communicate to Koreans as intended since Korean gift-giving is typically tied to social obligations and agenda.

Idea 5 ― Koreans see themselves as racially uniform and unique

Koreans believe they share one history going back 5,000 years, and they don’t see that history as overlapping with nearby countries, except when they were invaded or pressured by China or Japan.

There is only one dialect of the language in South Korea which is considered standard, and Koreans value sameness to the extent that my daughter was recently instructed by a teacher to dye her brown hair black so she’d look like every other child in the local Korean school.

Today, Korean society is rapidly diversifying (from a low base) due to immigration, primarily from other countries in Asia, and Koreans are very interested in these changes. But this trend has not gone far enough to alter basic perceptions, which also contribute to the Korean group-oriented social dynamic, and a very strong sense of patriotism.

On the other hand, Korean political views are diverse, and regional rivalries deeply influence the national political debate, in spite of the apparent “sameness.” Many Koreans also have disturbingly racist views of the world, perhaps due to a history of being on the receiving end of such prejudices for so long.

Marketing takeaway: Koreans are not anti-foreigner and are receptive to marketing messages brought to them by non-Koreans when presented in the right way. However, efforts to push the envelope for cultural diversity should be handled with care. In addition, Koreans respond strongly to fashions and fads, due in part to their sense of group belonging, as well as other dynamics presented in this report. It is important to stay on top of social and business trends and to adapt quickly to the changing demands of Korean consumers.

By Steven S. Bammel

This is the first in a two-part story about doing business in Korea. The author is the creator of Korea Business Central and developer of the Korea Business Central Professional Certification Program, as well as president and lead consultant at Korean Consulting & Translation Service, Inc. ― Ed.