Lanny, I have a daughter in law that is Korean (adopted as a baby) and she is very interested in their customs and even teaching my grandson, which I think is fantastic.
Have you ever read the book "Imperial Cruise"? I just finished, and it blew my mind.
I really hope so day that Peninsula will become one country again someday.
EVERYONE in Korea yearns for reunification.
Here's the Korean alphabet. A great starting place. My Korean teacher in Seattle who served as the translater for the Korean President when he entered at Seattle, used to tell me that the Korean language was considered by linguists to be the most scientific language in the world. I can attest to the fact that it has similarities to German, linguistically and similarities to the deep South culturally. They are also considered to be the Irish of the East.
Here's their alphabet:
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/korean.htm
They are a very polite people and very clean. My wife is a clean freak. She helped me shower today. During their showers they vigorously scrub off old skin.
I once went to a public bath, and they have separate ones for men and women, where they not only have showers but whirlpool tubs to soak in. A young man said something to me in Korean while holding something about the size of a bar of soap, around which was tightly wrapped a wash cloth. He ushered me over to a table and had me lie on my front. He then proceeded to rub me extremely hard getting off probably years of dead skin. I've never felt so clean in my life although my skin was red from the hard work he had done. All this cost me about $10 or $15, I can't recall exactly.
A hair cut was an extremely pleasurable experience. As they're giving you a time consuming and excellent haircut, someone else is shining your shoes, then a hot, wet towel is wrapped around your face and another around your necck. Then, hot shaving cream is applied and first your face is shaved including your forhead and then your neck and the back of your neck is shaved. Meanwhile, a young lady is massaging your feet. As you leave, you are offered either a cigarette or a stick of gum. All this cost somewhere around $10 or $15 . Of course this was about 20 years ago.
I imagine these things cost quite a bit more these days.
Here's a custom: When offered a drink by someone sitting next to you, you must accept. If you drink alcohol, you should empty your cup, refill it and offer the full cup back to your presenter.
When you accept anything or even do a handshake, you hold your left hand under your right wrist as though holding up a loose robe dangling under your wrist. It's a sign that you have what my wife calls a good home education.
There's more than you wanted to know.
TMI?
