As our group becomes more and more wide-spread, opportunities for members to interact with the Korean/Korean-American community and companies will naturally increase.
If members desire to become the liason for Han Guk Moori for their area, or for an organization/company, we encourage you to do so!


We sought out some expert advice to help members to do this.



Consul Jung from the Korean Cultural Service in NYC very graciously took time from his busy schedule to talk with me about the expectations Koreans will have in these situations.
I used my experiences working with the Lee Young Hee Museum to ask Consul Jung what would be the expected actions.


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Q--When Ms. Sung emails me about the museum or the group, what should I do?

A--Any Korean company/entity will "strongly expect that all communications will be forwarded to Theresa."

Korean companies have a hierarchial structure, which means that it is natural for Koreans to expect that if you say you're representing the group, or they are treating you as the group's liason, when they send you something, they expect that it gets forwarded to the group founder, Theresa.
This is how it's done in Korea.
They may still prefer to deal with you, rather than Theresa, (as Koreans also value personal relationship/contact more than Americans) but they will expect the emails or other communications to be passed on. They would be shocked or dismayed if the communications were kept from her, as this is not their experience.


Q--If I recieve an invitation to an event at the museum, will Ms. Sung expect only me, or will she expect me to post about it on the board so other members can also come?

A--Invitations are not to be considered for the recipient only, unless stated in the invite.

Korea doesn't have an RSVP society like America.
When someone has a wedding or an event, the more people that show up--the luckier the couple/honoree.
So when they invite you to something, they also are inviting your friends, or in this case, the group members.

Mr. Jung noted that if someone received an invite and assumed it was just for them, while the issuer expected Theresa, or other members of the group to come, it could create hard feelings between the group & the organization. They would feel snubbed.

Consul Jung said no one will be insulted if you ask to see if you understand their intentions correctly.

So if you're not sure, always ask the person inviting you if this is something you should post on the board, or if they just want you to come. Don't assume the invite is just for you.


(I check with Ms. Sung all the time--she's very understanding!
And I'm very paranoid! )





Consul Jung also talked about common social interactions between American and Koreans.

Koreans value personal contact, so a firm handshake is good.
Also, we Amercian are more reluctant to shake hands if we're ill.
Koreans would rather you shake their hand, even if you're sick (just don't sneeze into it first! ).

Conversely, eye contact should be kept to a minimum.
Look into the eyes for the first few seconds, then look at the person's ear, mouth or nose--not directly into the eyes.

Also, business cards are considered an extension of the person.
Name = Person.
So when you hand someone a business card, the name should be facing upwards and towards the person.
Also, hand it to them with both hands, don't slide it across the table, or throw it on a counter, etc.
Be sure to keep their business card safe, not tossed into a bag or something.

*Hint-I have a business card case with two sides.
I keep my cards in one side and place theirs in the other.

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Consul Jung is very interested in our group and he enjoys working with us!

Thank you Consul Jung, and the Korean Cultural Service!!!!!!

Thank you for taking the time to do this Cat. We are definitely having more and more contact with Korean companies and I bet Jason is really tired of me asking his advice.

 

He, and Candylover, have been getting PMs from me about this too!


Pawr Jason and CL!

This is great stuff to know.

The handshake thing made me think of a Seinfeld episode. I guess it is true.