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It is customary to bring a small gift when visiting a South Korean home. It's better to bring a small token and not an ostentatious object that calls attention to you. Fruit, flowers, and chocolates are popular gifts for these occasions.

South Koreans generally sit, eat, and sleep on the floor, so you will be expected to remove your shoes upon entering a South Korean home and some schools and restaurants. Bare feet may be offensive to people of the older generations, so it's best to wear socks when visiting (be sure they're clean and free of holes! 

In addition to chopsticks, South Koreans regularly use soup spoons at meals. The chopsticks are used primarily for side dishes, while the spoon is used for soup and rice. Unlike in Japan, it's not appropriate to pick up your rice bowl while eating. All plates and bowls should stay on the table. Drinking customs in South Korea are also different than in Japan. Use both hands when pouring a drink for someone, because it shows respect. Though filling a companion's glass with beer or soju (similar to vodka) is appropriate, it's essential that the glass is completely empty before pouring. This may seem like a trivial concern, but will count for a lot in the eyes of your South Korean friends.

Family welfare is much more important than the needs of the individual.

Meeting Etiquette

Wait to be introduced at a social gathering.

MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION:  Hospitals in Korea are generally well-equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic equipment.  High quality general and specialty dental care is available in Seoul.  Western-style medical facilities are available in major urban areas of Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and a few other large cities.  However, not all doctors and staff in these major urban areas are proficient in English.  Most clinics in rural areas do not have an English-speaking doctor.  A list of hospitals and medical specialists who speak English is available at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul or on the Embassy's web site at http://korea.usembassy.gov/health.html.

Pharmacies are first-rate and most prescribed medications, except psychotropic medications, can be obtained with a prescription.  Travelers taking any psychotropic or controlled medications should bring a sufficient supply as well as a copy of the prescription for Korean customs clearance at the airport. Korean ambulances do not carry sophisticated medical equipment and the ambulance personnel do not have the same level of emergency medical training as in the United States.  However, ambulances operated by the fire department (dial 119) will respond very quickly and take patients to the nearest hospital.  For medical evacuation to points outside Korea, SOS International is located in Seoul (tel: 02- 3140-1902, web site: www.internationalsos.com

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC’s Internet site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx.  For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the World Health Organization’s (WHO) web site at http://www.who.int/en.  Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith.

Today, most South Koreans think that religion is an important part of their everyday lives—unlike the Japanese and Chinese who generally do not think this.

Buddhism and Christianity are the main religions in South Korea.

What this chart does not teach you, though, is that many South Koreans do not practice a specific religion or they do not claim to belong to a temple or church. According to one study, almost half of the South Korean population claims to have no religion. So, although there are more people practicing organized religions in South Korea than in China or Japan, this is still much fewer than in the United States, for instance

The Korean public education structure is divided into three parts: six years of primary school, followed by three years of middle school and then three years of high school

The primary curriculum consists of nine principal subjects: moral education, Korean language, social studies, mathematics, science, physical education, music, fine arts, and practical arts.

High schools are divided into academic and vocational schools

All live animals and animal products entering Korea must be accompanied by valid certificates issued by the exporting country's government.

Cloven-hoofed animals and their products that are shipped from import-restricted areas will be sent back or destroyed

animals and animal products upon arrival to the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, where they must be inspected.