Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in South Korea and their partners

Benefits of Attendance

This seminar aims at significantly improving the ability of the participants to meet the challenges of living and working abroad. The objective is to enable them to identify the stumbling blocks that lie ahead and to be able to adapt and integrate in South Korea.

At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to:

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand South Korean context and culture
• Analyse situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating more effectively
• Reduce and manage the symptoms of culture shock
• Understand South Korean mindset, work practices, decision-making processes and negotiating styles
• Strike the right balance between personal et professional lives

Training Approach

• A cross-cultural approach of International Mobility
• Country specific trainers
• Personalized and familiy focused action plan
• Access to the Nomad’ Network, an exclusive online tool for Akteos’ clients and experts:  find resources, exchange experiences, knowledge and insights

Programme Outline

Module 1 : Successful personnal integration in South Korea

1. Cross-cultural awareness : the key to a successful expatriation

• Taking stock of one's own cultural baggage
• Culture shock and the integration process
• Identifying and going beyond cultural stereotypes

2. Key aspects of Korean culture

• The Land of the Morning Calm
• Taeguk-ki, Aeguk-ka and uri nala: a strong sense of national identity
• A multi-confessional society
• The country's cold war legacy and the challenge of partition
• The economic environment: from the dragon to the big deal

3. Korean values and behaviour patterns

• A patriarchal society
• Shamanism and spiritual powers: day-to-day helpers
• The cyclical and eternal view of time
• The role of the ancestors, of the clan and of the community
• The pali-pali mentality: fighting and preserving
• Curiosity and openness vis-a-vis others
• The importance attached to status and diplomas

4. Practical day to day information

• Focus on the host town or city
• Transport, administration, housing, security, hygiene and healthcare
• Social life, leisure activities
• Learning the language
• Schools, extracurricular activities, sport

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in South Korea

1. The South Korean corporate world

• A hierarchical structure
• A well-supervised separation of responsibilities
• Superstition in the corporate environment
• Giant companies, the state, small businesses and the unions

2. Effective communication with the Koreans

• Communication based on trust
• Kibun and nunchi: the meaning of unspoken communication
• The use of English in business and the advantages of learning Korean

3. Working with Korean teams

• What you'll need in order to be seen as credible
• Managing with the goal of achieving harmony
• Encouraging a team and company spirit
• Concerted decision-making 
• The importance of listening and of showing respect

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Koreans

• Allowing others to save face
• Paying careful attention to appearances and presentation
• State it, say it and do it
• The significance attached to contractual relationships

5. Final handy tips

• Caution, patience and humility
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code, etc
• Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
• Humour: a double-edged sword