Idea 6 ― Korean society is role- and hierarchy-based

Koreans dress and behave for the role they are in at the time. Hill climbers always wear the same style of outfit and carry the same gear. Dress code in the office is predictably formal. Even the weather ladies on TV (they’re all women!) dress in a raincoat for the camera if it’s raining outside. Furthermore, society is infused with a complex awareness of hierarchy, and this is reinforced by the Korean language which requires a speaker to subtly adjust every sentence to his or her position relative to the listener and that of those about whom are being spoken.

These role and hierarchical aspects of Korean society are said to be based on a Confucian outlook on life. Koreans are also uncommonly interested in the ages of people, such that references to persons in the news generally include their age, even when age would seem to be irrelevant to the topic at hand.

Marketing Takeaway: Advertising which does not match the role and hierarchy expectations of a Korean audience will cause message dissonance which may influence effectiveness.

Idea 7 ― Koreans all want to unify the country

Koreans are painfully aware of the division of their country and while there are plenty of Koreans who are discouraged by the 60-year wait and who are going out of their way to sound realistic by talking about how expensive and difficult unification will be, once you get past that veneer, there’s hardly anyone who wants to maintain the status quo. In spite of coffee shop talk, should the northern regime fall, the younger crowd will be even more enthusiastic than their elders about unification. However, the South and the North have mutually exclusive ideas about how this unification should take place, and even among South Koreans, there is a big disconnect between the political left and right on the issue.

Koreans tend to see the division of the country as a main factor preventing them from achieving their potential as a nation and generally feel that national division is someone else’s fault (namely, the U.S. and Russia).

Marketing Takeaway: Korean unification is a sensitive subject for Koreans and particularly when discussed with foreigners. This topic should be avoided in marketing messages to Koreans, especially if coming from a perceived foreign perspective.

Idea 8 ― Korean society is getting old fast

Korea is undergoing dramatic demographic changes. The Korean birth rate is now one of the lowest in the world and the effects of this are starting to show. My son is in fifth grade at elementary school; the class entering first grade has barely half as many students as the fifth grade class, which has 20 percent fewer students than the class two grades ahead! This school is the norm, not the exception.

Korean transformation to an old-age society is under way and relentless, and while discussed a lot, is not necessary something Koreans are adequately prepared for yet.

Marketing Takeaway: Over the next few decades, products and services to senior citizens will find a growing market and those for children and young people will struggle.

Idea 9 ― Koreans dream of creating a new and better world

Koreans are fascinated by the new. From the new cities that Koreans have been building around the country for the past 30 years or so, to Koreans’ love of new technology, Koreans are looking to reshape their world. In fact, there are two recent projects by Korean organizations to build brand new cities in the northern wilds of Canada.

Today, as part of this desire to mold life to a better image, the Korean plastic surgery industry is a leader in Asia, and Koreans are at the forefront of efforts to clone animals and genetically engineer food. They are also proud of companies, such as Samsung, which are global leaders in high technology. As a demographic imperative due to the aging of society, but also buttressed by a cultural affinity for technology, Koreans are already leading the way to acceptance of new technology-based solutions to social and individual challenges.

Marketing Takeaway: Koreans are receptive to marketing messages that emphasize the latest and snazziest devices and solutions, and those most likely to help a user achieve self-improvement and personal convenience.

Idea 10 ― Ultimately, Koreans think they can’t be understood by outsiders

Koreans see their society as a black box that only they can open and see inside, and they aren’t the only ones to think this. Even among foreigners, Korean society and business are known to be very tough for outsiders to penetrate.

This doesn’t mean Koreans don’t try to explain themselves. In fact, Korean culture is a focus of attention right now thanks to the Korean Wave, also called “hallyu,” throughout Asia, Koreans are working hard to fan this popularity. But efforts to share about the country and culture with others tend to be shallow attempts at communicating what they want others to know about them and no more.

In spite of a relationship with Korea that goes back almost twenty years, during which time I have learned Korean at an advanced level and been married to a Korean for 15+ years, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been told, “Oh, you wouldn’t understand. You’re not Korean.”

Marketing Takeaway: Koreans are not generally receptive to new perspectives about themselves that they perceive as coming from outsiders and marketing efforts to Koreans must be mindful of this. It goes without saying that a Korean reading this paper would have mixed feelings about the ideas shared here, not least because they weren’t written by a Korean.

By Steven S. Bammel

This is the last 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.