Initial Meetings When being introduced to a Korean person for the first time, it is custom to shake their hand and bow at the same time. The right hand is always used to shake with, while the left hand either helps the right hand or touches the right arm near the elbow. Instead of pumping

South Korea has been one of the most ambitious and progressive countries in Asia in the last fifty years. Its ancient culture has adopted, for better or worse, many western ideas and systems. Along with the changes in commerce have come alterations in human behavior and attitudes, including a recent softening toward homosexuality and lesbianism

Korean food is rich in nutrition, balanced in content, and low in calories and is richly endowed with fermented foods, vegetables and grains, soups, teas, liquors, confectionery and soft beverages. They say you can eat as much Korean food as you like without gaining weight! This may very well be true as most Koreans who

At the Table Korean restaurants usually have low tables where guests sit on the floor to eat, though many restaurants will have a table or two with chairs. Of course, western-style and upper class restaurants mainly have tables and chairs to dine in. Sitting cross-legged on the floor for at least an hour's dining can

Movie Theaters The movie industry in Korea is quite big, and as such, finding a movie theater is never a hard thing to do. The bigger cities will have larger and more modern theatres, of course, with Seoul having the best ones in the country. The Megabox in the Coex Mall is the largest movie

Secondary Education There are two basic sources of secondary education in Korea; public schools and private institutes ("Hakwon" in Korean). From far back in Korean history, the best Korean universities have selected only those students who scored highest on entrance exams held at the same time every year. These students in turn would receive the

The legal driving age for automobiles is 18 and 16 for motorcycles. Seatbelt use is mandatory and violators will receive a fine. Normal roadway speed is 60 kph and 80-110 kph on the highways. Busy city roads often have a "Bus Only Lane" for the convenience of those who use a public transportation. Passenger vehicles

The Han River is the largest source of fresh water in Korea. It splits Seoul in half and is lined all the way through the city with parks and restaurants. The River is "supposedly" clean enough to swim in, but if the Koreans won't swim in it, the rest of us better avoid it as

Living and teaching in Korea is an absolutely fantastic experience that will open your eyes to a whole new world that you can never experience at home. Traveling in itself to another country provides an education that one cannot get from any book or receive from any university. Learning about and experiencing first-hand another culture,

The Family System In Korea, a typical family not only consists of the nucleus family (the father, the mother and their children), but often includes the extended family as well (i.e.: grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and grandchildren). Therefore, in contrast to a typical western family that is comprised of an average of four members,