Korean Corporate Culture

Korean Corporate Culture

I would like to start by welcoming you all here today. My name is X. The purpose of this presentation is to bring you up to the Korean Corporate Culture.

So let me begin by giving you an outline of my talk today. First of all, I will give you a brief explanation of why I chose this topic. Then, I will describe the Korean Corporate Culture, and finally I will list some social codes that have impressed me the most. May I invite you to ask any questions at the end of the presentation? Thank you.

Right, let’s start by the choice of the topic.

Last year, I got the opportunity to do my internship in Seoul in the International Marketing team. So I saw the organization of a Korean company, and their behaviour with different customers. But let move on to the main topic.

Korean corporate culture is inspired by Confucianism and Japanese corporate culture. Some very minor aspects of American corporate culture have also been adopted in Korea. Koreans consider that their company is an integral part of their identity. Korean companies have army-like titles for workers where workers get promoted. Koreans start off as "sawon" when entering a Korean company, meaning "grade 1 worker" much like officers in the army, before they go up all the way to "depyo", much like generals in the army.

I) Korean Company life

Most candidates do not apply for specific positions. They apply for broader categories (marketing, finance, IT etc.).

A Korean worker's job title describes their status in the hierarchy rather than what tasks they perform.

Regarding work, Koreans perform any task they are asked by the supervisor without much limits. (Tasks can include calling someone, proofreading documents or driving to different places).

Korean workers perform any tasks they are assigned at any time of the day. This means they are available to work late. Moreover, they are expected not to leave the company until their direct supervisor does.

Legally, Koreans should work no more than 40 hours a month and should get 21 days of paid vacation a year. Yet only embassies and some foreign companies present in Korea follow this rule. Even government institutions don't follow these rules in Korea. In fact, government institutions do allow 21 days of paid vacation but never allow them to be taken consecutively.

In Korea, when first hired, you are hired as a "sawon" (lowest position worker) even if you have a higher degree or speak 10 languages.

Promotions are based on age rather than merit. This means that someone over 35 can technically not be a "sawon" (simple employee) and should be promoted regardless of what he or she achieved for the company.

This has two meanings: people over 35 are seldom hired by Korean companies, and married women seldom work after they reach 35, unless they lead a team of other women. In Korean culture, men are not supposed to follow orders given by women, although this is slowly changing.

In a general way, it is especially their loyalty to the company that allows employees to get promotions.

That

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