Shake hands respect elder (South Korea)
Two hands, slight inclination: Confucian hierarchical respect.
Meaning
Target direction : Marker of absolute respect for Confucian age hierarchy.
Interpreted meaning : Young Westerners see this as "obsequiousness" or excessive formalism.
Geography of misunderstanding
Neutral
- kr
- cn
- vn
1 Confucian hierarchy and postural handshake
South Korea Confucianism: junior to senior handshake requires specific posture = right hand supporting left arm, never casual/equal. Park Chung-hee (1960-1979) authoritarianism corpora consolidated formal hierarchy. Postural gesture respectfully updates generational hierarchy, experience, social rank.
2. Hofstede Power Distance and acceptance hierarchical gaps
Hofstede (1991) measures South Korea Power Distance score 60 (France 68, USA 40) = acceptance of hierarchical gaps. Handshake reflects and updates generational hierarchy. Inequality accepted culturally, codified gesturally. Score contrast USA pragmatism equality vs. Korea hierarchical formalism.
3. Evolution of modern business globalization tensions
1980s-2000s business globalization: Korean juniors navigate tension = equal Western handshake vs. hierarchical respectful posture. Two approaches coexist: formal Korean context vs. egalitarian international context. Ambiguity courtesy vs. respect created complexity young Korean navigator.
4. documented incidents business negotiation tensions
2010 Korea Times : tensions business negotiation, juniors Korean expected posture vs. Western counterparts égalité. 2015 Journal Business Ethics study variation in handshake behavior according to international hierarchical context. Illustrative cases modernization vs. Confucian traditions.
5. Recommended practices and contextual adaptation
Done: juniors right handshake+left arm support, seniors relaxed handshake, observe respectful formulas. Not done: ignore difference in posture, assume universal equal handshake, impose Western informality, disturb seniors.
Documented incidents
- — Negotiations business tensions : juniors attendus posture respectueuse vs. Western counterparts poignée main égale.
- — Journal Business Ethics étude variation comportement poignée main selon contexte hiérarchique international.
Practical recommendations
To do
- - Observer avant agir - Adapter poliment au protocole local - Poser question clarification si doute - Montrer respect par silence plutôt que commentaire
Avoid
- - Ne pas rire ou moquer protocole local - Ne pas imposer norme occidentale - Ne pas poser questions intrusives - Ne pas filmer sans permission
Neutral alternatives
- Simple handshake
- Verbal greeting with distance
- Respectful nod
- Kind eye contact
Sources
- Argyle, M. (1988). Bodily Communication (2nd ed.). Methuen. pp. 78-82.
- Morris, D., Collett, P., Marsh, P. & O'Shaughnessy, M. (1979). Gestures: Their Origins and Distribution. Stein & Day.
- Field, T. (2014). Touch (2nd ed.). MIT Press.